San Vio

We had a spacious apartment at a reasonable price by Venice standards, west of the Grand Canal, with a smooth, easy check-in. There was a canal view from the lounge, though no balcony. The bedrooms faced a garden, but it had no seating for enjoying the evenings. The place was underfurnished for four people, let alone six with the sofa bed. There were several problems during the stay: no hot water in the morning, and no quick answer to our question about how to heat it. We ended up taking freezing cold showers before an engineer arrived. Ants came through a hole in the lounge, there was a used contact lens by one bed, and the apartment's door entry system didn't work. After the engineer came, they offered us €100 off the cost, which we accepted. They had also offered bag sitting, though that's included anyway.

Our canal-view room was clean and well cared for, in a great location. It had two bedrooms, each with a king-size bed, plus a living area with a small kitchen. I'd highly recommend it.

The area was lovely, quiet, and charming, right in the art district. But mosquitoes were everywhere in the apartment, in every room, day and night. The kids kept getting bitten and woken up, and couldn't sleep properly. After talking with the host about it, we were left feeling we probably wouldn't stay again. I understand the heat and standing water near the building may be behind it, but I imagine there are ways to prevent this. I recommend the area, though if you're travelling with kids, I'd look elsewhere. The mosquito problem kept us from enjoying our stay, and the host didn't help fix it or offer any assistance.

The rooms are very spacious, the bed was comfortable, and the toilet was really good. The kitchen was huge and had a dishwasher, so the stay was otherwise great. But I stepped on sharp staples sticking out of the carpet last night. Please get them removed so another guest doesn't step on them.