Doge Hotel, Venice

Advantages: Beautiful, centre of town
Disadvantages: Pidgeons. Tourists.

...to raise the pavement to minimise flooding. Pickpockets are everywhere in Venice, it is pretty much just a tourist place so its easy pickings for them, so be warned. I was felt for my wallet while there last time, lucky someone else was carrying it for me! Although you cant really notice it when you are in it (well I didn't) the "square" is really a trapezoid, but everyone just calls it a square (rolls of the tongue easier?). Off the square you will also find the beautiful Basilica di San Marco and the Doges Palace. The square is pretty much the centre of Venice so a good place to start. I booked my hotel just off the square for easy access to everything (though such a spot is a more expensive place to stay), and it was 200 euro with a bathroom for 2 nights. There is a water taxi stand quite close to the square or if you are over... Read review

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Advantages: the queen of cities
Disadvantages: sometimes very expensive

...Venice is the queen of all European cities. I´ve been dreaming of a visit to this city for at least 15 years or so. Then suddenly I got the chance to go there for a weekend trip in September 2000. My wife organised the trip as a birthday present and we got there by plane. We arrived at “Aeroporto Marco Polo” and had to reach the city by motorboat. The transfer lasted nearly one hour but the weather was very fine and so we enjoyed the wonderful views out over the lagoon. The hotel “Cavaletto & Doge Orseolo” is situated right by the side of “Piazza San Marco”. It´s a quite comfortable hotel that has its own landing-stage for gondolas. In the morning you can look through the windows of the breakfast-room on the gondolieri who prepare their gondolas and themselves for a new day. In the evening we had... Read review

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Advantages: Lots to see.
Disadvantages: Crowded.

...It was when I was expecting my first son that I stayed at the Des Bains in Venice. This hotel was where they filmed "Death in Venice" with Dirk Bogarde (who my sons nicknamed Dick Bogey when I used to read his autobiographies). It is a really sumptuous place with matching beach towels and seats in lemon and white stripes. Huge rooms with high ceilings and an air of luxurious silence. Goodness knows where anyone could find the money to stay there nowadays but even then a man was complaining because he wanted yoghurt for his son for breakfast and they wanted to charge him extra. Of course wherever you want to stay in Venice you can easily visit the popular places by waterbus. This is a novel way to travel and beats cars and roads anyday in my opinion. A very interesting book about Venice is Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers... Read review

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