Hotel recommendation in Venice

[Missabby]

Looking for reasonable hotel recommendations in Venice in May 2009 that we can check out. We don't need a 5-star hotel but certainly don't want a 1-star hotel, either. Thanks, folks.

[lambs2]

We really enjoyed the Palazzo Guardia B & B in May 2007. It was recommended to us by some folks here on Cruise Critic and we had a fabulous stay in our lovely room with chandeliers and damask wall coverings. The included continental style breakfast was nice too.

[sea-explorer]

We're staying at Al Ponte Mocenigo next month. Close to a vaporetto stop, no bridges to cross with luggage, between Piazzale Roma and Rialto. Very reasonable rates for Venice. It's number 1 on trip advisor so must have something. Not a top class hotel, but comfortable. Will report back when I return.

[agabbymama]

Of course there are a ton of hotels in Venice, and unfortunately they have the price tag to go with them. I was first going to stay in Mestre because it was more reasonable. There is the Hotel Bologna and Golden Tulip Tritone. Both were under $200 per night for our October stay.

 

Then I found the Hotel Ca' Doge right in Piazzale Roma. The bus to the airport stops right in the Piazzale, the shuttle to the ship, and there is a vaporetto stop right there too. Decided it looked like a nice enough hotel with all the convenience of the transportation hub.

 

 

 

http://en.venere.com/hotels_venice/santa_croce_ovest/hotel_ca_doge.html?fe1&ref=567129&kwp=73-h220155&ef_id=1781:1:4d2ae78e8c7472c8a10e13a02fe1a53d_21659348012_200904006012:292smEGvMaAAABP-3uUAAAAX:20080718125431

 

If you don't like the looks of this one, www.venere.com is a really good site to check out hotels and they have a really good map too.

[Missabby]

We're staying at Al Ponte Mocenigo next month. Close to a vaporetto stop, no bridges to cross with luggage, between Piazzale Roma and Rialto. Very reasonable rates for Venice. It's number 1 on trip advisor so must have something. Not a top class hotel, but comfortable. Will report back when I return.

Will look forward to the report! Thank you! :)

[sea-explorer]

If you are interested, I would try booking now by emailing them directly.

 

info@alpontemocenigo.com (run by Walter & Sandro)

 

They speak English, there is no deposit to pay and if you find something else you prefer, you can always cancel. They do book up pretty quickly. I only 'dropped lucky' as they were fully booked but had just finished renovating a new annex when I asked, I couldn't believe my luck. :)

 

Another advantage of booking now is that you will fix the price in case they increase again next year. ;)

[MercedMike]

There is simply no such thing as a reasonably priced hotel in Venice. However, we were delighted with the 3 star Violino D'Oro http://www.violinodoro.com/en/index.htm

and paid about half the price of the big tourist hotel just across the canal. The Violino D'Oro has location, location, location! It is a one block walk from St.Mark's square, right next to the gondola landing, and faces the Campo St Moises and the church of that name for a beautiful ambiance of its own. It is also right next to Versace and several other fashion houses for those inclined that way.

 

It is small, has a nice friendly concierge and a very passable continental breakfast. The rooms are clean and comfortable if not luxurious. I would recommend it highly.

 

Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland3.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[Missabby]

Thanks much, folks. We will check these out.

[Missabby]

There is simply no such thing as a reasonably priced hotel in Venice.

Reasonable, as it applies to Venice! :)

[RickT]

We've booked the Hotel Scandinavai (http://www.scandinaviahotel.com/) for our upcoming trip. Booked it through hotels.com for $185 per night. Again, not cheap by NA standards but seems pretty good by Venice standards. Seems easy to get to from the pier and just as easy to get to Marco Polo airport after our stay.

[agabbymama]

We've booked the Hotel Scandinavai (http://www.scandinaviahotel.com/) for our upcoming trip. Booked it through hotels.com for $185 per night. Again, not cheap by NA standards but seems pretty good by Venice standards. Seems easy to get to from the pier and just as easy to get to Marco Polo airport after our stay.

 

Boy, your idea of easy to get to/from isn't the same as mine. Reading that there are at least two bridges you have to go over is enough to discourage me. We are two "older" ladies with a huge 29" suitcase, and while it is on wheels, I wouldn't want to wrestle it up and down two bridges. But I did like the price of your scandinavia hotel. As I stated in my other post, there are tons of hotels. People just have to do the research and decide for themselves what they are willing to pay.

 

http://www.cadoge.it/eng/posizione.htm

[San Diego Ellie]

We stayed out of Venice proper at the Crowne Plaza d'altino which is a 30 minute train ride from Venice. However, this is a very easy option. First of all, they pick you up at the airport free of charge. Secondly, they give you free RT train tickets into Venice each day if you book on their web site. Our room was very spacious, and this was a good option for us (particularly as we used priority club points). There is a main vaporetto station right at the train station, so it is easy to tour Venice each day.)

[Travel to Ports]

(My 2nd try, once I almost got to the end of this posting, it disappeared -- a real miracle of modern technology!)

 

I consider myself an "expert" in study and hope that next spring my canceled trip will occur. Some points to consider:

(1) Start by at least going out and buying a fold-out map of Venice. You can email questions to hotel, B & B, or landlord about location to figure some things out. Even the map will not be definitive, not like a map of Barcelona.

(2) If you will spend more than one day in Venice, buy and read a comprehensive tour book to decide what you want to do, see, and hear (versus getting priorities off of any internet site). For example, if you are a music lover, you may want to listen to Vivaldi on a Thursday night -- better then to stay within a short walk of where the concert will be held?

(3) Stays of under 3 nights, when money and convenience is an issue, consider hotels in/near Piazza Roma. Easy to get to/from ship and to airport by bus or taxi.

(4) If you can stay at least 3 days past some half days while on your ship, research the Venice Card.

(5) Learn the difference between water taxi and public transport (actv).

(6) At least 3 consecutive nights also makes a variety of apartment rentals a reasonable option.

 

If you are arriving by ship on 8 June 2009 on a Princess ship, you might be interested in joining our tour group -- feel free first to send me an email (even before settling on a specific cabin. I've gathered considerable information and experience from friends who cruised the Mediterranean Barcelona to Venice 24 May, 2008).

 

Best of luck, understanding and preparing for Venice is a challenge!

David

traveltoports@yahoo.com

[wneal14]

Star rating in Europe do not always mean what we think they mean. Stars have more to do with service and amenities than cleanliness and charm. Looking at stars is a decent yet general way to search for hotels. I learned this the hard way a few years ago. Booked an expensive 4 star hotel that was a dump, but it had all the things it needed to get four stars (porter, restaurant, parking, etc.) In China a hotel gets a star if it has a bowling alley!

 

The following is from the goeurope.com website.

 

Just remember--the ratings on the outside of the building are based on an objective facilities and services provided assessment and are not in any way related to ambiance, charm or other subjective criteria. Think government ratings. Guido, a government pencil pusher for his whole life, goes into a hotel with a checklist. Is there a restaurant? Yes or No. Is there a toilet and shower/bath in every room? Yes or No. In the end there's gonna be a count of all the yesses that will intimately bestow the hotel with some number of government stars.

 

I hope this helps.

[rhkfreespirit]

We stayed at the Locanda Vivaldi last October for three nights prior to our cruise which was a wonderful recommendation by our travel agent. It is right on the Grand Canal and a five minute walk to St Marks Square. It is also across from the Water Taxi station so that it is easy to get around Venice. The hotel is the former residence of the composer Vivaldi...so rooms are small but very clean and charming. They do have a website so you can check it out for yourself. We would stay there again next time we go to Venice! (They have their own water taxi dock which was very convenient when we arranged for transportation to the hotel from the airport and again to take us to the ship...not cheap...but very convenient!!)

 

I would spend a little extra for a room facing the Grand Canal...we had a "Juliet" balcony and would lean out every evening which made the hotel even more charming!

[Martita B.]

I e-mailed Nadia (innkeeper)directly and reserved a Junior Suite at the 'Ca Doge Hotel. The rate was very reasonable. As the hotel is 5 minutes from the Marittima Cruise Terminal this was certainly a plus.

Also the small hotel will be an easy transfer from the airport.

I have friends that recently flew into Venice and had to lug and drag their baggage until they were totally exhausted! NOT my idea of "having fun!:eek:

Martita B.

[WonderMan3]

Go to tripadvisor.com and check out the hotel reviews there. You'll find honest and detailed reports as well as pictures. I swear by that site now for all my hotel bookings. I used it to find my Venice and Rome hotels for my cruise last year and they turned out to be 100% on the money.

 

My reco for Venice is The Foscari Palace. Beautiful but smaller hotel right on the Grand Canal not in the midst of the tourist craziness but still within a short walk of all the sites. We paid about $300 per night when you convert (now it would be higher due to the dollar falling). We had a balcony room facing the canal and I know they had rooms priced less than that. Still might be out of your price range though.

[sea-explorer]

Missabby

 

As`promised a quick update for you on the hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo. A lovely little hotel & we enjoyed our stay here. We were quoted 165 euros for a triple room with a 6% discount for cash. However, if you can produce a Rick Steves guide book, which we did, this becomes 8%, so we paid 151.80 euros per night bed & breakfast for three.

 

However, I do have a couple of provisos. Firstly, there is no elevator, which we knew, and our room was on the second floor..which translates in US terms to the third floor. One flight of stairs with luggage was fine, but the second flight was a bit much. If you wish to stay here, I would ensure you ask for a room on a lower floor.

 

Secondly, the beds were somewhat firm and a little too hard for us. As a result, we didn't sleep too well. If you like a hard bed I would definately highly recommend the hotel. If not, I would look elsewhere.

 

Hope this helps.:)

[windy12]

Al Ponte Mocenigo

 

We also recently returned from our two night stay at this hotel. The people who run this hotel are extremely personable and very helpful. We too were on the second floor but we never touched our luggage (either coming or going) as the luggage was carried for us. We are two adults and two teenagers and the room was the largest room I had ever seen in Europe (one King bed and two twin beds and a lot of space between). We paid 210 Euro with a 8% discount (with Rick Steve's Guidebook) during peak season. The hotel had a large supply of extra guidebooks and umbrellas to borrow and free access to the internet. The bathroom was enormous and sparkling clean!

 

My only concern about this hotel is for people who do not want to do a lot of walking to get to the major sites. This hotel is bit out of the way for St. Mark's Square.

 

Other than that, I would highly recommend this hotel.

 

Good luck choosing!

 

Wendy

[eandj]

We have reservations at Al Codega, a relatively new hotel with very good reviews and nice rates. Not too difficult to get to from Rialto vaporetto stop. (one small bridge) Between St. Marks and the Rialto bridge.

[MMDown Under]

We have booked Hotel Abbazia from its reviews, proximity to rail and bus station (can carry our own luggage and hopefully don't have to worry about high tide in winter), plus the cost of hotel and public transport.