As part of our trip to Italy, 3 of my friends and I wanted to visit Venice for 2 nights. As soon as we started looking at accommodation we knew that finding a nice place to stay in the centre of Venice within our budget would be next to impossible, so we started looking at the areas nearby. Searching on Expedia, I came across Feel Inn, and after reading reviews on tripadvisor, i thought it would be the perfect place for us to stay at.
Location
Feel Inn is located in Mestre, about a 5-10 minute bus ride away from the airport. You can take a bus from the airport that stops a few metres away from the hotel, and this bus also takes you to Piazzale Roma in about 15 minutes, so transport-wise, you're pretty much sorted. We took the bus from the airport and knew where to get off as we saw the sign for the hotel, but if you're not paying attention it is easy to miss.
The hotel and check-in
The hotel is pretty small, and only has 11 rooms. The front desk is not manned 24 hours a day, and you need a key to get into the hotel, so if you're arriving out of hours, you need to inform the hotel beforehand (and have to pay a fee too, I believe). We arrived at 8 or 9 in the morning, and the receptionist arrived at the same time as us, so he let us in. You have to climb a flight of stairs to get to the tiny lobby. Once there, we handed over the relevant documents to the receptionist, but as check-in is at 2 pm, we were told our rooms weren't ready, which we were expecting. However, the receptionist told us our rooms would be ready by 11am, and then proceeded to tell us how we could get to Piazzale Roma and where we could get bus tickets from. He also told us a little about the centre of Venice and gave us a map of the area. We then decided to go have breakfast at a cafe located near the hotel. When we returned at 11, the receptionist handed over our keys to us, and explained that the keyring also contained the key to the front door that was to be kept locked at all times, so we had to make sure we closed it behind us. The area seemed pretty safe though. Near the hotel are a pizza place, a cafe, a supermarket and a tobacco shop/newsagent where we bought our bus tickets from. We ate at the cafe twice, and at the pizza place once during our stay and the food was good and reasonably priced.
The room
We had booked 2 twin rooms, but got a double and a twin room, which were very different from each other! Apparently, each of the 11 rooms in the hotel is decorated with different themes and colours. The double room where two of my friends stayed was small and basic. The twin room that I stayed in with a friend was big and luxurious. The room had everything we needed from a wardrobe, 2 huge beds, a desk, a TV, bedside tables, a mini-bar, a safe and brilliant air conditioning. The bed was comfortable and the bedding was beautiful. We also had a balcony with a table and chairs. The attached bathroom was spacious and very modern. It had a toilet, a sink with a huge counter-top, and a large walk-in shower. There was plenty of hot water and the pressure was good too. The hotel doesn't have a breakfast room so breakfast was served in our room. During check-in the receptionist had asked us what hot drink we would like with breakfast and when it should be brought to our room. Breakfast included bread, croissants, cheese, spreads, fruit yoghurt, juice, and your choice of hot drink. Breakfast was good and enough to fill us up. Both mornings I opted for a cappuccino that tasted delicious and my friend asked for a hot chocolate which she said was lovely. We had planned to enjoy our breakfast on the balcony, but we saw a lizard out there, so stayed inside instead as both of us are terrified of lizards. We slept well on both nights as the hotel is in a quiet area and there was no noise from other guests, and also because the beds are just lovely. The room was cleaned daily to a high standard during our stay.
Staff
The man at the front desk was always friendly and helpful. He would answer any questions we had and was always available during his hours. The only other staff member we came across was the lady who brought in our breakfast who was also always very polite.
Cost
We paid £64 per night for our room and stayed for 2 nights. What we got for that price was amazing (although I don't think my other two friends would really agree) so my room-mate and I were quite happy.
Overall
If I were to visit Venice again, I would definitely stay at this hotel (although I would ask them for one of the big rooms). The location was brilliant-it was far enough from the centre of Venice for us to relax and have a quiet nights sleep, but close enough for us to easily come and go. The airport is pretty close too, so that's an advantage as well. There were places to eat out in the area, as well as a supermarket, so you're not cut-off. The room we stayed in was amazing, and I still can't believe that we got such an amazing room for £64 a night. I really did not want to leave this hotel at the end of our stay!
I'm feelin' the love.
