Grandma

We've been to Venice many times and in our more vigorous youth (?!) always took the vaporetto, hauled luggage, etc.
But as we "matured" we've found the taxis a big help. It's expensive but worth it in terms of saving energy. I always claim the taxi as a birthday or Xmas gift in advance -

Eloise

There is a vaporetto stop that is very close to the Hotel Ala: Santa Maria del Giglio (or simply Giglio) on the No. 1 vaporetto line, which you can take from either Piazzale Roma (if you are coming by bus from the airport) or from the train station (Ferrovia).

psy_dr

hi! i just returned from paris-venice-florence-rome. by far our favorite hotel (all were in the 150 - 200 euro range, including breakfast) was our venice hotel = HOTEL ALA (a few have already posted on this hotel). We stayed 4 nights & it was great. We had a room with a view of the canal (on the 3rd floor) --- the room had 2 windows (1 in the room & 1 in the bathroom). they both opened up to the canal.
the room was clean & so was the bathroom. the bed was the only real queen size bed we had in all of europe (all the other hotels put us in 2 twin beds that were put together...even though we were on our honeymoon!).
they have an elevator & their breakfast was our favorite out of all the hotels...definitely worth the extra euros.
also, the vaporetto, i believe line #1 & #82 (double check this), stops right next to the hotel at the S. Giglio stop. When you walk off the ramp, just walk down the small walkway & as soon as you come out of it, just look to your left b/c the hotel doors are right there! we couldn't believe it.
also, san marco is literally 5 minutes walking (and that's taking your time).
i highly recommend this hotel --- the best we stayed at on our honeymoon (A+ on everything: bathroom space & cleanliness, bed comfort, room size, view from window, breakfast quality, service & helpfulness of the staff, fabulous location...we walked everywhere!!!!).

travel52

Thanks for the added information psy dr. Here's what some may think is a very stupid question, but never being to Venice, I don't know....Is the vaporetto the same as the water bus? So my choices for transportation from the airport to Hotel Ala are vaporetto or water taxi?

Statia

Yes and yes.

psy_dr

okay- this is my understanding when we were there about transportation types around venice:

vaporetto = the water bus (like a "bus on water&quot...its motorized boat that fits many people & is commonly used by tourists & locals to get to different places on Venice proper & the surrounding islands (murano, burano, torcello, lido)

water taxi = a small power boat that acts more like a "taxi on water"...so it's more expensive (just like a regular taxi vs. a bus or metro)

gondola = small 2-6 person boats, only (or mostly i guess) used by tourists for a 1 hour cruise along the waterways.

and there;s one more (i forgot the name) but it's like a gondola, but you stand up & it takes you short distances only...like from one side of the canal to another. i've heard this is mostly used by locals & is a little "scary" if you aren't used to it (since you are standing & it feels like you'll tip over)....sounds like fun.

you have several options from airport to hotel:
1) bus or taxi to the bus/vaporetto station & then the vaporetto to your stop
2) bus or taxi to the bus/vaporetto station & then a water taxi to your stop

i'm sure the taxi to the bus/vaporetto station will be much more than the bus to the station.

here's what we did: as soon as we got down from the plane & out into the airport, we walked to our left where there were many counters (car rentals, bus ticket sales, etc)...we decided to buy the 72 hour vaporetto pass plus the bus ticket to the vaporetto station (this costs us 22 Euros per person total)...of course, you can choose 24 hrs, 48 hrs, etc.

It was worth it...we didn't have to worry about buying tickets at every vaporetto stop. also, the bus ride was about 15 minutes & the bus itself was super clean & comfortable...very pleasant. once we arrived to the vaporetto station, we walked towards our left & caught the vaporetto #1 or 82 (i forgot which one) & we arrived to our stop "S. Giglio) in about 30 minutes.

i hope this helps...also, one last thing...for some reason, we were told countless times by many fodorites to make sure & "punch our vaporetto tickets at the bus when we leave the airport." i'm still not sure why, but i think it validates the ticket so that you won't be in trouble if an inspector asks for your ticket on a vaporetto.

the punch machine is inside the bus...you'll see it.

oh, i almost forgot...when you go to get on a vaporetto, it's not like a typical metro where you have to put your ticket into a machine & then the turnstyle lets you through...you don't have to pass it through anything...just walk onto the vaporetto & always have your ticket in your pocket or wallet, just in case an inspector checks people on the vaporetto for valid tickets.

GOOD LUCK!!!

travel52

Thanks very much. It's finally becoming clear. Since we will stay at Hotel Ala, the vaporetto sounds like it is very close, and that will work out for us. Again, thanks, as it is all very hard to picture if you haven't been there !