Advice for a trip to Venice

Old Mar 20th, 2013, 05:11 PM
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Advice for a trip to Venice

Next year will be my me and my wife's 10yr anniversary. She has always wanted to go to Italy. I want to surprise her with a trip to Venice. Neither of us have ever traveled to Europe before. We live in Los Angeles, California, USA.

To give you some details of what I'm planning:

Travel date: April 2014. Duration: 5-7 days

Now, while we're in Venice, I'm also trying to plan a symbolic wedding ceremony for us. Not a full wedding event. Just a simple gondola ride with an officiant who will perform the ceremony for just me & my wife. She always wanted to get married on a gondola in Venice. Even though we're already legally married, I figured a symbolic wedding or renewal of vows would be a good choice since this should not require any type of legal paperwork.

Now. I'm hoping some of you experienced travelers might be able to offer some insight. Have any of you traveled to Venice for a symbolic wedding before? If so, can you give me some idea of how you planned your trip? Did you use a travel agent? Did you plan it all yourself? Concerning the symbolic wedding, did you go with a wedding planner? Seeing as how my symbolic wedding is rather small & intimate (just me & my wife), is it worth hiring the services of a wedding planner?

As far hotel accommodations, can anyone recommend a nice hotel that they've had good experiences with?

These are just a few of the many questions I have. I've done quite a bit of researching online and I'll also be researching travel books, but I always find the most useful information through experienced people like yourselves.

Thanks in advance to everyone who replies!

--Chris
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Old Mar 20th, 2013, 05:40 PM
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For hotel you need to provide a budget and your expectations.

I don;t think you can have a fake wedding in Venice. I fyou ar Catholic you might arrange t ohave your marraige blessed i one of the churches.

If you are not Catholic I would try to find a church of your denomination - or close - in Venice and find out if they have someone who will do a similar blessing.

In Italy weddings are civil and I don't know how you would get a public official to agree to do this. But you could look into wedding planners in Italy (try theknot.com) who might advise.
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Old Mar 20th, 2013, 05:43 PM
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This is such a nice idea - you have one lucky wife! In my opinion, you probably don't need a travel agent, or a wedding planner. Most of the fun will be in planning this on your own.

You need a hotel with a romantic room, a fabulous restaurant, flowers, wine and a gondolier!!

As far as hotels, I have heard that the Ca Segredo is a great place, and is not San Marco - which would be a bonus for me but maybe not for you.
http://www.casagredohotel.com/

As far as an official for renewing vows, I would wrtie my own, but if you want to hire someone to help you with this, I found this website:
http://serenissima-weddings.com/

Another idea would be to find your hotel first, and ask the concierge/owner to help you execute your plan. Good luck and all the best!!
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Old Mar 20th, 2013, 05:55 PM
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The trip itself is a fantastic idea. Do try to take off a week plus two weekends, so you have as much time as possible. If you can take off a Friday so you can fly out on a Thursday evening and arrive Sat, even better. You can't have too much time in Italy. If you can make it 7-9 days, you could also easily visit Florence or some other towns or islands.

Does your wife really want the vow re-newal thing? It is sweet that a lot of husbands want to please their wives with such a surprise, but some women would love it, others not.

Without anything extra at all, Venice is the most romantic place in the world, IMHO, and your wife will be thrilled to be there.
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Old Mar 21st, 2013, 02:14 PM
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Thanks for the replies, everyone!

@nytraveler: In terms of hotel, my expectations for lodging is someplace clean, friendly, and hopefully near one of the canals. I'm hoping 3-star or 4-star hotel. In terms of budget, it's hard to say. I'd love to find a nice place that only costs $50-$100 per night, but I'd go as high as $300+ per night if it was worth it. I'll check out theknot.com, thx for the info!

@jamierin: Thanks for the advice! I'm hoping I can plan the entire trip myself, but it feels like such a large task and I think I don't have the experience required to pull it off on my own. Thanks very much for all the links. I will definitely be checking them out! I like the idea of asking the hotel concierge to help me execute the plan. Brilliant idea!

@Sassafrass: I will certainly try my best to extend the trip. I would love to visit other cities in Italy. I think it will essentially all come down to whatever my budget will allow. As far as the vow renewal, I know it sounds a bit sappy. My wife & I married when we were young and had little money. It was just a civil wedding with no guests, no flowers, no anything. But she always told me her dream was to be married on a gondola in Venice. So I've been secretly saving for the last few years to see if I could make it happen. I'm sure she'd be thrilled just to go to Italy, but I feel certain that she'd love the surprise of a vow renewal on a gondola.

If anyone has traveled to Venice in the last few years, would you be willing to give me an idea of how much the trip costed you? This might help me judge how much I'll need to budget for my trip.

Thanks again to everyone that replied! You're a great bunch of people!
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Old Mar 21st, 2013, 02:40 PM
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I'm sorry to say that you won't find a nice hotel in Venice that is 100 USD. $300 is about 232 euro today.

If you are on a tight budget perhaps lop off a day. It's always nice to extend one's trip, but sometimes there are budget constraints.

Maybe start with a hotel search on venere.com or tripadvisor.com.

I'm not sure a travel agent is your best bet. The planning you will do will give you some familiarity with the city. OTH, an agent will book a hotel for you; that is that.

People here will be glad to help you.

Would you consider an apartment? We save money that way, but if you're not a confident traveler, it's not always best for a first time trip to Europe.
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Old Mar 21st, 2013, 05:07 PM
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Chris,

Your wife is a lucky lady and I hope this trip is spectacular for both of you.

Don't be afraid to plan this yourself. There are many people on Fodors who are experts (not me, but some live in Italy or travel there every year). They probably know Italy better than any travel sales person you will run into. They can help with everything from hotel to sights to how to get from the airport to your hotel, etc. You have plenty of time, though the sooner you nail down a hotel the better your choices.

Some suggestions/hints:

Don't worry about number of stars for hotels. They are not rated the same as US. In Italy, they are based on amenitites, not necessarily quality, so a shoddy hotel in a bad location with a pool and restaurant might be higher than a lovely hotel with no pool or restaurant in a great location. Get advice from people here on hotels.

Pick up a couple of guide books: Fodors or Fromers Italy and one of the smaller books that is the top ten or top twenty sights in Venice. Get a little map of Venice and study it for fun. Should be one in the guide book.

One hotel I like is Hotel Galleria. It is right on the Grand Canal, nearly at the foot of Academia Bridge and right next to a vaporeto stop in Dorsoduro, so a great, convenient location. Some of the rooms are shared bath, which I have no problem with, but you might want to get one with a private bath. I couldn't get quotes to pull up for the rooms with bath, but rooms with shared were about $160, so hoping you could get one with bath for $200. Someone else may have an even better suggestion or a good apartment.

Food is pricy and, IMHO, not outstanding in Venice. I'm cheap and not a real foodie, but I've not been impressed, so others can advise you on great meals. For pretty decent food, there is a cafeteria near the train station that has nice salads, simple pasta, etc. There are very nice sandwich stands in Venice, one a block or so from Hotel Galleria.

If you stay in Venice the whole time, you can spend a day visiting one of more of the islands - Burano is charming. You could also day trip to one of the nearby towns - Padua or Vicenza.
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Old Mar 21st, 2013, 05:27 PM
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I am sure your wife will be thrilled with this trip! And the planning should be something fun for you, too. Just a note on gondolas and travel within Venice. Gondola rides are very expensive (over $100 USD), but I'm sure it will be worth the splurge for your special vow renewal.

For your other travel in the city you should plan to either walk or use the vaporetto, which is the water bus. You can buy a pass relatively cheaply so you can hop on/off whenever you need it. It's helpful if you can find a hotel near a vaporetto stop.

And since you mentioned that there were no flowers at your wedding, you will probably see flowers for sale at many places around Venice. If you give her a bouquet as she steps into the gondola, I'm sure her heart would melt (at least I know mine would). Best wishes for a wonderful trip.
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Old Mar 21st, 2013, 06:03 PM
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Once again, I'm eternally grateful for all the well-written & helpful replies. You all have given me some fantastic information which I'm sure will prove useful.

@tuscanlifeedit: Thank you for the input on hotels around Venice! I had no idea they were so expensive. But I'm glad you told me. This is great information to know. I don't necessarily mind spending more than $300 USD per night if I have to. And I will definitely look at the apartment option.

@Sassafrass: Thank you for the wonderful suggestions/hints! I'm so glad you made me aware of the hotel star system they use in Italy. I wouldn't have known otherwise. The Hotel Galleria sounds very promising! I do hope to visit smaller towns outside of Venice. Thank you for the suggestion of Burano, Padua, and Vicenza. I'll make sure to mark those on my map!

@msteacher: The gondolas do seem expensive, but I'm definitely willing to pay whatever price is necessary to pull this off. Great suggestion with the vaporetto pass! I'll surely look into obtaining one while we're there. And I love the idea of buying a bouquet before boarding the gondola. Nice touch!

Many thanks to you all. Everybody gave me such excellent tips. The stress of planning this trip is beginning to subside due to all the great suggestions. I wish I could take you all with me!
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Old Mar 21st, 2013, 06:49 PM
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La Calcina is very nice (not luxurious, but nice) and not expensive for Venice. Great location.

http://www.lacalcina.com/
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Old Mar 21st, 2013, 06:54 PM
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Two Venice hotels that consistently get absolutely rave reviews are Locanda Orseolo and Pension La Calcina. I believe the Orseolo is a bit pricier.

Best wishes for a wonderful trip. My husband and I honeymooned in Venice in 2004 and will be back in 2014 for our 10th .
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Old Mar 22nd, 2013, 07:35 AM
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Be sure to go to one of the grand caffes (Florian, Quadri, Lavena) in Piazza San Marco after dark to have drinks and/or dessert. You can sit and listen to their orchestras and even dance; it is very romantic.

My boyfriend and I ate at several romantic restaurants the last time we were in Venice. Have you got anyplace in mind?
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Old Mar 22nd, 2013, 09:23 AM
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I'd also go out to Torcello, which is generally a lot less crowded than Murano and Burano (let alone Venice) and therefore quite romantic. It's where Venice started out.

There are some good restaurants and a very interesting old church or cathedral there as well. One of our favorite places.
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Old Mar 22nd, 2013, 12:04 PM
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For hotels check out Al Ponte Mocenigo as well. Very nice service, right at the San Stae vaporetto stop and within your price range. We stayed there as a family last summer in the junior suite and it was really lovely.
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Old Mar 22nd, 2013, 12:08 PM
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And Chris - the hotel I recommended before (Ca Sagredo) is quite expensive but I have seen it on the Luxury Link auction website for a deal.
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Old Mar 22nd, 2013, 12:27 PM
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What a wonderful surprise. As a woman I would have to say though if I was going on the trip of a lifetime I would want to be in on the planning and have time to be excited about it, that is half the fun You could have the renewal of vows be a surprise. We were just in Venice about 6 months ago and it is magical, although 5-7 days would be way too long for me to be there. If you are willing to spend the money and time to get to Italy it would be a shame to spend all your time in Venice. 2-3 days would be plenty, then rent a car and drive to very romantic and beautiful Tuscany (under 3 hr. drive and mostly highways). You could fly out of Florence or Pisa. We stayed at the Boscolo in Venice, very nice, but not astronomical. The Boscolo is the only Hotel that I know in Venice of with a garden. If you find it difficult to arrange renewal of vows on the Gondola, I am sure the Hotel could arrange a beautiful ceremony in the garden then you could take a gondola ride. Congrats on your upcoming 10 year and have a fantastic trip!
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Old Mar 22nd, 2013, 02:52 PM
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Brenkjtravel: "What a wonderful surprise. As a woman I would have to say though if I was going on the trip of a lifetime I would want to be in on the planning and have time to be excited about it, that is half the fun."

I think she is right. I would want to share the planning.

If you can't afford the fancy cafes in Piazza San Marco, don't give it a second thought. Venice is plenty romantic just being there and seeing San Marco - both day and night.

Suggestion: rent some romantic movies set in Venice to watch with your wife. Perhaps while you are watching, you can give her a gift wrapped guide book. There are several I can't think of at the moment, but one that is lovely (my personal favorite) is, "Bread and Tulips."
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Old Mar 22nd, 2013, 04:37 PM
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@Leely2: La Calcina looks beautiful! Thanks for the recommendaiton!

@TexasAggie: Thanks for the recommendations of Locanda Orseolo and Pension La Calcina! I'll be sure to look at both. 2014 is our 10yr anniversary too! Who knows... maybe we'll catch you in Venice!

@Delaine: Thank you for the tip! Based off your description, a visit to the Grand Caffes will indeed be part of my plans!

@dwdvagamndo: I'll be sure to look for Torcello. Even though Venice is the main destination, I would love to see the smaller towns/villages outside of Venice.

@jamierin: Thanks again for all the hotel recommendations! All these recommendations give me a good selection to choose from. And knowing that you've already had good experiences at these hotels makes me feel more at ease.

@Brenkjtravel: LOL! I can see your point and I will definitely give some thought to including her on the planning of the trip. As far as staying in Venice for the entire 5-7 days, I doubt it will happen. We'd both probably end up visiting smaller towns/villages. I'd LOVE to go see Florence and Rome, if time permits. Thanks for the suggestion of the Boscolo. I will be sure to check it out!

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far! Venice is sounding better and better and with all your wonderful suggestions, I feel much more confident in making my travel plans!
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Old Mar 22nd, 2013, 04:46 PM
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@Sassafrass: I'm definitely giving it serious thought. Having her help me with the planning might take away some of the burden. I'm going to look for that "Bread and Tulips" book you mentioned.
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Old Mar 22nd, 2013, 05:07 PM
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Bread and Tulips is the movie to watch. You can rent or order it. Guides books could be Fodor's Italy or Fromer's, among many others.

By the way, you are such a polite new poster, I think it makes everyone excited for you to have a great time.
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