Perche

I agree about Hilton Molino Stuckey. See my post above about staying at he Lido. The Hilton MS is not as far away as the Lido, but you still have to commute to the historic center by boat. It's not Italian. It's a large USA hotel for when you want to travel to Italy without feeling like you left home. I go there when I want an American style cocktail.

mmack

Reviving this thread. We are returning to Venice next Easter for spring break (4 nights)with our daughter and 10 year old grandson. We've used the Londra Palace before, liking its location and the hearty breakfasts. Any other suggestions for a moderately priced hotel, preferably on water.? Thanks

JMN57

Not on the water (50 meters from the Grand Canale) but the Bisanzio in Castello is reasonable and comfortable. In fact, I just checked in today for 4 nights. In a nice room with a small terrace.

Perche

I second that.

slawecki

i think i have recommended this elsewhere:

4 star hotel Venice St. Mark's | Hotel Bucintoro Official Site …
www.hotelbucintoro.com

it is on the water, great view, next to a vaporetto stop, quite small, nice breakfast, very quiet, reasonable price for venice.

JMN57

As an aside, if you haven't made reservations for dinner and want a good meal, consider Restaurant Wildner at Pensione Wildner. It is a member of the Associazione dei Ristoranti della Buona Accoglienza. Unlike other restaurants in the list that tend to be totally booked, it seems to be a little more available at the last minute (maybe the pejorative of being a "hotel" restaurant).

In addition to potentially easier quick availability, the menu is a little broader than pesce and good quality at that. I had a tartare appetizer with fassone beef that was wonderful (and made a great turf as part of my tartare/moeche surf & turf dinner) and my wife had a very good fegato alla veneziana (which, well executed, is actually hard to find in Venice).

mmack

Thanks. I looked at the web site: like the location, with all rooms having a water view. For our kid's first visit to Venice, that's great.

Perche

Bucintero is a nice hotel with the advantage of being far enough away from Piazza San Marco. It's a lot more expensive than Bisanzio, so you have to take your pick.

The chef who cooks at the Pensione Luca Fillin is a passionate devotee of the Slow Food Movement. Everything is fresh and authentic. I agree that it is easier to get a table there than at the other restaurants probably because of what you said - someone who wants a good meal is not going to eat near Piazza San Marco.
This is one of the only exceptions.

In fact, you probably passed it a few restaurants down, a restaurant with a sign outside that says, "No Frozen Food." That's a tacit acknowledgment that it is now becoming well known that most of the food around Piazza San Marco (and around Rialto) is basically TV dinners made in a factory, thawed and heated in a microwave, and served to you. Pensione Wildener is one of the exceptions in that area.

BTW, I just returned from a one month stay in Venice. It was a sudden trip, and while there I was very busy and so I was a slacker in getting reservations. I couldn't get into Alle Testiere or Al Covo for dinner, but for lunch, I was able to just stroll in there, at Corte Sconta, and many other top restaurants. I also was able to get into Al Covo by going late. So if you really want to go to some place, that is an option.

Note, since it is white truffle season right now in Piedmont the best restaurants in Venice will have had some sent to them. They won't be on the menu. You have to ask for them, and if they have them, they will make a pasta with it for you. A pasta with white truffles is to die for.

JMN57

Yes - the white truffles have been fantastic. We were in Torino for a couple of days and had them there (and here in Venice as well). Ate well in Torino - Eataly was great food and good value and a Torinese friend made a reservation for us at Sabaudia which was fantastic.

In Venice, we just had a great meal at Al Covo for lunch. What I like about Al Covo is that it does have some carne on the menu so one can balance the palate. My wife had moeche as a secondi and it was soooo good that we ordered a second portion. Best meal we've had in Venezia.

In addition to the Wildner, we had a very good meal at Corte Sconta, a great, decadent lunch at Club del Doge at the Gritti (the weather was perfect yesterday and it was incredibly relaxing there before going to see an opera at Teatro Malibran).

We did eat Friday night at Alle Testiere which sadly was underwhelming. I'd asked about moeche and they served it to us as antipasto. It was cold, soggy and overdressed with balsamico. A far cry from what we had at Al Covo or even Corte Sconta. Frankly, I would not have expected them to serve it.

All in all, we've eaten well so far (and thank you for your tips - the guideposts were invaluable). Tonight, a little cicchetti and then off to Firenze for us.

Perche

Sorry to hear that about Alle Testiere. About ten days ago I asked th chef if he had Moeche. He said no, he had them for a few days, but they were small, and not very good, so he stopped serving them. He explained that the weather was very unusual this year. Very warm, and the Moeche were not shedding their shells at the usual time, and it was not going to be a good year for them, and he wasn't going to carry them. I'm surprised he did when you were there. I did get some at Corte Sconta. Delicious, but smaller than normal. Have a great time in Firenze!

philemer

I just booked the Westin Europa & Regina for 2 nights next June. We won 2 free nights (>Cat. 6) at a conference so decided to use them here. We'll be in Venice a total of 3 nights (pre-cruise) and I was wondering if you'd suggest another hotel for our 3rd night or to just stay put. I have enough SPG pts to book the fabulous Gritti Palace and it's only 10K pts more than the Westin & only a few blocks away (I think). I also could book the Hilton on pts where I have Gold status.

Our last day we'll be making our way to the cruise ship. What are the best transportation options from the Westin area and the costs. Don't want to walk. Water bus (Vaporetto?) looks fun.

Perche

It's kind of a personal choice. To me it would be a pain to have to pack, check out of the Westin at 11AM, go to Gritti, waste time waiting around for check-in at 3PM, unpack, then repack again in the morning. You won't have time to enjoy the Gritti, and it's not that much better than the Westin.

In your shoes I'd see what I could do to use points or money to get room with a view on the Grand Canal at the Westin, and stay put for three days. In that area, I'd rather stay at a lesser hotel with a window or patio out to the Grand Canal, than to stay at the Gritti and face inward towards the city. That's where all my efforts would go.

Whatever you do, forget about the Hilton. It's not actually in Venice proper. It is on an island off of Venice, the Giudecca. Technically and governmentally Giudecca is part of Venice, but geographically it is a vaporetto ride away. The Giudecca has its selling points, but it's not for the occasional visitor to Venice.

If on your last day you have to go to the cruise ship terminal, I wouldn't sweat that. When you arrive at the Westin just ask them about the options. Put it on them. You can take a vaporetto to Piazzale Roma, then take a cab or a People Mover. You can walk a few blocks to San Marco and take the Alilaguna, which is sort of a vaporetto, but it's not a fun ride (you are inside without much of a view except on the hit or miss boats with some outside seating, and even then it doesn't go down the Grand Canal, it goes down the Giudecca Canal), but it will get you there for 15 euros each.

You can take a water taxi, and that's what the hotel will recommend, but beware. On my first trip to Venice about 25 years ago I stayed at the Danieli, and they recommended a water taxi, their water taxi, to the airport. The charge in lira equaled about $600 in 1990 USA dollars. Luckily, it was a business trip and I wasn't paying.

It should cost you about 85 euros for a private water taxi from your hotel to the cruise ship terminal, and you're not supposed to tip. It's a fixed rate. If the hotel arranges it for you, there will likely be a surcharge. Their is a water taxi (motoscafi) stop right near your hotel, so that surcharge is easy to avoid. That's probably the way to go, as it's a spectacularly scenic ride down the prettiest Main Street (the Grand Canal) in the world. For a differential cost of 55 euros you will be riding down the Grand Canal in the same type of boat as George Clooney going to his wedding, and you will have an unforgettable ride.

To ensure that. I would ask the driver to take you to the cruise terminal via the Grand Canal, rather than the Giudecca Canal. I believe that the Grand Canal would be the default anyway, but I'm not sure. Ask the hotel. If it's not, it will be worth it to pay the driver an extra 10-20 euros to take the Grand Canal.

philemer

Grazie for an awesome reply. I think you're right about staying put at the Westin. I will ask about room u/g when we arrive. We'll be celebrating our 47th wedding anniv. so plan on splurging.

Is there a thread here that explains the difference between all the transportation options in Venice? I see Alilaguna, Vaporetto, ACTV, etc and I reach for a glass of wine. I'll keep studying and reading and I'm sure all will be made clear.
[Edit: just found http://alilaguna.com/en/tickets1/fares and it looks like this will be a decent option from VCE to S. Marco and later from S. Marco to the cruise terminal.]

OT-my wife has mobility issues (unsteady on her legs). Will it be an issue boarding water buses/taxis or gondolas?

Perche

vaporetto means little steam ship. Of course, none of them are steam driven anymore. Vaporetto just refers to the ferry like boats that take you around the lagoon. There are two companies. ACTV is the company owned by the city, and with few exceptions, that's what you'll be taking. The other vaporetto is run by a private company and is called Alilaguna.

Alilaguna only has three lines, and is really only used to get to and from the airport to Venice, the cruise terminal, and a few other places. They're the most economical way to get from VCE to San Marco, and from San Marco to the cruise terminal.

With mobility issues you should get familiar with: http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm...IDPagina/23431
Also, on that page, click on itineraries. Venice is made out of about 100 small islands connected by over 400 bridges. You can't walk very far before having to climb up, over, and down a bridge. The above website gives you itineraries that will enable you to see about 70% of the city, even with mobility issues.

To get around with mobility issues you will have to heavily depend on the ACTV vaporetti. It's expensive. You can save a considerable amount by buying a 3 day vaporetti pass. Also, the earlier you buy it, the bigger the discount. The ACTV vaporetto pass is not accepted on an Alilaguna vaporetto. Different company.bto do this go to veneziaunica.it. It's a clumsy site, but get to the home page, then the menu, then how it works, then to buy. When you get to Venice you show your paperwork to the guy outside where the boats are. He gives you the card. You activate just before you get on an ACTV, and that will start the 3 day clock.

That's essential with mobility issues.

philemer

Thanks for clarifying many of my questions. It's looks like the Blue line from VCE to San Marco (Westin) takes ~1hr. and 28min. but the Red line is quicker at 1hr. and 12min. Yes? http://alilaguna.com/en/lines/line-timetables

It looks like the Vapor. and the Alilaguna are almost the same price for a ride from San Marco to the Cruise Terimnal; 7 vs 7.5 Euro. Which boat is more convenient or do they both let you off at the same place? We want to board the ship about 2-3pm.

I'll look at the 2 & 3 day Vapor. passes.

And I'll bookmark the City of Venice link.

Thanks