Best Western Hotel Ala, Venice

...location in one of the best cities on earth. We booked into this hotel for two nights on disembarking from our honeymoon cruise. Although we had already seen lots of places and sights during our cruise the Ala helped make us feel like we were on a new holiday from our water taxi arrival to the moment we departed.

Location and access.

The Ala is located in San Marco about 10 minutes walk from St Mark's Square. It is also ...
...the Rialto. It will obviously take longer if you stop and admire the sights around every corner. There is a waterbus stop about 5 minutes away and a Traghetti 100 yards away. Traghetti are gondolas which act as ferries from one side of the Grand Canal to the other for about 2 euros each. We were taken by water taxi transfer to and from the port so I can't comment on transport from the airport but a waterbus to the Accademia stop on the Grand Canal ... more

A very pleasant hotel in a great location in one of the best cities on earth. We booked into this hotel for two nights on disembarking from our honeymoon cruise. Although we had already seen lots of places and sights during our cruise the Ala helped make us feel like we were on a new holiday from our water taxi arrival to the moment we departed.

The Ala is located in San Marco about 10 minutes walk from St Mark's Square. It is also 5 minutes to the Ponte Accademia and about 20 to the Rialto. It will obviously take longer if you stop and admire the sights around every corner. There is a waterbus stop about 5 minutes away and a Traghetti 100 yards away. Traghetti are gondolas which act as ferries from one side of the Grand Canal to the other for about 2 euros each. We were taken by water taxi transfer to and from the port so I can't comment on transport from the airport but a waterbus to the Accademia stop on the Grand Canal would seem the closest but cheapest option.

The staff were really friendly throughout our stay and the complementary umbrellas came in very handy as it rained most of the time we were in Venice. We had no problems being understood as all the staff spoke English to varying degrees.

The hotel is very light and airy, full of marble and a striking display of Turkish armour at the head of the stairs. Our room was at the front overlooking the square which was not noisy but lent a lively feel to the area. There are several restaurants and bars on this square but Venice has a very low key nightlife so you won't be kept awake at all.
Our room was a double with a wardrobe, some drawers and an ensuite bathroom and shower. There was aTV provided but only CNN and BBC News 24 in English ( and we were on Honeymoon too!) so this wasn't a great feature. We were also provided with a small room safe which was very useful for valuables.
The breakfast room downstairs was a little basic but the continent doesn't maybe set the same store by breakfast as us British. By contrast the bar was comfortable and friendly. The staff allowed us to taste several different glasses before selecting wines and all without charge despite us probably having nearly a bottle of samples over two nights. Great service.

I would recommend the Ala to anyone. 

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