Hotel Campiello, Venice

...refuse?

◄Discovering Hotel Campiello►
I discovered the Hotel Campiello on my second trip to Venice a few years ago. We were on a 10 day trip to Italy and had decided to spend most of the time in Rome and Florence, trying to leave 2 or 3 days free to include Venice. We had booked our hotels in Rome and Florence in advance but left the booking of the Venice leg until we were in Rome. We were staying at Hotel Paba in ...
...of his owned a small hotel in a very convenient location near St Mark’s Square and he could ensure that we would get a room there at a good price. True to his word, he booked us into the Campiello and we took the Italian Eurostar up through the beautiful Tuscan countryside to Venice. We absolutely loved the hotel and I recommended it to several friends afterwards.

◄Booking►
My previous trip to Venice had been a romantic ... more

Last November I took my third trip to Venice. It hadn’t been my intention to go at all; this holiday was a joint birthday present from me to my parents but they insisted that I go along with them to show them around. Venice is a beautiful and unique city, so how could I refuse?

◄Discovering Hotel Campiello►
I discovered the Hotel Campiello on my second trip to Venice a few years ago. We were on a 10 day trip to Italy and had decided to spend most of the time in Rome and Florence, trying to leave 2 or 3 days free to include Venice. We had booked our hotels in Rome and Florence in advance but left the booking of the Venice leg until we were in Rome. We were staying at Hotel Paba in Rome (itself a gem of a place) and told the owner that we were thinking of booking into one of the big luxury hotels in the Venice Lido for 2 or 3 nights as they were available at incredibly low prices, this being early December, the lowest end of the low season for Venice. He shrugged his shoulders and said it would indeed be a bargain but the Lido would be like a ghost town at this time of year and we would soon get fed up with taking the water bus over to Venice every day. He told us that a friend of his owned a small hotel in a very convenient location near St Mark’s Square and he could ensure that we would get a room there at a good price. True to his word, he booked us into the Campiello and we took the Italian Eurostar up through the beautiful Tuscan countryside to Venice. We absolutely loved the hotel and I recommended it to several friends afterwards.

◄Booking►
My previous trip to Venice had been a romantic one but this time it was a treat for my parents. I decided that the Campiello would still fit the bill anyway. I booked online, checking that both hotel and flights were available for our chosen dates before committing to either. The flights were by EasyJet from Bristol International to Venice Marco Polo. I had lost the details for the Campiello but a Google search brought up the Venere.com web site, on which booking our 3 nights at the Campiello was a breeze. I booked in August for our November trip to take advantage of EasyJet’s bargain basement prices at the time. Unlike a lot of airlines, their prices tend to rise the nearer you get to your departure date so early booking is advisable. Unfortunately, I received an email from EasyJet in September to say that our return flight had been cancelled. They offered the choice of a full refund or changing the return date at no extra cost. I found the Campiello’s web site with another Google search, sent them an email and luckily for us they were able to extend our stay by one night. I discovered there was no need to go through the Venere.com site at all. I confirmed the new date with EasyJet and the problem was solved. Communication with both the Campiello and EasyJet was quick and trouble-free. The emails from the Campiello staff were very friendly and helpful and were written in perfect English.

◄Getting There►
The EasyJet flight was uneventful – comfortable, with efficient service and it departed and arrived on time. You can get to Venice by bus or taxi from Marco Polo airport using roads (a 13km journey) but to get to the central areas you still need to negotiate Venice’s canal system. The alternatives are the water buses and water taxis. The water taxis are extremely expensive (we saw people paying more than €75 each to get from the airport to St Mark’s Square) so we bought tickets in the airport for the Alilaguna water bus, costing €12 each. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the terminal building to the water bus stop and we could see no other means of getting there. There was no choice but to carry your own luggage either. We had just missed a bus and had to wait well over an hour for the next one. We had arrived after 10 pm however and the daytime service is probably better. The water bus travels through the lagoon, stopping several times at the islands and the Lido on the way. It took just under an hour to get to the San Marco/San Zaccaria stop, the closest to St Mark’s Square. The Campiello is just two minutes walk away from the bus stop with level ground all the way.

◄Location►
St Marks’s Square is the focal point of Venice, at least for the tourist. It’s where you’ll find the Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, the campanile and some of Venice’s smartest cafes, bars and shops. Hotel Campiello is just 3 or 4 minutes walk from the square, so the location could hardly be handier. It’s almost next door to one of the most famous hotels in Venice, the Danieli, a palatial 5 star establishment where a double room will set you back more than €400 per night, even in November. In Italian campiello means “little square” so you won’t be surprised to learn that the hotel entrance is in a little square. Right by the San Zaccaria water bus stop a narrow alley leads off Riva degli Schiavoni (the main walkway alongside the lagoon) to the little square. It’s only a few metres from the tourist bustle, yet it’s a quiet and peaceful little haven. A couple of minutes walk in the opposite direction (away from the lagoon) takes you straight into the heart of Venice’s tangle of alleyways and canals. Talking of which, Venice is the easiest place in the world to get lost in because of its narrow, twisting streets and waterways combined with the relatively tall buildings. Your sense of direction is soon lost; so much so that an American I met there told me he had set off to return to his hotel from a restaurant at midnight and eventually found it at 4 am! The one place that is signposted almost everywhere in Venice is San Marco (St Mark’s Square) so the Campiello’s proximity to St Mark’s is a real godsend.

◄First Impressions►
The Campiello building is a sixteenth century convent, so you really get the feeling that you’re entering a piece of Venetian history here. From the outside the hotel is unimpressive, looking slightly shabby and neglected. The pink walls looked in need of a new coat of paint and the brass lamps either side of the front door could have done with a polish. Perhaps they’ve tidied it up in the eight months since I was there; it needed it. A sign next to the door tells you that this is a 3 star hotel. The double entrance doors are glass with black iron tracery covering them and they are permanently locked. You ring the doorbell to summon the receptionist who will unlock the door electronically for you. As you push the door open and walk in, the small reception desk is straight ahead of you. We arrived at about midnight on a cold November day and had spent the previous couple of hours either on the water bus or waiting for it so we were feeling pretty chilly. The first thing that struck us when we entered the hotel was how warm and cosy it was.

◄Reception & Ground Floor►
The reception area is small with a rich, deep red wooden counter and panelling. In contrast to the outside of the hotel, the décor is smart, clean and new looking. We received a warm welcome from Thomas, who was manning the reception desk and is apparently a co-owner of the hotel. There was a large bowl of sweets in brightly-coloured silvery wrappers on the reception desk for guests to help themselves to on their way in or out of the hotel. Another nice touch in the reception area is the umbrella stand full of white umbrellas with the Campiello logo on them. Venice has its rainy seasons and it’s a thoughtful gesture to have complimentary umbrellas available for guests to use.

Just off the reception area is the breakfast room, with a window looking out on to the little square. There were about 5 or 6 tables for guests as I recall. The room is light and airy with a Venetian style and more of the feel of a lounge than a breakfast room. There is a drinks display cabinet that seems to serve as a bar as there is no separate bar in the hotel. A little further into the ground floor area there is more seating with tables and this seems to serve as an overflow breakfast area as well as a place to sit and have a drink. There is one computer in this part as well, with free internet access for guests.

◄Bedrooms►
When I stayed at the Campiello in November 2006 there were 16 guest bedrooms. The hotel was revamped in April 2007 and now includes three suites as well, each one complete with a small kitchen. Two of these are one room suites for up to four people each and the third is a two room suite that can accommodate six people. I believe these are in an annexe to the main building.

Apart from the suites there are single, double, triple and quadruple rooms. We had one double and one single room. The double room was quite plush, furnished and decorated in typical Venetian style with a six-light glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The ceiling was a wooden-beamed one, highly polished and very new looking, adding a feeling of warmth to the room. The double bed had a padded, semi-circular headboard in a rich orange colour, matching the bedcovers and there was a satin drape from the ceiling running down behind the headboard to the floor, again in a matching colour, giving the room quite an opulent feel. Venetian glass wall lights, matching the style of the chandelier, were either side of the bed. The room had two bedside cabinets, a large fitted wardrobe with plenty of hanging space, a comfortable armchair and desk and chair. There was a dressing table with mirror and drawers and a unit with a kettle and everything necessary to make tea and coffee. The room was centrally heated and air-conditioned, as all the rooms in the hotel are. There was a colour television (conventional CRT type) with satellite channels available, although the only English speaking channels we could find were BBC World and CNN news channel. Actually, we found it much more entertaining to watch the Italian game shows and try to fathom what was happening. Both the single and double rooms had windows that could be opened and looked out onto the little square. There were heavy, lined curtains that shut out the light effectively and both rooms were very quiet at night. The double room was quite spacious and the bed was very comfortable, so I’m told.

The bathroom in the double room was large and well-equipped but had no bath. Instead there was a “hydromassage” shower – as well as the conventional shower this had powerful jets of water coming out horizontally from the side of the shower cubicle so you could have water hitting you all over your body at the same time, hence the massage idea. The single room had a conventional bath with shower attachment so sadly I didn’t get to experience the hydromassage! Both bathrooms had soap, shampoo, shower caps, tissues, glasses and so on provided and there were plenty of soft, clean towels, which were changed every day. There were hairdryers in both rooms.

My single room was a little more basic and the décor and furnishings were fairly plain compared with the double room. There was a rather old looking free-standing wardrobe but it was adequate and there were enough hangers and drawer space. The single bed was perfectly comfortable and there was one chair and table with a mirror. The bathroom was quite large and had all the facilities of the double one apart from the fancy shower. There was a TV similar to the one in the double room and the same tea and coffee making facilities. It was also very quiet and I found it easy to get a good night’s sleep.

◄Security►
The hotel looked to me to be pretty well impregnable to intruders. Apart from fire exits, the only access appeared to be via the main entrance door, which is kept locked at all times. The reception desk is manned 24 hours a day and the receptionist faces the entrance door, so is able to supervise the entrance all the time. There is a safe in every bedroom to keep your valuables in, although I can’t imagine how a thief would ever make it as far as a bedroom. If security is a priority for you, this hotel will suit you down to the ground.

◄Accessibility & Child Facilities►
The hotel is easily accessible, with no steps to negotiate and a level approach. There is a small lift near the reception area going to all the floors. I didn’t see any children at the hotel and the Campiello web site makes no reference to facilities for children or babies, so I’m afraid I don’t know whether it is child and baby-friendly. I’ve played safe and rated it as average in the “family friendly” category but this may or may not be fair! I know, however, that the hotel management are happy to deal with this kind of enquiry by email.

◄Breakfast►
There is no restaurant in the hotel and the only meal available is breakfast. There are dozens of restaurants, bars, cafes, shops and takeaways within a few minutes walk of the hotel, so this shouldn’t present any problem. A buffet breakfast is served in the breakfast room (surprise, surprise) and the adjacent seating area. There was waitress service for the hot drinks (coffee, tea or chocolate) and you helped yourself to everything else. As far as I can remember the buffet included fruit juices, cereals, bread, croissants, various cheeses and meats (including some really delicious prosciutto ham), boiled eggs, muesli, yoghurt, pastries, biscuits and fresh fruit. All of it was of high quality, fresh, tasted great and you could eat your fill.

◄Service and Standards►
The Campiello is run by sisters Monica and Nicoletta Bianchini, together with Thomas, who I mentioned above. It feels like a family-run hotel, as there is a great deal of attention paid to the important details. Everything in the hotel is clean, well maintained and properly cared for. All the staff I encountered spoke excellent English and during one morning I heard Thomas speaking fluent French, Spanish, English and Italian (of course!) to various guests. They are friendly and polite and they will go out of their way to help you with any requests for information about tourist attractions, restaurants, booking tickets for concerts and trips and so forth. They also pride themselves on being able to tell guests about some of the less well known sights and attractions of Venice.

Check-in time is 2.00pm and check-out time is 11.00am. When we checked out of the hotel the staff were happy to look after our luggage for the rest of the day so that we were able to do some walking and sightseeing on our last afternoon.

◄Prices►
Prices at the Campiello vary according to the season like most hotels. I paid €85 per night for the double room and €55 per night for the single room, including breakfast and taxes. The 2007 rates quoted on their web site are:

Single room: 55 to 160 Euros per night
Double room: 80 to 250 Euros per night
Triple room: 110 to 280 Euros per night
Quadruple room: 130 to 300 Euros per night
Suites: 120 to 400 Euros per night

Although you can book through a web site like Venere.com, it’s probably simpler to book directly with the hotel by phone or email. If you book through Venere.com you pay the bill when you check out of the hotel so there isn’t a lot of difference.

◄Contact Details►

Address: Calle del Vin 4647 (S.Zaccaria) Venezia (centro)

Tel: +39 041 5205764

Fax: +39 041 5205798

Email: campiello@hcampiello.it

◄Web Links►

Hotel Campiello: www.hcampiello.it

Venere: www.venere.com

Alilaguna: www.alilaguna.it

◄Caution: Wrong Hotel!►
There is another hotel in Venice called “Al Campiello” so don’t find yourself ending up in the wrong place!

◄Final Words►
Just to summarise, the Campiello is a cosy, quiet, 16 bedroom, family-run hotel in the heart of historic Venice, a few minutes stroll from St Mark’s Square. The staff are courteous and helpful, the location couldn’t be better and the prices are reasonable, at least in the low season. I’m almost reluctant to publicise on Ciao, as I don’t want to find it fully booked next time I want to stay there! I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again. 

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