Skip to content
site-logo

Foodie Town

Travel for the Food

  • About Us
  • Cities & Places
  • Guides
  • Work With Us
  • Podcast
  • About Us
  • Cities & Places
  • Guides
  • Work With Us
  • Podcast
Europe

Living Like a Local in Venice with GowithOh Apartments

Living Like a Local in Venice with GowithOh Apartments

Local Venetian life is like an exclusive club you can only inherit or purchase your way into like Elton John. But, I’ve found a bit of a shortcut that doesn’t cost you over €4000 per square meter nor the longterm commitment.

I was lucky enough to win an apartment rental through GowithOh (you might remember) and chose Venice as well as Paris to experience living like a local. Venice, a place I had fallen in love with in 2010 while studying art history, offered the nicest apartment truest to the photos and as quaint & perfectly located as I imagined it would be.

Venice #GwOGourmands @GowithOh

Upon (our unfortunately late) arrival our apartment manager, a very chic Italian woman from Padova, had waited for us to arrive in the hot sun at vaporetto stop Ca’ Rezzonico. Despite our late arrival she was very forgiving after learning how far we had come and why we looked so haggard.

The air conditioned apartment fitted with white and blue tiles was a miracle to our jet lagged eyes. Church bells rang in the distance and I knew I was home…or at least home away from home.

Immediately after a cool shower to wash off the dizzying effects of spending over 16 hours in the air, I headed to the local grocery store for the essentials: wine, cured meats, wine, cheese, wine and San Pellegrino. Relaxing with our view of the canal and the quiet of the Dorsoduro area, just far enough away from hoards of tourists, allowed us to recuperate.

 

Venice #GwOGourmands

With only three nights in Venice we came to know this apartment as ours. A place to be ourselves. Take shade from the hot Adriatic sun. Soak our aching feet with a glass of Veneto wine in our hand. Sleep.

As my first GowithOh rental it was a perfect experience. I could go on and on about it and if you want to see how convenient of a stay it was watch the video below.
To help you decide if GowithOh is for you here are 5 ways my GowithOh apartment helped me save money during my trip to Venice, known as a pricey Italian city.

1. GowithOh Apartments can be 1/4 the price of a hotel

Hotels are becoming an unnecessary expense in today’s travel market. You now have websites like GowithOh or AirBnB offering event more comfort, more space, kitchens, and perfect locations for a whole lot less than your average hotel.
The first time I visited Venice I stayed in a hotel for a few days then moved to a better priced monastery . The hotel ran two of us about $700 Canadian for 3 nights. However, my GowithOh apartment was a total of $540 Canadian for 4 people in two separate bedrooms for 3 nights. This equals about $45 per person per night!

 

GowithOh Review Venice apartment #GwOGourmands
Prosecco included at this apartment!

2. Living Like a Local in Venice & Touring Markets

With your kitchen you can tour markets and get a glimpse of local life. Normally I tour the food markets with camera in hand but this time around it was with a handy dandy rolling basket provided at my apartment.
It was nice to wake up to a banana and milk after a pasta dinner from the previous night. You won’t have to go out for 3 square meals a day enabling you to pay a lot less for breakfast and lunch allowing you to splurge on dinner and gelato.
You can also drink for a lot less. Grocery stores in Venice provide a wide selection of wine from €2 – €20 and for 3 large bottles of well known beers for only € 3. Believe me when I say that coming home to an ice cold beer after battling the crowds is a sip of heaven.

3. Mingle with Your Neighbours

While we were in Venice the Fifa Cup was on and we could hear our neighbours on the edge of their seats. Italian curse words and hoots would shoot out the open windows and fly into our apartment. The energy was infectious.
Venetians can be a little leery of you at first but after a few days people in our apartment were warming to us. It also pays to be quieter and follow the building rules which are being polite and considerate.

@GowithOh Venetian Apartment Review #GwOGourmands

4. You Might Need Back Up

When you book a hotel you’re pretty much stuck with them. If you’re unhappy with your hotel you can’t change your hotel because you may have exceeded their cancelation policy by the time you arrive. You could have even prepaid for the entire hotel stay before you get there. If you’re unsatisfied with your room the hotel might change it for you but even this could include an upgrade fee.

On the other hand, with GowithOh if you don’t like your apartment they’ll do the best they can to change it for you. For example, our apartment in Paris (long story coming soon) had a bad leak in the bathroom which meant we had to leave with 2 nights of our trip left! GowithOh offered us a nice apartment in Montmartre. It was nice for us to have that option. I could always rely on my GowithOh contact to get in touch with the apartment property owner when I couldn’t and resolve any issues that came up.

5. Spacious Privacy

In a European hotel you will normally get a smaller room than what you’re used to in North America. You’ll run into other guests, wait for housekeeping to clean your room when you need in and sometimes in Italy WIFI is only available within the lobby. GowithOh provides a checklist as you search for your apartment so you can find one with both WIFI, a washing machine (no expensive laundry fees!) and a bright patio for you to read/write/keep in touch with your life back home if you so choose.

 

GowithOh provided me with complimentary stays. Prices are accurate for what I would have had to pay. As always opinions are my own and I would recommend my Venetian apartment to anyone looking for a comfortable and unique stay on a budget. I’d certainly stay there again!
Click here to see more of my Venice apartment.

Want to receive posts by e-mail? Click here!
You’ll be automatically entered to win giveaways, see exclusive content and monthly travel inspiration.

SHARE THIS

About Murissa

Murissa is founder of FoodieTown.ca and you can join her on a food tour with FoodToursKelowna.com. Otherwise, you can find her roaming the Okanagan wine region of British Columbia with her 2 kiddos and hubby in tow.

More articles by Murissa

Related Posts

The Top Countries for Remote Work
The Top Countries for Remote Work
The Delicious Richmond Dumpling Trail
The Delicious Richmond Dumpling Trail
The Right Way To Visit The Richmond Public Market
The Right Way To Visit The Richmond Public Market
Richmond Night Market: Advice & Tips
Richmond Night Market: Advice & Tips

Post navigation

Who Should I Travel With? 5 Ways to Figure it Out
Spend a Weekend in 1896: Fort St James National Historic Site #TakeOnPG

13 comments

  1. Pingback: Top 3: Gelato in Kelowna #MyOkanaganSummerThe Wanderfull Traveler
  2. Pingback: A Good Year - 2014 in ReviewThe Wanderfull Traveler
  3. Pingback: Passports with Purpose 2014: Donate & Win!The Wanderfull Traveler
  4. Amber says:
    November 4, 2014 at 4:37 pm

    I love that wine was on your list 3 times! When we just checked into an apartment in Italy, when we knew we had a car for two weeks, our first purchases were meat, cheese, and “emergency wine.” Sounds like this stay was perfect! And, the place is lovely, and seems big, particularly for compact Venice. Amazing!
    Amber recently posted..Bubble Tea – Tasty TuesdayMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Amanda says:
    November 3, 2014 at 12:16 pm

    Looks like a perfect stay. Would love to go back and spend more time in Venice!
    Amanda recently posted..Wachau Valley, AustriaMy Profile

    Reply
  6. Katie @ Domestiphobia says:
    November 2, 2014 at 5:51 am

    That looks amazing!! I recently just had my first overseas apartment experience, and I definitely loved the “living like a local” aspect. I’ve never booked with GowithOh, so I will check them out next time for sure!
    Katie @ Domestiphobia recently posted..The International Kitchen Mediterranean Culinary Tour: Day 1.My Profile

    Reply
  7. Jenna says:
    October 30, 2014 at 6:48 am

    These places sound lovely. I am pinning this for future reference since I prefer to rent an apartment with two bedrooms when I travel with my husband and kids.
    Jenna recently posted..Dreaming of MexicoMy Profile

    Reply
  8. leslie says:
    October 29, 2014 at 7:00 pm

    I would never think to rent an apartment. and WOW..what an apartment it is! How stunning!

    Reply
  9. Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says:
    October 28, 2014 at 1:34 pm

    This is awesome! I had never heard of GoWithOh Apartments before – I love the concept and it sounds like a fabulous deal! Will definitely be checking it out, thanks!
    Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet recently posted..Daring Gourmet Getaways: Inn At The Market, Seattle, WashingtonMy Profile

    Reply
  10. Christina @ Christina's Cucina says:
    October 28, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    That is totally my cup of tea! Being able to have a kitchen when traveling is such a plus, especially since I’m always hitting the markets! I love the fact that it works out even less expensive than hotels, too! Great post, thank you!

    Reply
  11. Stephanie @ Plain Chicken says:
    October 28, 2014 at 1:32 pm

    Amazing! Such a cool way to travel. I’d love to visit Venice one day. Love all the canals.
    Stephanie @ Plain Chicken recently posted..One Pot Chili Mac {No Boil}My Profile

    Reply
  12. Julie @ Table for Two says:
    October 27, 2014 at 5:34 pm

    Ahh that looks like heaven!! The apartment they gave you looked so spacious! I love that if you don’t like what you get when you get there that they’ll do their best to accommodate you elsewhere! That’s some great service!

    Reply
  13. Alessandra says:
    July 29, 2014 at 8:27 am

    Thank you so much, I am happy to see and read your blog. It is a reason for me to get better and better service.
    Alessandra

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

MEET THE TEAM

MEET THE TEAM

Hi! Murissa & Taryn here. We are sisters, foodies and founders, formerly The Wanderfull Traveler. Join us as we explore the Canadian food scene! Check out our YouTube foodie adventures and trusted restaurant recommendations here. We created the Foodie Card - coming to a Canadian city near you!

Sign Up for the Newsletter

Get daily tips, freebies, and advice delivered to your inbox every week.

Food Tours

Guides

Podcast

Follow @foodietownca

These Canadian girls run on brunch and beer.

Welcome to FoodietownCA
Copyright © 2022 | All Rights Reserved | Owned by Wander Full Food Tours Inc.
Close

Like what this writer has to say? Take her for coffee!

A ridiculous amount of coffee was consumed in the process of building this project. Add some fuel if you'd like to keep me going!