Modern Sweet Home Venezia

We never felt welcome, and the host was very difficult to communicate with. This was the most unpleasant stay I’ve had through Airbnb. We felt distrusted and as though they wanted us gone right away. The room was nice and clean. There were only two toilet rolls for five guests, but that was fine; we bought more and would have been happy to leave them for the next guests. The host accused us of insisting on an early check-in. We had only asked politely once, and when told it wasn’t possible, we accepted that. For some reason they seemed offended and then became rude toward us. A couple of days before arrival, they asked for our important documents. I’m at fault for not seeing the message, and I apologized. Since we were all in different places, I asked if we could meet at the apartment to gather that information more easily. They got angry and ordered us to send the documents immediately, which we did. The address arrived 15 minutes after check-in time, which was fine. But later, in their review, they accused me of not answering messages. My phone had died around check-in, and my boyfriend called to explain what was happening at the time. They chose to leave that out. They also said we left the apartment dirty and that it took longer to clean. We left it clean and spent most of our time out. The night before, we’d asked if we could check out at 12am instead of 10am. They said no and offered a safe room for €3 per hour. We were already uncomfortable, and replied, “we understand you need 6 hours to prepare the room for the next occupants.” It didn’t feel right to have that used against us. Sadly, we didn’t take photos before leaving because we’d never experienced this kind of insult before. Good luck to anyone who stays there. Before you know it, you may be treated like you’re unwanted, then get a nice review on your profile.

The apartment itself was clean, good, and as described. We left it tidy and in the same condition we found it, and checked out at 10am. Still, the hosts later accused us in their Airbnb review of leaving a mess and made other claims we say were false. That was frustrating, and it made me worry they were trying to manipulate the system for financial gain. There were five of us and only two toilet rolls, so we bought more rather than ask and risk another unpleasant exchange. We also asked once if we could check in early, and the hosts declined. We accepted that was their choice. But on arrival in Venice, they withheld the apartment address until ten minutes after our scheduled check-in, even though we asked for it fifteen minutes beforehand. That left us unable to start finding our way there on time. We requested a later checkout too, since the standard time was 10am, and they said no. I hope this helps other guests be cautious and document their stay. One more thing: some digging made me suspect that many of the Airbnb reviews were from the hosts' friends, and possibly that some were fake or paid for. One comment appeared copied across about 60 other reviews. Have a good day!

The AC worked really well, and the location was handy, with bars, a vegetable shop, and a chemist less than a minute away. But we had to buy toilet paper and laundry detergent ourselves. One roll for four people over three days? I only needed a single washing pod, but had to buy a small pack for €7.

The apartment is a short walk from Piazza San Marco, with Basilica San Marco, Rialto Bridge, and Ca' d'Oro nearby. It has two bedrooms, a bathroom with a bidet, shower, and hairdryer, plus a sitting area and a kitchen with an oven. The place has air conditioning and free Wi-Fi. La Fenice is within 1.1 km, and Venice Marco Polo Airport is 9 km away.