Venice is an expensive city. One of the first indicators of this was the cost of accommodation. When I booked my hotel back in January for a July trip most recommended hotels along the Grand Canal or in the San Marco sestiere were giving me quotes of at the minimum €150, with the majority being somewhere between €180-€200/night. Even with these rates I refused to stay outside the main city just for a cheaper rate - many guidebooks and other travelers warn specifically against this as staying outside Venice proper would deteriorate sightseeing quality.
To help me out with research I turned to booking.com, which is now the preferred site for hotels in Europe. When going there I was able to find this hotel (8.8 overall, 9.5 location) and from its listing it was exactly what I needed. While the Dorsoduro sestiere is a little further away from the major sights it is a quieter neighborhood and the hotel's location being midway between the Zattere Alilaguna stop (to and from VCE), the Zattere vaporetto stop (to and from Giudecca Island) and most importantly the Accademia bridge and vaporetto stop (gateway to everything else in Venice) sold me. Booking directly I was able to secure a rate of €126/night for a single bed.
The room is typical for European standards - small yet homey with a nautical theme. Bed was clean and comfortable. Bathroom is small too but at least contained the basic necessities. There was a convenient plug located near the headboard. There's also complimentary wifi for hotel guests.
Hotel breakfast is included in the room rate but food served consist mainly of pastries and fruit and vegetables, standard continental European fare. Main protein consists of hard boiled eggs. They did have a few selection of juices. Some days the fruits and veggies were not fresh but this one I blame on the July weather if anything.
The front desk staff were very kind, especially the lady that greeted me in the morning before I left for the day and one of the guys who was there one evening. Being a solo traveler it was if they were taking some precautions of their own to ensure I felt safe and at the least enjoying myself in a foreign city.
My experiences with this hotel, specifically finding it through booking.com and my interactions with front desk staff I now consider gold standard for any hotel in a city in Europe. It solidified what is now my hotel standard for solo travel - boutique hotel located in the center of the city (or central to the major sights) that has access to one or major public transportation routes for getting around the city. read more