Hotel Cipriani
 

I have a last minute dilemma that has me feeling torn. We currently have a reservation for April 29 - May 2 at Locanda Barbarigo in Venice, a 3 star hotel, at a rate of 185 euro. Through a connection, we were just offered a deluxe room at the Cipriani at a discount rate of 400 euro. This is waaaay more than I've ever spent on a hotel room and we're budget travelers, but I'm wondering if, given that their rooms go for about 2-3 times that price and it's so highly rated, it's worth the splurge.

Absolutely! But, if you truly are budget travelers then that must mean you can't truly afford the splurge. If this is the case, don't stay at Cipriani. Just because you get a great (but expensive to you) room rate, that doesn't mean the spending stops there. Service is grand at Hotel Cipriani and if you can't afford any of the amenities or to treat the staff with generous gratutities, you don't belong here. Hotel Cipriani is NOT a budget hotel. They're used to catering to people who are comfortable spending money on a high quality experience. Don't go there unless you're comfortable spending that kind of money.

That depends on if you think you would enjoy the experience. I would jump on it myself - but would you enjoy the experience (would like to travel this way but don;t want to spend the money) or are you really more comfortable with a more simple, casual style of travel. (I have one friend who is in a position to spend whatever he choses - but he dislikes formality/heavy duty service and "Old World" style -so he almost always goes more informally/inexpensively.)

I'd go for it - and I wouldn't feel obliged to spend lots of money at the hotel once I was there. Don't be intimidated by NYCFoodSnob's opinion on whether you 'belong there'!

If you can swing the splurge and you feel you would have the time to enjoy the hotel, go for it. If you think that you would not be able to spend enough time enjoying the hotel's amenities, then you might want to take the 'splurge' money and have a special dinner or excursion. I would not worry about the above 'you don't belong there' comment; that was pretentious. I am sure that you can conduct yourself accordingly and tip when appropriate; there is no reason to throw money around in an attempt to prove you 'belong'. I have seen wealthy people try to buy class in this manner - and it is not a pretty sight. Go and enjoy!

Actually, I don't think NYCFS was dumping on the original poster. I think she has a valid point--little things will quickly add up to a substantial sum when you stay at a premium hotel like the Cipriani. A single drink at the bar can cost as much as a meal elsewhere. You are expected to be reasonably generous with gratuities (unless you are royalty, they're all cheapos, Prince Harry once gave a waitress a £2 tip for a £2000 meal) and since there are so many more people serving you, up goes the amount of cash you need to keep on hand.
185 euros (still over $200 a night, even with the improving exchange rate) is not true budget traveling, but 400 euros (over $500) is a HUGE jump. I would be afraid that instead of enjoying their stay, the original posters would be constantly thinking about how they might be completely blowing their budget. Worrying about money is no way to spend a vacation. Better for them to stick with their original hotel and go have a few drinks at the Cipriani. Unless the Cipriani's rates aren't really denting their finances, simply more than the would normally think of spending--there's a big difference between choosing to not spend that amount and not being ABLE to spend that amount!
When I'm in Paris, I don't stay at the Plaza Athenee, but I do go there for tea (only 8 euros a pot, the whole experience feels MUCH more expensive!). I get to sample the hotel's luxurious feel while keeping the $700 a night price tag off my credit card.

The Cipriani is one of the world's finest hotels. If you are going to Venice it has always been THE place to stay. When I stayed there over a decade ago (I'm not a fan of Venice) it was superb, and judging from recent polls it is better than ever.

However, is The Cipriani going to be twice as good (simply looking at the prices) as the hotel you've booked? I'm sure it will more than exceed these expectations, but perhaps you'd be better off putting the 650 (or so) EUR towards another trip. If no future holidays suffer as a result of this upgrade then go for it, but if it means that next years trip to X will have to be postponed then it would be foolish to stay at the Cipriani.

As other posters have pointed out, you must be able to afford or rather, willing to spend on the services offered at the Cipriani - cocktails will be around 20EUR, a bottle of water would be around 8EUR etc.. If you can't or won't do that then there isn't much point staying there.

In conclusion, either go all the way and spend spend spend on everything or stay at your 3-star and celebrate your savings with some wines, or just put them towards your next trip!

I can definitely relate to your dilemma. When we were in Cusco, Peru last year I really wanted to stay at the five-star Orient Express Monasterio Hotel but couldn't rationalize 3 nights there. We decided to move from our "reasonable" hotel after two nights and stay there our last night. Definitely a trade off, but our one night there was one of the most memorable of any of our travels! We're actually doing the same thing on our trip to Provence this fall, will spend the last two nights at a fabulous "rationalizable" hotel, the Royal Riviera. If you don't feel moving during your three nights makes sense, I can also tell you what we did in Venice several years ago. We took the Cipriani's shuttle over to their property and ate dinner on their restaurant that's on a barge type deck overlooking the canal with St. Mark's in the distance - another absolutely memorable experience! Have a great time!

<i>Worrying about money is no way to spend a vacation.</i>

Thank you, BTilke, for having a brain and seeing my point. By 'belong,&quot; I clearly meant &quot;vacationing within your means&quot; and not &quot;you're too poor to mingle with the richies.&quot;

Posters like papagena should be more careful about projecting their own insecurities into my words. When you do this, you bring much more negative attention to yourself than you do to me. I <b>know</b> I'm not a snob (when it truly matters).

I firmly believe everyone deserves to treat themselves in grand style and should fake <i>being rich</i> whenever possible. Life is too short and painful to deprive yourself of having fun. But, I also believe in fiscal responsibility and fun requires thoughtful consideration if the &quot;fun&quot; has serious potential to put you in harm's way.

What about spending just one night at the Cipriani for the experience, and then the rest of the nights at Locanda Barbarigo -- Actually I would stay the first nights at L.B., then the final night at the Cipriani. Then you can be looking forward to the luxurious accomodation, rather than wishing you were still there. My husband and I did this in Bali when we were younger -- splurged for one night at the Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay, then spent the remaining time at a budget hotel in Ubud. We were glad we had the opportunity.

You've gotten <i>terrific</i> advice here. I agree with most everyone, particularly NYCFS &amp; Btilke. Forgive me if I'm stating the obvious, but are you aware the Cipriani is on it's own separate island? That means that even if you decided to stay there but not avail yourself of their food/services, you'd have to get in a boat to get a drink, sandwich etc. Now that's not the end of the world...just wanted to give you a head's up.

Changing one's hotel mid-stay is always a disturbance. One night at the Cipriani is pointless, by the time you have relaxed you have to leave - don't waste your time or money.

Either you decide to go all the way and spend your entire stay there or you forget it completely.

After having unpacked your case, and then have to pack it all up again will you really feel the benefit?

Now, here, I completely disagree with m_kingdom.

Hotel hopping isn't for everyone (just like Venice) but if you truly enjoy different hotel experiences (I <b> love</b> 'em), there's no better way to compare or &quot;see&quot; what's out there.

Granted, I do it mostly for business purposes, but I have a veteran history of hotel hopping and you should see and feel the weight of my luggage. Yes, I have packing and unpacking down to a science and, if I stayed at Cipriani's for just one night, I'd make sure everything I needed is at the top of my luggage and I wouldn't bother to unpack the rest. Go straight to the pool and live like a king.

On a beautiful day, two hours of poolside at the Cipriani Hotel translates to 12 hours of pure heaven. I recommend everyone grab 5 minutes of heaven whenever you can, especially while you're alive.

NYCFoodSnob:

Why have 5 minutes of heaven when you can have a whole lifetime?

&quot;Hotel hopping&quot; is fine for multi-centre holidays, but for the leisure travller it is unwanted on a single destination trip.

I'm a firm believe in &quot;if you're going to do something do it properly&quot;, and also &quot;people shouldn't live above their means&quot;. Most travellers have the money to upgrade to First or Business class on their flights, however, few do - preferring to spend their money on better accomodations or quite simply to save it.

So what you've got a good rate - you're still having to pay for it! If you wouldn't consider this hotel ordinarily don't consider it now. Furthermore, there is so much to see and do in Venice you won't be at the hotel all that much really - save your money for another holiday. Spending one night there is pointless, completely pointless!

As other people have suggested go to the Cipriani for a dinner or just a drink!

Posted by NYCFS 'Thank you, BTilke, for having a brain and seeing my point...posters like papagena should be more careful about projecting their own insecurities into my words'.

Thank you for your concern about my mental well-being NYCFS, but I can assure you that I am neither stupid nor insecure. I was simply trying to empathise with how someone who describes themselves as a budget traveller may have felt on reading your post.
However, I have made a note of the fact that your posts ought to be judged not on what they say but on what you actually meant, and I will do my best not to make the same mistake again.

papagena, if you're going to make fantasy claims on the level of your intelligence, in writing, on a public forum, you might want to make sure your spelling and grammar are satisfactory. I give you a C-minus.

Please could you explain what you mean by 'fantasy claims'?

NYCFS quote: Truthfully, I can't get beyond what appears to me as artificially contrived cadence in any of Tat'Ziana's posts and therefore, haven't read one in their entirety.
NYCFS quote: if you're going to make fantasy claims on the level of your intelligence, in writing, on a public forum, you might want to make sure your spelling and grammar are satisfactory.

I couldn't agree more.

185 euro a night is budget?!?!?!? Wow, I guess we are the equivalent of hobo travelers then. The most we ever spent for double room accomodations was $165.

rbrazill, thank you. My quote should read &quot;haven't read one in its entirety.&quot; I appreciate any and all spelling and grammar corrections because I <b>adore</b> professional editors.

When I write on fodors, I do so quickly, often without re-reading what I wrote and I make mistakes all the time. I always refer to myself as the malaprop queen. I often catch errors long after they're made but, since fodors doesn't offer a second edit feature, I'm stuck. I don't have the time or the inclination to take my writing here so seriously. I think it's safe to assume most people get my drift.

But, more to the point, I've never made the claim that &quot;I am not stupid&quot; in any of my posts. I'm quite human and I'm stupid all the time. So, I have to laugh when people make such ridiculous claims and then can't put two words together to say something smart.