Frari Marin (v108)
Would you please pass on my e mail if possible to your representative re her apartment.It was beautifully prepared and even better than you described - so light and airy and spacious.We were welcomed warmly and allowed to bring in shopping. It was a real treat and very much recommended. Quiet yet so near local shopping.
Y.W.
June 2005
A belated line to say how much we enjoyed our trip to Venice & the apartment. Venice is certainly a unique experience & once you realise that the whole place has not been painted or maintained since 1500 you can enter into the spirit of things!
We thought Frari Marin made an ideal base for exploration & was spacious, well equipped & spotlessly clean. We would have no hesitation in doing the same again or in recommending Venetian Apartments for their helpfulness & superb web site.
P.B.
June 2003
We already knew that the San Trovaso apartment has been sold by the owners and was therefore no longer on your books. Such a pity since it was a delightful apartment and admirably positioned.
While the Frari Marin apartment is not in the up-to-date league
that San Trovaso was, it is certainly a very spacious and well-arranged
apartment. Also the rooms overlooking the canal are very light
and you can see a lot of sky from the dining room and kitchen (sky
which you often cannot see from apartments in Venice). This was
an area we had not stayed in before and I would have no qualms
about staying there again. It is very convenient for the station
and it is almost easier to walk from Piazzale Roma rather than
get a vaporetto. There are some pleasant restaurants and bars in
or just off Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio. While it does get very
busy, the
We have already had a look at the outside of two other of the properties on your books in preparation for our next trip!
C.H.
May 2003
Just wanted to send you our rather belated thanks for an absolutely lovely week in this apartment in May 2001. The area around Giacomo dell'Orio is wonderful (although where in Venice isn't?), and the apartment itself was superb! Booking, arrival and departure were all completely painless, and the owner was helpfulness itself - and our sincere thanks to everyone for a lovely time.
G.G.
July 2002
We arrived back in UK last Friday after a wonderful stay in Venice. The apartment was excellent and the owner was most helpful.
Had she not met us in a reasonably easy to find place when we telephoned we may still have been looking for the apartment! It is very well hidden and we passed it twice the following day in the dark for the first time with a good map!
Thank you for your service. We know where to come to again.
G.S.
April 2002
We are so very grateful for your assistance in helping us find the perfect places to stay in Venice. We loved both neighbourhoods.
We especially enjoyed Frari Marin. It was spacious, comfortable, and very well equipped. We enjoyed being in such a lively neighbourhood.
Having the experience of staying in two parts of the city gave us a much better sense of Venice. There is a remarkable bakery on Rio Marin, that is not to be missed: "La Boutique Del Dolce". The Man in the Net (Rio Marin) as well, was most helpful.
We had the "time of our lives".
T.H.
November 2001
The accommodation was excellent - surprisingly roomy for four and very well appointed - generous in all respects and a welcome relief from some of the poky and scruffy flats and cottages we have encountered on English holidays. Big rooms, comfortable furniture, decently equipped kitchen and, overall, very stylish.
We also liked the area. Last time we visited Venice, we stayed in San Lio, between the Rialto and San Marco, obviously a very busy and touristy area which was exciting and central. Santa Croce was quite a contrast - relaxed and much more 'ethnic'. Most of the customers in the Co-op store and bars in the local square seemed to be locals.
It's worth remembering that Venice is surprisingly small so, although this apartment might look a bit off the beaten track on the map, it's only a little over ten minutes' walk to the Rialto and less than that to the San Toma vaporetto stop on the way to Accademia and San Marco.
The local square, Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio, has a busy Co-op supermarket with a deli counter. Very reasonable prices and definitely not worth lugging shopping back from further afield - except perhaps fish and fresh veg. There is, of course, a bar in the square although we spent more time in the 'Sweet Revenge' just round the corner from the flat which had the advantage, in view of the very hot and humid weather, of an air conditioned back room. The cold Fosters was heaven but quite expensive at 8,000 l a 'pint'.
The next square boasts three major attractions - the magnificent church of I Frari with its Titian altarpiece, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco with its breathtaking series of Tintorettos and, most importantly, the Millevoglie ice cream shop. I had heard somewhere that this shop sold the best ice-cream in Venice and I wouldn't disagree. It was certainly by far the best we found and very reasonably priced at 3000 l for a double-dollop cornet or tub - tub easier to handle (it was a very hot week) but very superior sweet-biscuity cornets if you don't mind getting a bit sticky.
We've never really mastered eating out in Venice but, if you're not in search of haute cuisine, there are a couple of good options very close to the flat. Just on the corner is Ae Oche, famous for its enormous range of pizzas, although there are other options. Cheap and cheerful - very acceptable pizzas and beer for four for around L80,000. A couple of minutes walk away is La Zucca, just off the local square. This is a busy, cheerful little restaurant with a wide variety of vegetarian dishes although carnivores are catered for as well. Again it is quite reasonably priced. We paid about L140,000 for a pleasant meal for four with a decent bottle of wine. Booking is essential.
G.R.
September 2001
We've just returned from a wonderful week in Venice. The apartment was just perfect - we're not ones for silk wall coverings and four poster beds - we'd rather be in the 'locals' area, which we certainly were in Frari Marin. It was superbly equipped - down to shoe cleaning things in the bathroom cupboard. We so enjoyed shopping at the supermarket in the square - my husband got known as 'the Scotsman' after asking a local's advice on local wine, and ending up with a quarter of an hour's conversation, of which he could understand half! He soon made friends with the lady on the cooked meat counter ( he loves prosciutto crudo and salami) and we felt privileged to be in an area where tourists do not abound.
We ate three times at the Trattoria Capitan Urcino, next to the supermarket, which we can highly recommend - super food, very reasonable prices and good atmosphere. We booked for our last night at La Zucca, and had a really superb meal, with a main course for each of the six of us, five dishes of vegetables, five desserts, two litres of excellent house wine and aqua minerale, all for £80!! It is also recommended in the new Lonely Planet guide to Venice so you definitely need to book.
N.C.
October 2000
A brief word to let you know how very much we enjoyed our recent stay in Venice. Renting an apartment allowed us so much more scope to explore Venice early in the morning and in the evening - we were able to buy fresh fish from the Rialto market at 7.00 a.m. and to visit Piazza San Marco at midnight.
The apartment was perfect for our needs - simple and spotless. Staying at Santa Croce meant that we were within easy walking distance of everywhere, yet in a sestiere with a really Venetian feel. Please pass on our appreciation to the owner, whom we found to be really helpful - and recommend to your clients the outstanding Bar Gilda Vio by the Rio Marin. Even though we lived in Southern Italy for two years, I don't think we've ever breakfasted better. The proprietors were extremely welcoming too.
B. & K.G.
November, 1998
