my wife and in-laws are planning to stay two nights in venice in the beginning of september. Aftter reading Rick Steves book and calling other hotels I am only left with a few options. The hotel Riva sounds good. Does anyone have any recent experience with this hotel? Please help.

thanks

My experience is not recent but another couple and we stayed there Mar 97 . . . we really like the location . . . but our double room was tiny. There was hardly room for us to walk around the bed and no place to put our luggage.

Our friends were on another floor and their double room was giant size.

About two years ago, another of our friends went to Venice and also stayed there . . . their room was really tiny, too.

Our rooms were clean and the bathrooms were nice but I guess what I'm trying to impart here is to try to get one of their bigger rooms. Oh, the room prices were all the same, no matter how large or small.

Hope this helps,
Sandy

dadamek: In 1997 we found Riva a charming two star with great views of the working canals below. In 2000, it was really run down. Not dirty, but patched togethor, literally. Still had the great canal views, but tacky. The corner rooms on the second or third floors are the best. But, unless there has been recent renovation, it is now a one star.

My wife and I stayed there in October 2001, and by then it was neither charming nor very clean. That said, the manager was unbelievably accomodating. We asked for a nicer room the first night, and they only had one other vacancy - - a room with no bath - - so we kept what we had. The next morning we planned to check out and find another place, but first asked again for a better room. The clerk checked with the manager (the manager was the only person who had fluent English, although the two clerks we met did their best to help), who arranged for us to stay in a room in a building on the Grand Canal - - a few doors from the Danieli. The management was renovating part of the building as a hotel, and at least the room we got was finished. It was amazing, a large clean room with bath and a balcony looking across at San Giogio Maggiore. We payed the same price as for the Riva. Unfortunately we only had one left, but I could have stayed there for a month. It gives me hope that the Riva itself may make a comeback, although it was past due when we were there.

Thanks All
I will be sure to post updated information on this hotel when I return.
Dan

I stayed four nights in the Hotel Riva this week and I had to make a plug for it -- which is not something I normally do.

This hotel was ideally situated on the "corner" of two canals. The room was clean and cosy, Sandro the owner and his staff were helpful and enthusiastic, and the views from our corner room on the second floor and sounds of music and chatter from the canals were a highlight of the trip.

It IS a one-star hotel. No TV, hairdryer or phone in the room. But I don't travel to watch TV, I bring a hairdryer as a matter of course, and I know I can always get access to a phone if I need one, so it doesn't much matter to me that those things are missing.

Riva is not "tacky" or "patched together" (at least not any more - can't vouch for it before out stay). It's just simple, but it's really was better than the two-stars I stayed at in Rome and Siena.

Do yourself a favor -- don't count this one out.

worktowander: If Hotel Riva has been refurbished a bit (we don't demand much), I would be the first to express "Hooray". The location is ideal; less than five minutes to San Marco and, maybe, ten to the Rialto bridge.
We spent early mornings from our second floor, corner room (very large) watching the city wake up on the canals. Locals going to work, deliveries made, even garbage picked up, all by small boats. It was fantastic.
WE have stayed at the Riva twice and there was a very noticeable difference in the state of the Hotel the second time. When I said it had become a one star, It had nothing to do with blow dryers, phones or TV. We tour hard and collapse into our beds each evening to prepare for the next day. In 2000, it was in a serious state of disrepair. Wall sconces were literally held togethor with scotch tape, for example. It was not unclean.
If it has been spruced up a bit, I would highly recommend it for location and (if you can get one of the canal side, corner rooms) an exciting view of the City as it lives.
Sandro is very pleasant and helpful.

It has apparently had some work done since then. We noticed nothing that was in disrepair. Interesting, it sounds like we had the same room -- what a wonderful view, huh?

Try it again - it's pretty nice now.

I read this thread after making my reservation and deposit and was pretty worried about what I'd find when I arrived, but was pleasantly surprised: It really was better than the two-stars we stayed at in Rome in Siena.

I just didn't want some old reviews to stand and perhaps damage the business since they've apparently taken steps to correct the shortcomings.

Happy travels!

Sorry - Rome and Siena. And I'm an editor, at that!