Flying Lawyer

I made the same pleasant experience for a group of ten in five rooms.

lkar

Fantastic -- thanks all, and PIM, I love the blog but for some reason hadn't been there in a bit an didn't see your review.

captain_starwood

upcoming one night stay next week on points- my first time staying here or in any SPG property in Venice. Had originally held a room at the Gritti Palace but needed to move the reservation back a night and only the Danieli had a room.

I'm SPG platinum and there seem to be a number of suites available (to book) on the SPG site. For regulars who are platinum, what's reasonable to expect if availability stays the same? Jr Suite vs. Executive? Is there any value in calling the hotel ahead of time?

My sense is that breakfast on deck facing the grand canal is an experience not to be missed. Any other suggestions to make this special without breaking the bank?

captain_starwood

One night stay on points, June 2015 as a PLAT.

Intermittent reply from concierge to per-arrival e-mails. Slight delay upon arrival in being checked in. The negatives ended there.

Upgrade to renovated suite in the main building. At this point, the hotel consists of three connected buildings, and there does seem to be an advantage to being the main room.

The hotel is old, grand, and majestic.

Our room was a pink suite, with a small but comfy sitting room. There was a bottle of Cava on ice with Biscotti when we arrived. This made our afternoon.

Complimentary shoeshine was handled quickly and well.

Breakfast on the terrace was a highlight of the entire time in Venice. Gorgeous view and ambiance.

We checked out at 4pm, were not rushed, were able to store bags in the hotel, and had access to the gym after checkout.

Five star stay. Magnificent.

dingo

Thanks for sharing.

damon88

This is our absolute favorite hotel in the world- we've stayed here 4 times and always received wonderful Platinum treatment- we had a magical visit here for our 30th wedding anniversary & are already planning to celebrate our 40th there. "When I went to Venice, my dream became my address " Marcel Proust

flymax77

Hi there - first time to Venice w/wife coming up and we are staying one night at Hotel Danieli.

We arrive by Italo high speed train at 1100 am at the Santa Lucia station and are only in Venice one night before flying out to Paris the next day on a 245 PM flight out of Marco Polo airport.

I spent about 2 hours researching all the private boat ($180 each way 25 mins) and group taxi ($75 for 2 people each way 30 mins) and public waterbus ($20 for 2 people each way 45 mins) options from Santa Lucia to the Hotel Danieli and I am still confused as hell about what the best option is that you season veterans would chose?

Which is the most scenic disregarding the length of time it takes or quality of the vessel?

Which is the least stressful with least risk to get swindled or overcharged?

I read some scary reviews about all the shady people that bait and switch and lie and swindle to overcharge you for the private boats, so I started to sway more towards a group taxi situation where we couldn't be taken advantage of.

Thanks in advance!

flymax77

I also read you can possible walk there from the train station in about the same time? It looked pretty far on the map...

alanslegal

I would go for the public water ferry from St Lucia station straight to the front/very close to the Hotel Danielli. It is walkable though (might take 40 or so minutes because of all the little alleyways) but wouldn't do it unless I was only carrying a backpack.

pageboy

Did this exact trip the month of August. Since we were a family of four, I opted for the water taxi out of Santa Lucia station to the Danieli for 60 Euros. I did ask before boarding how much it would cost. No wait (big advantage) and a nice intro to Venice culture. We also took the water taxi to Marco Polo airport at the end of our stay. This was a much longer ride that I had booked through the hotel (highly recommend) and cost 110 Euro. Had a good look at the wetlands that are vast in Venice. It was a lot of money but also a good choice for my family to embrace the full experience.

captain_starwood

I think you're going to love the Danieli and hopefully Venice, as well.

rb, you ask two questions:

1) Which is the most scenic disregarding the length of time it takes or quality of the vessel?

Going by boat will be scenic. A water taxi will be more direct, but you move faster and have a better view. The public ferry will take longer, be a slight hassle (moving bags, waiting, standing), but you have a view.


2) Which is the least stressful with least risk to get swindled or overcharged?

You will not be swindled or overcharged if you take a ferry. You should buy two 24 hour unlimited ferry passes, which will give you access to the entire city.

There's a third question I think you're implicitly asking: what's the best experience / time-value for money?

If you're spending cash or cash + points on your Danieli room, I'm willing to bet you'll prefer taking a private or shared taxi. If you are firm, you won't get ripped off.

If you're on points and/or are frugal with expenses, take the ferry. It takes 45 minutes, but it's authentic and will get you there with a view.

For flying out of Marco Polo, I would suggest splurging on a private water taxi, which will be faster than the allilaguna (sp?) service. We missed our Allilaguna by a minute or two and then missed our flight to Paris. If I'd had a cool head, I would have booked a private water taxi. As the previous poster noted, it's also a gorgeous view.

Depending on how you want to spend money, I'd do:

1) Ferry to Hotel from Train station, water taxi to airport.
2) Shared water taxi from train station, water taxi to airport.

3rdworldresident

Stayed here about 2 years ago and loved my stay so much. Great plat upgrade, nice rooftop breakfast with terrific view.

However this time (3 nights in early december) i found the room rate at westin was 50Euro/night cheaper.

Should i give them (westin) a try or stick with the danieli?

(Room booked: permium deluxe room with breakfast at both hotels)

Thanks in advance.

P.S. The gritti palace is always my top pick in venice but this time there is no c&p availability. (The cash rate is out of my reach.)

3rdworldresident

Any recent stay reports here? now considering this hotel and the westin (50 Euro/night cheaper)

Thanks in advance.

Flying Lawyer

Several recent stay reports further up!

dingo

I think they were asking for stays with a departure date >= today!