carolj

My sister and I (ages late 60's) will have three nights in Venice on our way to Istanbul next spring.
Venice has so many areas, before we even start to look at places to stay, we need to decide on an area. We prefer small boutique hotels, apartment or B&B. Should we be looking at the area behind the Accademia Museum? It seems that would be a little quieter, away from the hustle and bustle but still close to the sightseeing activities and shopping. Your opinion, please, and also any suggested places. Thank you.

KimFionafromUK192

I had amazing stay at Palazzetto Pisani Boutique Hotel and would love to share it to you. the hotel is located near the Accademia Bridge and Campo Santo Stefano, and Piazza San Marco overlooking the Grand Canal with breathtaking views of the Accademia Bridge, Guggenheim Museum , Palazzo Barbarigo, Salute Church, Punta della Dogana and St. Mark Basin.

neckervd

If you don't want to waste your time and money with transfers within the hostoric city, choose a hotel close to Piazzale Roma (Santa Croce area) if you arrive from the airport by bus or close to a alilaguna stop if you arrive from the airport by alilaguna boat.
Have a look at hotel reviews (www.booking.com, www.hotels.com,tripadvisor.....)

sandralist

That's a good area. What do you mean by "spring"? Tidal flooding in Venice is a common occurence is the lower-lying areas of Venice for late March and into April, so you might want to take that into consideration.

vincenzo32951

I think you're going to find that everyone has a "favorite" area to stay. Near the Accademia? Sure, nothing wrong with that.

Someone mentioned the Piazzale Roma area. I'm not saying that person is wrong, but that happens to be one of my least favorite areas of the city. Point being, it's a personal choice.

Mimar

We avoid the areas around Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge. Both of these are very popular with daytrippers and get very crowded during the day. We like Dorsoduro, the area behind the Accademia.

If you want hotel recommendations, give us a nightly budget, preferably in euros. Do you want a twin room? Two rooms?

carolj

I think South of the Accademia Bridge, in Dorsodura is where we want to be. A nightly rate of 200 to 250E for a double room would suit us, but we've been known to splurge. I hope this is enough info for you to make some recommendations.
Kim, I will check out the boutique hotel you suggested on the other side of the Accademia Bridge. That looks like a great location, too.
We'll arrive March 9, hopefully before any tidal flooding!
Thank you all for responding! It's great to get personal opinions.

sandralist

High tidal flooding in Venice can happen October through April. It can get especially high if there is a combination of full moon + a storm. Here is picture of the "acqua alta" at the beginning of March last year

http://www.blitzquotidiano.it/cronac...metri-1805504/

And this is what it can be like in the Dorsoduro

http://d3vxkpc0huy01b.cloudfront.net/640x360/137039.jpg

Tidal flooding usually only happens for a portion of the day or night. Several hours, then it recedes to puddles. However, if those hours coincide with when you are checking in and out of your hotel, you may need to carry your luggage over your head. You may also need to re-arrange transport to airport or train, because if the flooding is bad enough, water transportation (the only transportation in Venice other than walking) may not reach your area.

So you should be aware of the risks and check out your hotel location carefully in the early part of March if it matters to you.

sandralist

Very high acqua alta is unpredictable weeks or months in advance, and it is not the norm, but like I said, you should know what it is and that it can happen in March, and that if it does happen, the Dorsoduro area can be quite affected

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/...s-oct-31-1.htm

lyn_dahm

My last trip to Venice, we stayed at the Aqua Palace...very nice boutique hotel with wonderful rooms and service. Very wonderful location!! Did I mention location?? Right between St Marco and the Rialto Bridge!! Would highly recommend.

suze

http://www.lacalcina.com/

I've stayed twice at La Calcina, it overlooks the Giudecca Canal in the Dorsoduro area.

suze

It fits this request:
<away from the hustle and bustle but still close to the sightseeing activities and shopping>

cjhermanns

We just got back from 2 weeks in Dorsoduro. I want to retire there! It's the best of Venice, from my point of view. I can't tolerate San Marco for more than an hour. Castello is nice, good restaurants, but the waterfront is a tourist hell.

So I'd vote for Dorsoduro. We rented an apartment through Views on Venice, and were very happy. 5 minutes walk from the Accademia museum, 10 minutes from the Peggy Guggenheim, and 2 minutes from 2 of the best ciccheti places I've found, and 2 minutes from the Zattere (vaporetto, gelato, Riviera restaurant).

Have a blast.

carolj

I didn't realize we would be there during the tidal flooding season. Those pictures are scary, but knowledge of the possibility means we can come prepared. Dorsoduro sounds perfect for us. LaCalcina looks lovely, at a good price. It's definitely on our short list! Thank you all.

annw

Check Tripadvisor.

We stay at Locanda Orseolo (7+ times now). Near San Marco, but a world away.

I also like Dorsoduro area and Cannaregio -- Domus Orsoni works for us. Not far from train etc. but like LO, a world away.

lancer11

Hotel Le Isole in the Castello area was fantastic. The breakfast was awesome and very near the vaporetto stop of San Zaccaria

Jean

Another vote for La Calcina. We were there once during 'normal' (not exceptional) acqua alta. It didn't affect the hotel, and the flooding had drained away within 2-3 hours.

Here are official info and statistics on acqua alta:

http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm...IDPagina/22795

And here's a graph showing the numbers of 'exceptional' acqua alta events by month from 1872 to 2014. It looks like the probability of serious flooding in the spring months is relatively low. Obviously, statistics are not a promise of anything.

http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm.../IDPagina/2973

Grandma

We often stayed in Castello. On our first trip we stayed at La Residenza
http://us.venere.com/ho281624/italy/...-la-residenza/
Price was $37. It's gone up since then! People have complained about the
air conditioning there, but in March that shouldn't be a problem. Hotel is near our favorite restaurant, Corte Sconta.

We subsequently tried to stay again, but never could score a reservation. As we got older we ended up at the Metropole… in the same place but on the Riva
Schiavoni….quite a different kettle of fish.

HappyTrvlr

We had beautiful weather in Venice in late April. You've been given excellent advice on locations. We like to stay in Canareggio but it's farther out and for only 3 nights Dorsodouro makes sense.