Someone mentioned Hotel Galleria in Dorsoduro and I think that is a great recommendation. That was the hotel I was going to book if I wasn't staying on points at the Westin. It love how it is on the corner, the exterior of the hotel looks awesome and the price is fantastic! You will be amazed when you see the price. You can get a room right on the grand canal. I have never stayed there, but that was the hotel I was going to book. You can't beat the price for how nice the rooms look.

> Hotel Galleria

Only you must expect possibly a tiny room, that's why the fantastic rate. Still many people seem to like it though.

kappa1: thank you for sharing your experiences with la calcina and foscari. i have taken la calcina off the list because i do not like the fact that there isn't open access to the rooftop terrace. i'd rather not deal with having to make reservations ahead of time and having time restrictions. i think i did read something about that as i was going through some reviews on TA, but i forgot.

as for foscari, i am still leaving it on the list. i figured that since i am only considering rooms without a view, i should just go with the cheapest (classic double room). the superior room is 92 euros a night more and i didn't see much of a difference as far as decor, it's probably just a little bigger.

We stayed at La Calcina and LOVED it. We did have a canal view room, which was well woth the extra euros. The location was fantastic: away from the madding crowds but an easy stroll to a major vaporetto stop. Our room was elegant and quiet and the servcie at the hotel was fantastic. The included breakfast was nothing to write home about, although when the weather was fine (which it was every day for our stay!)the setting on the Giudecca Canal was gorgeous. We preferred to find a little cafe for coffee and cornetto.

blueridge: i am considering ca'dogaressa now... it is gorgeous! :) for my dates, the junior suite with the canal view is €220/night... not too bad.

jilldavis: that one room that is pictured on the reservation page on their website is beautiful! http://www.hotelgalleria.it/images/booking.jpg i am guessing that is the big double with the view of the grand canal, which is €195/night for my dates. i sent them an email inquiring about it. thanks chica! :)

so at this point, i am still considering the following:
casa maria formosa
foscari palace
hotel american dinesen
ca'dogaressa
hotel galleria

usually i am a pretty decisive person, but for some reason venice has been challenging!

I think CASA MARIA FORMOSA has the best location. It's central, and easy walk (1/8 mile) to Rialto or San Marco, in a quiet area, and close to the expansive (but not crowded) Campo Santa Maria Formosa.

ok, i have eliminated ca'dogaressa and hotel galleria. with ca'dogressa, for €4 more a night, i can get a balcony at hotel american dinesen. and with hotel galleria, it looks like it's in a really busy area since it's right by the bridge. definitely not feeling that.

Not to throw another one in the mix, but how about Hotel Colombia? I was looking through my research and I forgot that this hotel was my number 1 choice - http://www.hotelcolombina.com/en/index.php

I fell in love with the flower boxes on the exterior and I love the quiet small canal that it is on.

I stayed at the Colombina a couple of years ago. Fantastic location just a minute from San Marco but on a very quiet canal. (Bridge of Sighs on this canal.) Very nice hotel-would stay there again.

You sound a lot like me, re hotel choices! Despite the fact that we have visited Venice multiple times, and have our favorite hotel in Cannaregio, on this last trip we wanted a location closer to San Marco. I actuall ended up making a spreadsheet of all the hotel options, with the various categories that I was looking at. A number of items were different than what you're looking for, though.

We ended up at Casa Santa Maria Formosa, which I would definitely return to. I really like Campo Santa Maria Formosa. It's close to San Marco, but a bit out of the tourist fray. The Campo, I think, has a good vibe, and many of the people at the cafes on that campo look to be locals. We had a canal view, though not one of the new corner rooms. But when we wanted to relax and enjoy, we always picked a cafe rather than a bottle in our room, or on a rooftop terrace. Casa Santa Maria Formosa suited our needs perfectly, as we could walk one minute from the hotel door and be in the Campo.

So difficult to make that final decision, isn't it?

citychicnyc, I think you might be exaggerating the size of the balconies at American Dinesen; I'm not at all sure they'd take two chairs.

lexma90: when you recommened casa santa maria formosa on the other thread i started regarding my italy itinerary, i looked it up and LOVED it. i think that corner room is so pretty and i like how strongly you felt about the location. it was so hard to make a decision, but i finally made my choice. i am going with foscari palace even though i absolutely love casa maria formosa. i just know that eventually i would try to search for a rooftop experience... either a restaurant or cafe/bar. now, i have the option of having one whenever i want during my 4 day stay. i will definitely mix it up though and go to a campo to enjoy the local life and scene. if i didn't find that €170/night price on booking.com for foscari, i would most likely have booked casa santa maria formosa. :)

zerlina: i think so too. anyway, doesn't matter now, i booked foscari! i'm sure it will be great!

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN! fodorites are the best. :)

Have a great trip!