Yes. You need it. A Leap of faith to rent a place in Venice. Let’s face it, booking a hotel is so much easier. Where your concern is only a room or suite. Where the concierge will take care of directions or reserving a table. Where there’s lots of hotel information in magazines & over the web. Where piece of mind comes easy. But when you really want to do Venice right, come for a week & rent an apartment. Or go "whole-hog" & rent part of a palazzo.

Islandstylebook is always looking for new places to stay in Venice. And from our last trip, we came away with more than just hotels to report on. www.venice-rentals.com rises out of a “sea” of Venice rental agencies (or should we say a “lagoon”) as a stellar place to find your ideal apartment. Meeting with owner Ann-Marie Doyle while we were there, we got to see how she runs her company and why it has had so much good press & so many happy clients over the past 16 years.

The key to it has been her excellent website. Anne-Marie uses descriptive categories, making it easier to find what you want in an apartment rental: Elegant & Classic, Practical Comfort, Historic, Prestigious or Designer Chic. For those who want the apartment experience but have less than a week to do it in, they offer Luxury Short Stays. Stylish, fully serviced apartments in a fabulous palazzo.

The best way to maneuver the site is to click-onto the number of bedrooms you're looking for & go from there. Each apartment listing is categorized (ie: Historic) to give you an idea of its overall ambience. Special points are highlighted, like "canal view" or "altana" (rooftop terrace). They really tell you about the kitchen & bathroom facillities (ie: refurbished, old-fashioned, etc) & are careful to list all the amenities properly (ie: TV or cable TV). Every listing has lots of up-to-date photos, showing you what the apartment & furnishings actually look like. All this means you'll get what you expected when the boat drops you off... which can be "iffy" in this city of dreams.

Ann-Marie & Venice-Rentals is based in London. She does a quick jaunt over to Venice every couple of weeks to check on her roster of apartments, look for new ones & to make sure her clients are happy. A fast moving lady, with an eye for detail, she knows the personalities of all the "sestieres" (districts) so you'll know too. They're different to be sure. For example: Dorsoduro is the favored rental area by Brits & Americans for its upscale style & art offerings. Cannaregio is for those who want more of a neighborhood-feel, where real Venetians live (Ann-Marie's favorite).

Venice-rentals is also kept busy when the movie industry comes to town. They arranged accommodations for "The Wings of the Dove" entourage [editor's note: a must see movie for its moody Venetian scenes] & is now doing the same for "Casanova" to be filmed here (where else?) this summer.

We like how Venice-Rentals does business, handling all the variables of so many apartment possibilities just right. With their help, finding a Venetian rental is not the daunting task most of you imagine it to be. And it's the way Islandstylebook recommends to get the most out of your Venice trip. We thought you should know.