If you do a search here for Venice hotels that should get you started...

I love the idea of "down town", as in underwater.

Just to help, the place has two types of transport, walking and boat. Everywhere is within 30 minutes walk of San Marcos, but it is very easy to get lost (so making it a great deal more than 30 minutes). San Marcos is a very expensive centre so you need to find a hotel a bit back to get the price way down. I'd surf here a bit more

what's your budget?

will you have a lot of luggage?

do you want a canal view?

oops, missed the $200 bit. scrub the canal view.

Try the Star Splendid
http://splendidvenice.starhotels.com/en/home.aspx
3 min walk San Marco 3 min the other way to Rialto Stop
Close to just about everything, great service. Ask for Canal view room

sadly i think that the Star Splendid is outside the OP's budget.

You could try Hotel Galleria http://www.hotelgalleria.it/default.asp

For a simple one-star hotel, we liked the Hotel Riva in Venice, close to St Mark's (but not too close that it felt crowded). I think it is in your budget.

Hotel Riva is on the confluence of two small canals, and our corner room on the first floor had views of both canals. I think we had room #1, which had a double bed and a twin bed in a small alcove. The bathroom was tiny, but not a big problem. (First floor is good because there is no elevator.)

A very simple breakfast is offered in a dining room which directly overlooks the little canal.

http://www.hotelriva.it/ENG/description.html

We have stayed at Pensione La Calcina twice and enjoyed both our visits. It's about a 15-20 minute walk to San Marco.

Hotel Corte Grimani would be perfect. It does require a 2 night stay. We stayed years ago and it's only 2 minutes to San Marco.

Thanks everyone. I have been looking for several hours and I just posted our first two choices and wanted to know what everyone thought. Hotel Rialto or Carlton on the Grand Canal.

hi hellokitty - do you mean that you have posted the links?

cos they aren't here!

hellokittygeorgia,

Check B&B Al Teatro.

http://www.bedandbreakfastalteatro.com/en/

We stayed here this past May. A very small (only 3 rooms) B&B, just a short (approx 7 minutes) straight shot (or as straight is it gets in Venice) walk to Piazza San Marco.

The proprietor, Eleanora, is a gem. Just a fantastic hostess. Cannot speak highly enough of our experience here.

One of the rooms, the Amber Room, which we stayed in is the largest (and it is very large, especially by European standards AND has a small balcony overlooking a heavily trafficked (read gondolas) canal just below. That particular room may be out of your stated budget range, but not by much and location and hospitality would be VERY MUCH worth it. The other two rooms cost less and from speaking to other guests during our stay, are very comfortable as well.

Quite a number of photos available on Trip Advisor, including a few of my own.

Highly highly highly recommend!!!

forgot to mention what many people find to be a very important "perk" for a hotel in Venice...

After exiting the vaporetto at the appropriate stop, there are NO bridges to cross to get to Al Teatro. It is a very short walk from the vaporetto stop to the B&B

Honestly, for a 2-night stay in Venice, it is not worth one second of thought thinking about a moderate financial "upgrade" to any hotel room in the $200-a-night range for any hotel near or within brief walking distance to Piazza San Marco.

The bottom line in Venice is: If you aren't requesting a specific room by number (which is what repeat visitors do, and Venice has them by the millions), you're going to get what is available at the time of your booking. If you're not willing to stay in one of the bigger "institutional" properties, the available choices in boutique properties will be slim to none, depending on the time of year.

Spending $20-$50 more a night will mostly likely yield no benefit. You'll just be paying more money for a very small room with a tiny bathroom, no matter which hotel you select.

NYCFoodSnob, you may want to insert at least one, if not a couple, "IMO/IMHO" into your post, because I'm sure there would be a decent number of people, myself included, who would whole-heartedly disagree with you.

Unless you have been to Venice many, many times and scouted out a vast number of hotels, your statement is not fair at all. If you have, and you spent your entire time in Venice, recon-ing hotels, there are also a whole lot of people who would say you completely wasted your time in Venice.

That's why the OP posted the question, was to find out what people's experiences have been. I, for one, can fully attest that the B&B I spoke of is 100% worth a stretch in budget, if possible. I have sent three friends and/or friends of friends to it since my stay, and all have absolutely loved it.

OP gave a budget of USD200 ( €150 ). Is that per night ( I hope) ?

This would be useuful if OP mentioned the dates of stay as well because the rates change a LOT depending the the seasons and on specific days ( holidays, etc). And high seasons can be 200/300% more expensive than lowest time. For expample, last December we stayed at a 3* B&B like hotel Ca' Zose in nice Dorsoduro area between Salute Church and Guggenheim Museum. Modest hotel but still nice enough for us and not a tiny room - 16m2, with bathroom - lots of hot water. We checked out the hotel as satisfied customers. We paid the lowest seasos rate of €55.00 per night incl. breakfast. If I look at their rate for the room of the same category in May, that costs €170.00.

We don't see many IMHO on Fodors because virtually all of it is IMHO

We don't see many IMHO on Fodors because virtually all of it is IMHO>>

in fact it goes without saying, Bilbo.

It had to be said
Snow in Yorkshire (sat snug by fire), I guess Cornwall is just rain?

Snow in Yorkshire (sat snug by fire), I guess Cornwall is just rain?>>

you're not wrong, bilbo, and sadly I have to work.

though it was glorious sunshine yesterday, so much so that I got 4 or so hours gardening done.

"Unless you have been to Venice many, many times and scouted out a vast number of hotels, your statement is not fair at all."

I've been to Venice 56 times in the last 30 years, and I've checked out every hotel that deserved a look-see, no matter the price point or the neighborhood. I know the local real-estate scene, and I certainly know what a $50 upgrade will and will not purchase, no matter the season. I wouldn't change a word of my post above. On an internet forum, IMOs are redundant.

"I've been to Venice 56 times in the last 30 years, and I've checked out every hotel that deserved a look-see, no matter the price point or the neighborhood. I know the local real-estate scene, and I certainly know what a $50 upgrade will and will not purchase, no matter the season. I wouldn't change a word of my post above. On an internet forum, IMOs are redundant."

LOL

shouldn't that be "LOL - IMHO" new-adventure?

apparently there is no need for such redundancies, so no.

But thank you for asking.

One should omit the "H" in "IMHO" perhaps?

well, Peter, there certainly wouldn't have been an "H" in NTCFoodSnob's original post.

Any more suggestions? I plan on going to Venice with my wife and daughter 5/30-6/2. Will need additional bed for my daughter. My budget is around $400/night.

We liked Ca'Angeli last summer. It gets very good reviews on TripAdvisor too.

inca2000: Instead of tacking on to this old thread, you'll do better to start a tread of your own. You are asking about an entirely different price point than the OP and your post might get lost in the shuffle.

We actually ended up booking at the Hilton. Has anyone stayed there? Is the location okay?

Mestre or Giudecca? Either way, you are not in the center of Venice and can not walk to San Marco from either. From Mestre you have to take a shuttle to the train station, then catch a vaporetto. From Giudecca, you take a boat to San Marco. If the price was great, I might stay on Giudecca, but never Mestre.

In case you're still undecided, I have stayed at Hotel Flora, which is a short walk from San Marco. It is nice, not wonderful, but convenient. We also stayed at Pensione Accademia, which is nicer, but not as convenient to Piazza San Marco. We stayed at Corte Grimani, which is in a great location ( although a bit challenging to find at first), and that is our favorite. It's two minutes from San Marco and the Rialto. I'd highly recommend it. Have a wonderful trip!

Is that the Molino Stucky Hilton?

It is OK but you have to take a boat launch to get over to the Zatterre.

I would think it would be a pain in the ass.

Thin