Canal View in Venice - worth the moola?

Marie,

i replied to you already under the other thread but i vote YES.

late at night, my wife and i leaned out over the small balcony at the Locanda Gambero and drank some wine while we watched the passersby. if you stay there, specify the room with the balcony. the other is a corner room and is a little bigger but you can only open the window.

Our first visit there in 2000, we had a room on the grand canal at Locanda Leon Bianco. Although we weren't in the room much to enjoy it, we did spend breakfast in the room watching the delivery boats make their way thru the fog. I loved it. I say that if it's your first visit especially, you should do it.

Hi Maire, if you budget can handle it I would say a definite YES!! But don't delay reserving the room..you don't want to lose it to someone else! Best wishes.

Maire,

Think of it this way...when you return home, would you rather have E30 in your pocket or the memory of looking out over the canal at beautiful Venice????

I've had a canal view room once, and gone without twice. Have had use of a garden or an altana in places without water views, and thought that more than made up for it. Certainly never felt unhappy with any of my rooms.

However, for a difference of 30E/night, (especially if you're only staying 2-3 nights and think you won't be back to Venice soon), it might be worth it to you.

I vote yes, pay the 30 eu. & get the view. You can't go back and do it later.

For us it was probably not worth it. It really depends on the hotel - we liked our hotel a lot but the "canal view" was -open the window and stick your head way out and look straight down !

Yea, I'm with pegg, there's a lot of difference between sitting out on a balcony overhanging a canal and having a room that if you stand at the window and look straight down you can sort of see some water. The later is NOT worth the 30 euro a night to me! I'd rather go out and sit at a cafe on the canal than hang out in my room in that case.

Not worth it to me...would rather spend the extra 30Euro a night having drinks along the canal.

Having a room on a canal also sounds really romantic until 5:30 a.m. comes and the commute starts. We were woken up every morning by a guy and his buckets ready to go to work! The boats also make noise.

If you are the kind of person that enjoys looking at the view from your hotel, then yes.

Personally, we will always pay for a nice view, in Venice particularly. We spend hours on our balcony when there enjoying the sights and sounds....with coffee in the morning, tremezzi and prosecco late in the afternoon, listening to the midnight bells of the Campanile.

I wish the add'l $$ for the view we've become accustomed to was only 30/euro a night.

YES!!!!

I would say yes, take the room with a view…but... Are you a light sleeper? Does the hotel have new/double windows? Rooms with a canal view tend to be noisier – especially in the early morning. If this does not matter to matter to you, go for it.

On the other hand, here is my story: I am a very light sleeper, we had a canal-view room and the windows were not great. Yes, gondoliers were passing in front of our window (singing) at 2 am and/or 5-6 am (but where else but Venice can you see that?), boats were loading/unloading early am, and we loved it. I wouldn’t do it any other way. Watching Venice waking up early in the morning (or just listening to it) is an experience not to be missed!

YES!!!! We stayed in a corner room bordering two canals at La Calcina in Venice. One of the canals was Giudecca Canal. Beautiful to watch, not as crowded as Grand. Worth the 30E extra. A promenade was along the canal, but very quiet at night and early morning. Could have breakfast and dinner outside, canalside.

Yes!! We stayed at an adorable, inexpensive place with a small walk out balcony overlooking the canal and to get up in the morning and hear the gondeliers singing opera outside your window is one of those rare incredible experiences.

Thank you everyone! Most of you vote for views; the experience described by xyz99 sounds great to me.

Chris, I'm considering the Gambero and will be sure to ask for balcony.

SuzInOhio -- I just posted another thread about La Calcina. I've heard good things about it, but they haven't answered my emails.

JES -- may I ask what hotel you stayed at.

Thanks.

Maire,
I just looked it up...It was Hotel Lisbona: http://www.hotellisbona.com/Welcome%20to%20Hotel%20Lisbona%20-%20Hotel%20Description.htm

We paid 160 Euros/ night--great for Venice. We were there in Sept though so the rates might have been reduced.

It's right in San Marco. I chose it for it's cenral location and the fact that it shares the same canal with the exclusive Hotel Bauer--I (correctly) figured they would have chosen a prime location and that it would attract the more lively gondaliers.
The hotel is modest, but I really loved it. We had a walk up to our room (no elevator), but it was decorated in beautiful Italian silks-- fabric walls & bedding. I absolutely loved our little balcony--it really made the stay so special.

Not worth it in my opinion. A room is to sleep in. Save the 30 towards your trip to Europe next year.

Thanks, Barbara and JES. JES, I emailed Hotel Lisbona.

Let me know if you end up going there!

I sure will, JES. Thanks.

Have had view/no view in Venice and been fine with both. If you can afford it comfortably, why not pop for the view? If not, 30E is a dinner, a bottle of wine, something else you might enjoy more.

Have a wonderful trip!

I was in Venice for 5 nights in April and splurged for a room with a canal view. When I got to my room, I realized that my “canal view” required that I open my window, lean over and look down 3 stories.

During my stay, I was up and out early, got back to the room after dark and therefore spent very little time in my room. One afternoon, I returned to my room to drop off some shopping and I heard gondoliers singing and playing the accordion out on the canal. I spent about 30 minutes watching them go by my window. Those 30 minutes made the extra cost worth it. I will remember this experience as long as I live.

That's exactly what I'm talking about roadless...! That's what it's all about

Thanks, Leely. I'm glad you had that memorable experience Roadless.

I've decided to get a room with the view; I'd rather spend the money than regret missing out on it later.

JES - Lisbona wrote me back. The room with a balcony is too expensive for me. But they still have rooms with view. Do you know if the superior double is 30 Euros better than the standard double?

Chris, I mentioned this on another thread a few mins. ago, the Gambero told me they only have one double with a balcony, and they can't guarantee it. Hoping other rooms with a view are still good views.

For €30, I'd say yes, assuming that it's not going to mean you can't eat or something.

I wish I could answer that, but when we there the place was full so I didn't get to snoop around and see the other rooms.
I would make sure that your window opens before booking.

Thanks JES; I just wrote to check on that.

Has anyone stayed at any of these?:

Locanda Ca' del Console
Hotel American
Hotel Galleria
Pensione Accademia
Hotel Gallini

marie,

they have two with a view. one with a balcony. the one with the view only is bigger on a corner and the window opened. rooms 203 and 204.

Maire - You should find *lots* of threads singing the praises of both the Galleria and the Accademia if you type the hotel names into the search box.

I've tried reservation requests at both each time I'm headed for Venice, and always found them fully booked. Buona fortuna!

Here's a late yes. I always like a view--one reason is that I wake up much earlier than Mrs. Fly does in the morning. I mean real early.

Having a canal view was great early in the morning because I got to watch the activities of the many service boats and barges that busy in the AM. Garbage barges, laundry boats, beer boats, craft bringing in fresh produce, etc., etc. It was really interesting.

You can realize why Venice is more expensive than other cities when you see everything being hauled around by handcart.

Thanks Chris, Lesli, and Rufus. I have decided on a canal view, and have almost decided which hotel. Plan to fax my little ol' cc number tomorrow.

Rufus, I have enjoyed the same scenes as you have..as I also get up real early. One morning when the hotel brought a coffee pot to my room they even pointed out the "funeral boat" that was just starting to pass by. Maire, I really think you will enjoy a canal view room!

Thanks, LoveItaly. I think I will, too. Can't wait to get it booked tomorrow. How is your finger doing???

Hi Maire, I don't know if this post will take or not as Fodor's seems to be "messed up" right now. But anyway that finger of mine..I will obviously have a bump on it but it has healed thank goodness. Thank you for inquiring. I so hope you reserve a hotel in Venice that will bring you great pleasure. I think you know I so hope that your entire trip throughout Italy will be joyous!!

Our family rented an apartment that was right on the canal with supposed views. When we arrived the canal was closed for maintenance and all we could view was the workmen and debris at the bottom of the canal. Ask all the right questions!

I would probably have enjoyed watching the workmen going about their cleanup chores! I have a low excitement threshhold.

In Venice last week, I walked by someplace I'd been offered a canal view for substantially more. It was as others have said, about 15 feet away from the building next door and the canal could only be seen if you looked straight down. Plus there was a rather noisy gondola stop right under the same windows. I'm not sure I'd be happy with paying for that type of view (well, some of the gondoliers were worth looking at, but I digress!)

I think when we think "Canal View" many of us assume it's a broad sprawling panorama of the Grand Canal, or at least a corner view of something you can see without hanging out the window itself. In many cases it is not, just take a look at a map to see how far off a canal the hotel is and it's easier to determine how worth it it is.

Just back from Venice. we stayed at the Accademia, and it was well worth it, and we DID have a canal view, but you had to lean over to see it. We were luckier than our friends, who were upstairs with an even bigger canal view (FIVE windows)but were kept awake by not only gondoliers, but kids from a nearby disco on Sat. nite. So everyone who has posted is correct - canal view is great, but it very much depends on WHERE you are on WHAT canal. Be very aware of that. I love to have a view, rooms are VERY important to me, but I would skip a canal view next time, to have a large, quiet room, and see lots of canals during the day trips here and there on foot and on vaporetto. It is truly a very magical place.

Ctkathy – How unfortunate, sorry you had that happen; I don’t suppose the hotel lowered the rates, did they?

Amy – I’m just about to reserve my hotel. Would you mind saying which hotel you’re referring to—I might like to avoid it?

Betsys – The Accademia is one I’m looking at. Would you stay there again? What canal is that hotel on? Thanks.

Just back from Venice too. Had a canal view, but I was on the second floor. There was a bridge over the canal right out our window so if the window was open, people crossing the bridge were at eye level. The noise on the canal (walkers not boaters) lasted until about 9pm, not too bad. Was nice seeing the gondoliers every nite. Out room was tiny though so there was no sitting at the window.

By the by, instead of taking the free one-way water taxi ride to Murano, get yourself a water bus ticket for the day. That way you can look at the glass blowing without feeling you owe them anything. Kinda felt we were at a TimeShare presentation.

Jim

Thanks, Jim. I'll do that - about the ticket. May I ask what hotel you stayed in? Did you like it, other than being eye level with the tourists?

We were at the Pensione Accademia in March, with a nice large corner room overlooking the canal (not the Grand Canal, of course, but whatever canal the Accademia is on). Ahh . . magic!

Until, unfortunately, the construction crews working on the building on the other side of the canal arrived at about 6 AM, followed shortly by the honey barge, which began pumping out the septic tank of another building across the canal. And that's a busy area as well, so there was a good bit of noisy foot traffic late into the evening. I doubt that's a typical canal-view experience, but it was enough so we'll make sure there's no canal view in our future next time.

FlyFish--research your future non-canal view hotel well.

There can actually be construction and noise at hotels that are no where near a canal--even at hotels in cities that have no canals at all.

Yes, of course, Rufus - but if you think about it the canals in Venice are, in effect, the equivalent of major roads other areas, so necessarily have a bit more activity than non-canal areas. And I don't think you're likely to find a 60' sewage barge too far away from a canal anywhere.

Yes, of course FlyFish, but that doesn't make a noisy non-canal city hotel any less noisy.

JES - wanted to let you know that we booked the Lisbona - with canal view. Thanks to everyone for input.

VENICE...if you can afford it yes, do you want the noise, with the beautiful view, YES..if you go once in your life to Venice YES>>>30 euros is not much. and nothing compares to this Venice, experience...to look at the water...

Maire,
Please let me know how you like it when you return!

Rooms over canals are nice. Just remember...no screens on windows. We had a canal view--and mosquitos at night. This may or may not be common, but that was irrelevant to us. We did a lot of swatting.

Maire: sorry I've been away. See you have booked the Lisbona. Probably great. Accademia is at junction of Grand Canal, and San Trovaso Canal. All too beautiful to forget. You will love it all.

Marie
Go for the canal. I am usually one to try to save the money because you are not in the room much. But not in Venice. We have stayed at the Hotel Galleria 2 times and love sitting in our room, having a coffee or wine and watching all the action on the Grand Canal.A bonus was when the weather was not so great, we were in the comfort of our room still enjoying Venice. Of course we love to roam, but more than anywhere else, we just love staying on the Grand Canal.

I'm by no means implying anything about this particular hotel, but I think some of you should see what a "canal view" gets you at this particular one: a view of the hotel next door and if you look straight down, a bunch of gondolas. I stayed nearby and this is the only side with "canal view". It's not really what you expect.

http://www.veniceby.com/violinodoro/gallery/violinodoro_4_s.jpg

Maire,
Just wondering if you're back and how you like the Lisbona?
JES

Hi JES - we haven't left yet. We leave in 33 days. Yikes! I am soooooo not ready. Thanks for asking; I'll let you know when we return.

Make sure there isn't a vaporetto dock in front of your room or you won't get any sleep..

Lucky you...I just got back from my trip (so I don't get to look forward to it anymore)!
Have a great time

I have read all the replys , but no one has answerd a questions I have .
What time of year -- no one stated Iwill be going the last of MAY-IS IT COLD COOL
are there crowds at that time --is june better?
I have a wish before I die (im84) to go to VENICE (I have been twice )ON TOURS spent 4 hours in total .
I wish to go and wander around perhaps sit on a bacony or window with a view
for a week .

jp, I didn't see your original questions.
I should think May would be a very nice time to go to Venice--not too hot or crowded but a nice temperature. Toward the end of May, would be a little safer with the weather.

Amy-is right- all "canal views" in Venice are certainly not equal, nor are all worth paying extra for by any means. There are some canal view rooms that are tremendous-like the one at Pensione Accademia, among many others-you just have to check out the websites carefully, and then inquire of the hotel whether you'll get the same view or one very similar to the one shown on the website. Otherwise, I don't think it's worth the extra expenditure.

Since I only stay in apartments in Venice now, it's less important for me to have a canal view (and in Venice, of course, the canals are never more than a few yards away from you, at any place you stay) than it is being in the center of a lively campo, where I can experience, and be a part of, authentic Venetian life.