Venice Hotels, your thoughts/advice?

[francesam]

Anybody any ideas on the Carlton on -the- grand canal, near the railway station. Have been booked into there by my travel agent. Never got a choice really. I's £305 for 2 nights. Looks lovely but we are in our 70s,will we be able to get around ok. Also although we have transfers from the airport to the hotel we have to make our own to the cruise ship. Will it be better to book in advance or let the hotel conceirge do it for us.

[BLS]

On the basis of price alone, that hotel is middle of the road for Venice. Locanda Orseolo, one of the deserved favorites on this board and on Trip Advisor will cost 500 Euros per night to 580 Euros per night for the same dates. Other posters have written about well-regarded lower priced hotels. These names should turn up in a search.

 

The location is very good.

 

 

Sorry to disagree with you about the Locanda Orseolo, the price for Sept 13 and 14 is $250 per night for a total of $500 for the TWO nights.

It is our favorite Hotel in Venice (we last stayed there in Oct of this year). Amazing place with wonderful people!

[Billiam]

Sorry to disagree with you about the Locanda Orseolo, the price for Sept 13 and 14 is $250 per night for a total of $500 for the TWO nights.

It is our favorite Hotel in Venice (we last stayed there in Oct of this year). Amazing place with wonderful people!

When I checked it for May it was much higher but if your mean Euro instead of dollars then it's in the price range quoted to me. 250E is about $350. Happy cruising------

[wisteria1019]

When I checked it for May it was much higher but if your mean Euro instead of dollars then it's in the price range quoted to me. 250E is about $350. Happy cruising------

 

There is generally a significant price difference between September and May.

We just booked the Murano Palace (on Murano, of course) for 4 nights next May post cruise. We have stayed on Venice - Hotel Abbazzia and Giudecca - Molino Stucky. The Murano Palace comes well recommended and offered a fantastic price - $470 E for the 4 nights. Now, we will finally get to experience life on this smaller, less visited island.

Dawn

[CathyCruises]

Just spent three nights in Venice. We stayed in Cannareggio (end of October) and could not believe the crowds when we went to San Marco, Rialto, Guggenheim, etc!!! Wall to wall people; you literally had to shuffle along through the streets. It was such a relief to get back to our quiet little corner of town. I wouldn't stay near P.le Roma if it was free!!! It all depends on what you like, I guess, but it sure was great to get a feel for the real Venice/Venetians, and not just the face she shows to tourists.

[TLCOhio]

Just spent three nights in Venice. We stayed in Cannareggio (end of October) and could not believe the crowds when we went to San Marco, Rialto, Guggenheim, etc!!! Wall to wall people; you literally had to shuffle along through the streets.

 

Venice can be crowded and very busy. BUT, your timing and luck, can be big factors, too! As these photos below show, the early mornings can be fairly nice and manageable. Evenings can work well as many of the "day crowds" have left on the tour buses, etc. Part of the luck is about how many cruise ships are in port that day. Fortunately for us on June 14-15, we were the only ship in port during that afternoon and morning. Having an overnight in Venice makes a big, positive difference in being able to better see and experience this great city.

 

Hotel prices and avails can vary depending on your "luck" for how busy things are on those specific days.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 50,158 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

From the St. Mark's Campanile tower in Venice, here is a view looking across San Marco Piazza (with the shadow of this 323’ high tower showing in this picture). Lots of great views in all directions from this tower. The tower is topped by a pyramidal spire with a golden weathervane in the form of the archangel Gabriel. The campanile reached its present form in 1514. The current tower was reconstructed in 1912 after the collapse of 1902. The tower was originally used as a watch tower for the dock. It is now one of Venice’s most famous symbols. The original Campanile inspired the designs of other towers worldwide.:

 

 

 

On the clock tower (dating to 1500) overlooking San Marco Piazza and St. Mark’s, here is a view of the famed lion of Venice and other artistic carvings on this structure.:

 

[lalique]

We stayed at the Hotel Bauer which we had also stayed at in 1996 when it was the Bauer Grunwald Hotel. It is lovely with beautiful rooms. The water taxi pulls right up to the door for luggage and you to be unloaded. A wonderful buffet breakfast is also included. There is a gondola station right outside the front door which is so convenient to take your gondola ride. The hotel is a one or two minute walk right into St. Mark's Square. A fantastic location and hotel.

[lalique]

If you look further down the list of posts on this Italy board and see the one from 11/23 by TLCOhio on T&L Magazine Cover story about Venice , you will see his photos of the San Moise Church. Look on the right side of the photos and the gray building with the greenery is the Hotel Bauer I mentioned in my previous post.

[sunshine nana]

We too stayed at the Olimpia in May of 2010. It was perfect for getting from the airport on the bus for just a few dollars. We checked in and took off on foot to explore. It was also convenient for getting to the port especially since there was a taxi stike since it was May 1st. (we walked). The Olimpia is a Best Western, if you have honor points, you will save. We stayed post cruise at the Marriott by the airport (with points) and took the bus into Venice. They had a free shuttle to the airport in the am.

[T. Advisor King]

I'll throw in my two cents that if staying more than a couple days, look into an apartment rental. It's not for everyone, particularly those who have a narrow comfort zone (or those with mobility problems or who value continuous "service"), but it was perfect for us in Venice. As a family of four with two teenagers, we would have needed two hotel rooms. We rented an apartment that was 45 seconds (literally) from St. Mark's square. It was 1200 sq feet with two bathrooms and three bedrooms, a living room, dining room and kitchen. We paid 900 Euros for 6 days. It was like getting our hotel rooms for $100 (dollars, not Euros) per night.

 

Yes, there's more to Venice than St. Mark's square and we like to make a point of finding out-of-the way places to enjoy. But it is also fun to be in the hub and vibe of the main tourist area.

 

Again, apartments are not for everyone, but for families in particular it can work out great.