We were absolutely delighted with the stay at Hotel Abbazia. This hotel bills itself as a 3 star property but in our opinion, it's definitely more like a 4 star hotel.
First things first...location! This place is located just a few moments from the bus terminal and train station. However, it has none of the negative connotations of being close to that type of place. You dont even know it's there.
Location is super important because there's no motorized transport in Venice, so lugging around bags over cobble stone streets and on water buses is an inconvenience, especially if your hotel is 30 mins away from the bus/train station. But it wont be a problem for you if you stay here!
Also, it was the little things that made this stay great. The helpful front desk, the charming outdoor space next to the dining room, and the complimentary laptops they offer guests to use if they didn't bring their own laptop. Oh yeah, the free breakfast was nice too. I should also mention that while the outside of the hotel is nothing out of the ordinary, the inside is majestic and interesting. From what I understand it was an old monastery that was converted to private use. Check out the bar area next to the lobby. There's a pulpit up by the wall. Pretty cool.
As for the rooms, they were decent and pretty well decorated but nothing special. Ours faced the inner courtyard which was relaxing and lovely (except for the 7:20am church bell ringing 100 times - not even kidding).
I should also point out that the rooms were flawed in a few ways. First, the showers were a bit on the crappy side. There was no fixed shower-head, just a detachable one with a long hose and a holder on the wall. However, the holder was affixed about 2 feet off the floor, so you couldn't stand under the stream of water without holding it up. Made for an interesting shower process. Also, no mirrors in the room aside from the bathroom one. And finally, minimal storage space for our stuff.
In the end, I highly recommend this place. Check it out for sure if you are going to Venice!
Pros - Good value, clean, comfortable property, free breakfast, great location, fast wireless internet (also free), complimentary laptops to use, very cool inner courtyard to chill out in.
Cons - Basic, though tastefully decorated rooms, awkward showers, no mirrors in the room, poorly stocked minibar, the morning church bells are ridiculously loud and go off at 7:20am on the dot every day. Ouch! read more