Life is short. You must see Venice. And not just the tourist Venice. Give this remarkable island a week of your time. Yes, a week. If you really want to see it right.

There are some of the finest luxury hotels in the world in Venice. But along with this vision comes the tourist factor. Just who are you rubbing elbows with at these hotels? Not Venetians. And their locations? Although great for the main attractions, like St. Mark's Square, they're right smack in the one area that houses most tourists. Think crowds. Think anybody but Venetians walking next to you.

Break free and live it another way, guaranteed to make your Venetian memories much more enjoyable & most importantly...more Venetian! We highly recommend renting an apartment in one of the outlying neighborhoods, away from the hustle & bustle of St. Marks.

For as little as $1400 USD for the week, you can have your own apartment, in a great location. And if you're really lucky, you can rent one with a terrace overlooking a canal. Our Venetian experience included a terrace overlooking the Peggy Guggenheim Museum on the Grand Canal. We spent our early mornings drinking coffee and watching gondolas paddle by.

Our apartment was on quiet street in the Dorsoduro District. Close by were plenty of important sites to visit. Going further afield was no big deal. Walking or taking the vaporetto (Venetian waterbus) was part of the adventure. And by our third day we had met Marco, our own gondolier, who stopped by to pick us up at the end of our street whenever we asked!

You should consider the whole picture before renting an apartment, however. From a perspective rental agent, ask for apartment photos & client references you can e-mail. Be sure you understand all the costs, including security deposit and reimbursement. Look at your contract carefully before signing. And ask lots of questions as to location, views, interior decoration and amenities (elevator, maid service, etc.)

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Remember, you won't be served any meals ensuite. You won't have a concierge desk to depend on. You won't have the action a hotel provides. And Venetian apartment glamour is usually of the "shabby-chic" variety. Without the most up to date kitchens & bathrooms (of course, the higher the rent, the better the apartment). But this is the real Venice. And what you give up doesn't come close to what you'll get in return for going the apartment route...You'll "live" the island, unlike most tourists do.

After surfing the web and contacting a host of Venetian rental agents, we went with www.oikosvenice.com for our apartment. Considering the reasonable price, the third floor apartment was ideal for ambience, space & location. The service through this company was gracious & Lucia, our agent, was always on call to help out with dinner reservations, vaporetto schedules & off the beaten path things to do.

A week in Venice will go by quickly. But a week will give you time to see some of the best parts of all the Venetian districts. You'll be able to take a couple of day trips to the outlying islands, like Burano & Torcello, too. Or check out the beach at the Lido. And back in St. Mark's Square? The tourists continue to descend (like the thousands of pigeons there), trying to fit it all in over a long weekend.