Hotel in Venice rec

[natsnow]

We are going to Rome and Venice in September. Anyone have a good rec for a hotel in Venice? Somewhere around 200 USD. It would be ideal to have a view of the Grand Canal and breakfast included. It would be good to be within walking distance to sight seeing stuff.

[travelingjen]

When we went to Italy last September we stayed at a wonderful B & B called Gio and Gio. It didn't have a view of the Grand Canal but it did overlook a smaller canal, was a quick walk to St. Mark's Square, and included breakfast. I have an entry in my travel blog on the B & B here: wanderlusttraveler.blogspot.com/2012/03/venice-italy-accommodation-dining.html

[jcbarbee]

Hotel Principe. I just stayed there in May and loved it. There isn't a breakfast included but a very nice coffee/pastry shop in front of the hotel entrance.

[Waffles]

We stayed at the Royal San Marco www.royalsanmarcovenice.com/. It's not on the grand canal but we loved the location only a block away from Piazza San Marco. Side rooms are on a smaller canal overlooking a bridge. A buffet breakfast was also included.

[M]

We drove and didn't want to leave our car just anywhere so we stayed at the crowne plaza outside of Venice and took the train in. We got a suite and the room was amazing! Very clean, up to date, modern, just really nice and I'm pretty picky. When we were walking around Venice we kept seeing all these people seriously struggling with their giant luggages trying to find their hotel rooms...not for me. So if we ever go back then we'll probably stay at Crowne plaza again to save the hassle, but Venice is not somewhere I really care to go back to see twice.

[tricolore]

We just went up for a quick couple nights this past weekend-- was looking for reasonably budget friendly but on island (b/c I didn't have much time and so didn't want to commune). We stayed at the Best Western Sant'Elena. I know, Best Western sounds creepy, but it was actually a pleasant stay. Large, American style showers (harder to find in some of the smaller places I've stayed). I was on the #1 ACTV line (but not the Grand Cancel itself). Nice area though-- great park, close to the Lido/Murano. The walk to St Mark's (which we did once just to get the dog some exercise) took about 20minutes. By boat it was maybe 5-10mins.
Was slightly below your budget (I think 140euro/night).

It's not super central, but it's an easy commune, and in my opinion, nice to get away from the crowds ! Have fun!

[tricolore]

ETA: Breakfast was included and it was quite impressive (sausage, bacon, eggs) in addition to the typical pastries and yogurts!

[natsnow]

thanks everyone.

[gtkim]

We used Hilton points and stayed at the Hilton Stucky Molino. It is across from St Mark's Square, but has a water taxi that runs between them regularly.
This hotel comes us frequently on Priceline so that may be another avenue to consider as well.

[natsnow]

travelingjen - I just researched Gio and Gio a little more and it looks really nice. Would you recommend it? We are planning on going in September and haven't booked anything yet. Hopefully it will still be available. What kind of room did you stay in?

[travelingjen]

Natsnow; yes, I would definitely recommend Gio & Gio! I don't remember the name of the room we stayed in (there are only three) but we stayed in the cheapest one. The best part of this B & B was its location. It was so awesome to be able to walk to St. Mark's within a few minutes and we also loved being able to view the canal from the balcony.

[Deleted]

We stayed at the Hotel Buncitoro, it was a 10 minute walk from St. Mark's and right on the water facing the lagoon. Our room had a view of St. Mark's towards the mouth of the grand canal.

[Deleted]

We spent three nights at Hotel Al Piave in Venice last month. Based on my research it was one of the most reasonably priced hotels in Venice, and I booked based on decent reviews in Rick Steves and Frommers. It's a small place, I think we paid around 200/night which included breakfast. Pros: Excellent location, easy walking distance to Grand Canal, St. Marks Square, and vaporetto stop. It's run by a family, and the staff were very helpful with good recommendations and could not be nicer. Cons: very basic no-frills room, felt like a cross between an inn and a hostel. I wouldn't choose it for a luxurious or romantic trip, but it was a great base to explore Venice for a few days.

[starlily]

Jun 20, 2012 19:32:45 GMT -5 @travelbug1210 said:

We spent three nights at Hotel Al Piave in Venice last month. Based on my research it was one of the most reasonably priced hotels in Venice, and I booked based on decent reviews in Rick Steves and Frommers. It's a small place, I think we paid around 200/night which included breakfast. Pros: Excellent location, easy walking distance to Grand Canal, St. Marks Square, and vaporetto stop. It's run by a family, and the staff were very helpful with good recommendations and could not be nicer. Cons: very basic no-frills room, felt like a cross between an inn and a hostel. I wouldn't choose it for a luxurious or romantic trip, but it was a great base to explore Venice for a few days.

I also like the Al Piave. I've stayed there twice. First time was in the main building, which was definitely low frills. Second time was in the building across the street, which felt like an apartment. I loved that it was just far enough from St. Mark's square that you didn't feel like you were in a touristy area, yet it was still very easily walkable to the tourist hotspots. And as PP said, the staff was fabulous. The first time I stayed there 9/11 occurred and they really bent over backwards to help their American guests any way they could.

[natsnow]

I'm so bummed - I was ready to book gio and gio and they just told me the last night of our trip is fully booked.