I'm not certain that the Aliguna boat goes to the vicinity of the hotel, but if not it will leave you near a Vaporetto stop and you can take the Vaporetto to the hotel vicinity.

I'm looking forward to meeting you and your Un-Named Sister.

Yes, Aililaguna boat to Fondamente Nove, vaporetto to Madonna dell'Orto to maze of streets is the plan.

"Arriving by the ACTV waterbus “vaporetto” at the Madonna dell’Orto pier you should walk right up, along Calle Larga Piave, until the “Fondamenta della Madonna dell’Orto”. Facing the water canal, turn right, walk 150 mt. along “Fondamenta dell’Orto”, and across the first bridge on your left, walk ahead to “Calle Loredan”. At the end of it, turning right, you will be at the hotel entrance." Knowing Venice, this fits the Famous Last Words category.

If it's raining, I guess we'll just take the bus to Piazza Whatever.

Any other suggestions? We took the train from Milan last time, so the airport is uncharted territory.

I am sure that if I read this entire thread I would find the right answer, but Dovster, could you please just tell me the best way to get from the airport to the hotel?

Gourmet food, is wasted on me. Having been blessed with the world's most efficient metabolism, I have never had the opportunity to learn to really enjoy eating. It is all for the best because, if I really liked to eat, I would probably weigh 250 pounds. :( Some veggies, a salad with dressing on the side, and a grilled chicken breast are about all I am interested in. Hunki used to eat slmost anything, but has been a lot more careful these past few years. Now he gets his eating kicks from watching the cooking channel.

We are still looking at airline tickets. If they don't drop soon, I will just buy them at the current rate of $745.00, which really isn't bad. I am just spoiled by the last flights we bought to LHR for $350.00.

You have the following choices:

1. You can follow lili-dui's instructions, in the post before yours. Make certain that you take the Blue line, not the Red. In the summer you could then switch to the vaporetto and take it one stop, but I don't think that particular line (5) runs in November.

2. You can take either the Blue or the Red Line to St. Mark's Square (note: this is a much longer route than shown above) and get on Vaporetto line 1 or 82 and take it in the direction of the train station but get off at Stop Number 4.

Cross the Square, in front of the church, turn left following the Rio Terrà del Cristo, on your right, and along Rio Terrà Farsetti until the wooden bridge. After the bridge, turn right, go ahead to the first street on the left, Calle del Forno, and, at the end of it, on your right, you will find the hotel.

3. Spend a lot more money (I think it is about $80 -- OK2, correct me if I am wrong) and take a water taxi directly from the Airport to the hotel.

Two things I forgot to mention in the above post:

1. If it is raining badly and you don't want to spend the $$$ for a water taxi, you can take the train and then it will be a short vaporetto ride to stop # 4.

2. Anybody who is planning on coming by train or water shuttle, and who is afraid of not finding the hotel, can send me an e-mail and I will give you my mobile phone number. Once you get to either Vaporetto Stop # 5, or the Fondamente Nove stop of the water shuttle, you can call me and I will walk over and guide you to the hotel.

Generally speaking, I really don't like taxis, although the London taxis are ok. We sometimes hire a town car from Manhattan to JFK--Hunki likes the leg room. The only time we have ever taken a taxi in Paris, was when we were traveling with a friend who had difficulty walking. The traffic was horrible and we could have easily walked in a fraction of the time that the taxi took.

The neat thing about taking public transportation is that you get a really good feel for the locals, which I love, so we will probably stick with the vaporetto. I don't mind much longer routes in new cities as they offer great sight-seeing opportunites.

I am sitting here with a map of Venice in my hand trying to figure out why the hotel provided the instructions from Fondamente Nove. There seems to me to be a much simpler way of getting to the Ai Mori from there.

Get on Vaporetto 41 or 52 but do not get off at Orto. Instead, take it one more stop to S. Alvise.

This will leave you out at a place where you have no choice but to walk up one alley towards the Chuch of S. Alvise. At the end of that alley you will go across the Rio della Madonna de'Orto to a second alley (very possibly called Calle del Forno) and the next street you will get to will be the Fondamenta della Sensa. The hotel will be on your left.

This is basically one straight walk from the Vaporetto stop to the Fondamenta della Sensa.

In case you don't have a map - this one is good for the detail per Dovster - http://www.math.unipd.it/~candiler/venezia/mapt3.htm

or drill down from the overview - http://www.math.unipd.it/~candiler/venezia/mapcity.htm

May try this when the hotel instructions fail and we return to vaporetto stop or fall into a canal. Please PM your cell number, just in case, as a security blanket. One time in Milan I was successful in making a call using an Italian pay phone.

Perhaps I shall make a laminated card 'Dove' with the hotel's name, and location on it in huge type and hold it up in various campos until some poor Venetian takes pity and points us down a random alley just to get us off the streets. (These will be available through my website in the 2'x4' street version and a smaller ID card size - with or without photo - to wear around your neck, with woven "FlyerTalk Venice Meet 2004" lanyard in Delta's colors whatever they are. No cost to you, but shipping is unfortunately $69.95 US only) :D

For those of you who are language illiterate and tone deaf, as I am, there's a really nice Italian audio site here

We are already planning on making laminated name tags with lanyards. With only minimal effort, we could include information on the back side, such as Dovster's phone number, addresses, schedules, etc., if that is desired.

Excellent idea, Punki! And while you're at it, add Dovster's Amex card number and expiration date. Never know when it might come in handy....;).

I don't quite understand. If a woman has my phone number, etc., written on her backside, how is she going to read it?

[b] A watertaxi from Marco Polo Airport is unlike any taxi in the world!! Grab your luggage from the carousel, hop onto a shuttle bus (the kind with wheels) and you will be transported to the taxi-landing. Once you get into the "taxi' you will find yourself careening across the Venetian lagoon with a wake behind you and other taxis nearby and all of the drivers are waving to each other. If the weather is good, sit outside with the driver and you will love the cool fresh air after flying for so many hours. If inclement weather, put on your raincoat and sit outside with the driver. This is the best introduction to VCE!! You will see the magic city rise out of the dark lagoon. Before your eyes you will see the spires of San Marco and Madonna del Orte. If staying at Ai Mori, your driver will do a straight shot across the lagoon and depending on the tides will either take you to the hotel wending your way through the Sestiere of Castello or head right to Cannarregio and you will be at the hotel in 15 minutes. There is nothing like this experience in the world. When that watertaxi pulls up to the boat landing of AiMori and the bellman retrieves your luggage and sweet Marco checks you in you will immediately fall in love with Venice. Please, if possible, do not miss the experience of entering VCE for the first time via watertaxi. I know that it is a great indulgence (about $80.00). As many times as I have been to VCE (now more times than I can count), I have never felt cheated. I would rather skip a meal and opt for the watertaxi transfer. Bear in mind, drivers are not tipped. You will never, ever, forget this experience. You will have many other opportunities to travel with the locals on the Vaporettos. Gotta trust me on this one.

O2K...you mentioned this last night at dinner and this post again re-inforces something Mrs. Cholula and I are defintely going to do!! Thanks again for this invaluable advice.
Plus we will all shortly have Dovster's Amex card number so the cost is really a moot point....