hotel or VRBO inn Italy?

VRBO has been my ;preferred choice in most Italian cities for the past dozen or more years. Filter in as much information as you can, read the reviews and locate the apartment on a map. You want to make sure the apartment is where you want to be. If the details aren't detailed enough for you, contact the owner with specific questions (e.g. there is an elevator, are there additional steps?). The quickness and accuracy of the reply will tell you alot. When reading reviews, make sure you are looking at the most recent ones to see if problems noted in older reviews show up again. Some want cash for the full amount (or balance after a bank transfer) when you sign in. I don't recommend that - you'll be visiting a bancomat several times to get that many euros. Consequently, I only use apartments with payments made via VRBO after I've check in.

I do not like to use owner-direct rental sites like VRBO and AirBnB for apartments in Italy, due to all the uncertainties and possible things that could go wrong. Just yesterday there was a trip report by someone who rented 3 different apartments in Sicily on AirBnB. One was outstanding, one was average, and one was truly awful.

I have used booking.com to find apartments in Europe; they are still owner-direct rentals, but booking.com provides an intermediate layer for security and a good platform for communication and problem resolution. Plus you pay by credit card, so there are no worries about getting cash to pay, or wiring money directly.

For Venice specifically, I only use a local company named Views on Venice. They are reliable and professional, and have provided excellent service on the occasions we have used them. They have apartments in both Venice and Florence.

Here is one example of an apartment in Venice that would sleep your family comfortably and is in a good location ( note that the price for your actual dates may be higher than the €235 a night listed; I booked it for September high season and it was more like €300/night)

https://www.viewsonvenice.com/rentals/apartment-venice-la-tana-278123.html

Here is their main website so you search for other options. There may well be 2-bdr. Apartments that are lower in price than this 3-bdr.

https://www.viewsonvenice.com/

Note that they may not have many listings yet for April 2024, which you mentioned as trip dates in your other thread.

I had a great AirBnB in Venice last month. 3-4 days is around the point where I prefer an apartment over a hotel.

Like Lola, I gravitate to Booking.com these days due to their (usually) generous cancellation policies as well as that layer of security. However, I have used VRBO many times in many places successfully, never Airbnb.

My criteria on apartment-versus-hotel is 4 or more nights, apartment, 3 or fewer, hotel. The reason is it is not usually worth the hassle of supplying an apartment for only a couple of nights and associated breakfasts or other meals. The check in process can be kludgy, too. We have been left waiting on the curb for up to an hour for the representative to show up with the key. And sometimes - even often - the checkout process requires a certain amount of clean up I am not willing to do for a couple of nights.

amazing guys

all this info has really put my mind at some easy.
im too a bit skeptical with scams and have never rented through those sites. im a big believer that most times we get what we pay for.
however I've seen so many going to rentals, so why not?!

thank you all so much
Jules

I second Lola’s approach with booking.com which we used last year for three different stays in Europe; including one in Venice where we stayed at Prince Apts. We would stay there again (as well as all the other places—but they aren’t on your itinerary).
We used booking.com again this year to book our stay in Trastevere this fall.

Note that I am recommending the management company I mentioned (Views on Venice) over booking.com for Venice apartments.

But I have used booking.com for apartments in Bologna and Lecce with good results.

We’ve used both booking.com and AirBnB to rent apartments in Italy. You need to look very closely at the descriptions and pictures. If you are expecting a king size bed with one mattress, you need to ask questions. It is VERY common for a “double” bed to be two twin beds pushed together. Otherwise it is often a bed the size of a queen. Or a full, if you are unlucky.

We used Airbnb in 2018 for both Positano and Rome, and had great experiences with both. I look for Superhosts and read the reviews carefully--I look for lots of good reviews of both the property and the host over the last few years, checking that the reviews give specific information about advantages and any minor issues with the rental. I used VRBO with good success in 2019, but not in Italy (Barcelona and Provence). Again, I look for experienced hosts with many positive reviews of the property.

Edited to add: I typically use apartment rentals for stays over 3 nights, because that's when the fees are averaged over more days and they become more economical. For shorter stays, I use hotels.

I do pretty much as Barbara N said. I have used AirBnB in England, Spain, Italy, Hungary, and Australia over the past decade, and have not encountered any problems. I often like to stay in one city or town for 1-2 weeks at a time, and really get to know the area. When staying in a location for more than 2-3 days, I look for apartments with superhosts, many reviews, and high ratings. I also look carefully at the posted photos before making a decision. I am using AirBnB again this fall in Florence and Rome. I do use Booking.com occasionally as well, and haven't had any issues either. Good luck, and have fun!