Plans are progressing with my trip for early October to Italy. We finally have our airline tickets and rental car reservations. We are flying into Rome where we will spend 3 nights. We will then take a train to Venice. We want to spend 2 nights there. Then we will pick-up car and drive to our villa rental in Tuscany for a week. Then we will meander overnight back to Rome to depart.
What I REALLY need some help with at the moment is the place to stay in Venice. I have been doing some research and of course it has been all over the place.
The thought is we are spending quite a bit on the Rome hotel so we don't want to over do it on the Venice accomodations. My mother said she stayed in a Pensione in Venice once and really enjoyed it. (This was many years ago and she does not remember area or anything.)
Anyway, the main reason she now wants to go to Venice is there is an architecture show, the Venice Biennale that she wants to attend. Part of the exhibition will be in the Arsenale. The other portion will be at the Giardini Biennale.
My Fodorite friends have been trying to help me on where to stay but it does not appear as though anyone knows of particular bed & breakfast or Pensiones that they can recommend. I did some searches here in your reviews and the results are not helping me. If I list some of the requirements maybe someone could suggest particular reviews to review?
1) Something not too far from these exhibits. Still convenient to other "must see, must do."
2) Under 120 Euro per night? Is this possible with private bathroom? (This time we don't have to have a bathtub )
3) Safe neighborhood of course. (For instance, in Rome everyone suggested staying away from the Termini train station.)
4) My father would like something that offers a view of the canalways. At least from the room's window. Of course a terrace or balcony would be great.
5) He wants to be able to walk to a pastry shop or coffee house/restaurant. If it is not too cold here in early Oct, he would like to be able to sit and people watch.
If more criteria is needed let me know. I look forward to hearing from you.
Posts: 114 | Location: Central Florida Coast | Registered: 22 March 2004
I suggest you to find hotel in Sestiere Castello, is the same Sestiere where you find the biennale, but I don't know if you find on the price request and room with canal view (I think you need only 1 max. 2 star hotel). Some hotels are fully booked (small hotel) on september early october. Kiss from Venice with RAIN!!! Cristiana
Thank you for the suggestion. It looks nice. However, I am running into the same situation again. I seek B & B or Pensione with thought that prices might be a little better for us than at a "hotel". Are the terms B&B or pensione interchangable with hotel in terms of lodging in Venice?
Posts: 114 | Location: Central Florida Coast | Registered: 22 March 2004
Phoebe, I suggested this B&B to someone else here not long ago: Ca'Bernardi. We stayed here in July, and it is absolutely wonderful. Huge, new bathrooms, beautiful rooms, lovely courttyard. We paid 125 Euros per night.I got the suggestion from the women who wrote Chow!Venice! (which you should absolutely get, by the way. We dined every night from their suggestions and they were right on). The vaporetto stop is San Silvestro. Their web site is cabernardi.com.
I checked caffelleto site and got just a few suggestions. One of the problems might be the minimum stay of 3 nights in many places. I have seen a selection for 2 nights though so I will keep plugging away.
Actually the suggestion from salgal looks like a possibility. I am checking into it.
Back to you later and thanks again.
Posts: 114 | Location: Central Florida Coast | Registered: 22 March 2004
God love you Phoebe--you are relentless ! Try www.locandabarbarigo.com Tell Vito I sent you. No elevator but great location near Santa Maria del Giglio stop.
I would have to concur with Eloise's recommendation of earlier today on that other site for La Residenza, located in the lovely Bragora square about midway between San Marco and the Arsenale. It appears to meet much of your criteria with the exception of canal views, and in your price range. I love this location!
Phoebe, The alcampaniel is a B & B that we stayed at in March. We actually stayed in the apartment but the guesthouse used the same entrance and it also looked nice. It is near the Frari church next to the San Toma vaporetto stop.
The rooms are very basic but clean and cost around 75 Euro per night including a small breakfast.
usually in B&B or apartment to rent ask min. stay of 3 nights also in a week a day. The hotels ask only during the week end a min. stay. when you will go in Venice??? Cristiana
Cristina, your English is pretty good and we appreciate you posting with information for us. It is difficult to post in a language that is not your first language.
The only language that I speak is English and I recently posted a sentence that even I could not understand after - too many typos and spelling errors!!
The Campo Santa Margherita is quite far from where the architecture exhibit will take place. Furthermore, it is also not close to a vaporetto stop. If your parents and you are great walkers, that's fine, but it does not meet your original criteria.
quote:Originally posted by Phoebe: Campo Santa Margherita in the Dorsoduro area. A friend of my father's suggested it and it is listed in my Top 10 Venice DK Eyewitness book.
Now all I have to do is find the "perfect" place. (Just in case bob reads this, notice perfect is in " ")
Campo Santa Margherita is one of my favorite places in all of Venice, but i would not consider it especialy convenient to the Biennale sites. You would either walk back to San Toma' or forward to Ca' Rezzonico.
I know Ca' Bernardi. Amelia, the young woman who runs it is an American who has lived in Venice for many years. She has a beautiful place that balances the charms of the old world with gthe conveniences of the modern one. She knows her way around Venice, and yet, as an American is particularly sensitive to Americans likes and dislikes.
We rent an apartment in San Polo when we are in Venice, and have seen Ca'Bernardi from its early days. You are very close to both the San Silvestro vaporetto stop whence you can pick up a # 1 to the Giardini, and the Rialto Bridge from which it is a short walk to San Marco.
I have seen photographs of alCampaniel, which is located very near the San Toma vaporetto stop, and that looks like a possiblity too. :a Residenza would put you even closer to the part of Castello you want to be in for the Biennale, but I have not seen the interior.
Bear in mind that Venice is a small easily traversable city. You can move about either on foot or by vaporetto so it really is not necessary to be near any one spot - in fact you would get to see more of Venice if you rode along the grand Canal and walked through the winding calles than if you stayed in one small area. Ruth
Phoebe, we went to the wonderful achitecture biennale 2 y ago. Ran out out time and could only cover the giardini part. Recommend try to arrive as early as possible. Took the water bus there.
Posts: 51 | Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA | Registered: 26 August 2003
quote:Originally posted by Phoebe: How would I negotiate? What could I say?
Thank you.
"People have told me what a lovely place the Orseolo is and I very much would like to stay with you. My budget for three people is Euro 150 per night; is it possible that you could accommodate me?
Looking forward to hearing from you."
I am not guaranteeing it will succeed but it is worth a shot.
I tried the suggestion. They sent back a very nice letter that they were fully booked for that time. Oh, well.
Hotel La Residenza is also unavailable.
I am going to go with the ca'bernardi because of what was written here about it. I just want to make sure the area will be nice enough. I read in a few travel books that this is more of a commercial area. This should be okay as long as it is like where my father lives now in lower manhattan near the finacial district.
Do it right?
Posts: 114 | Location: Central Florida Coast | Registered: 22 March 2004
>>I read in a few travel books that this is more of a commercial area. This should be okay as long as it is like where my father lives now in lower manhattan near the finacial district.<<
You are kidding, right?
I don't think that there is an inch of Venice that is anything like lower Manhattan near the financial district.
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