Locanda Orseolo - a room on third floor
 

My mother, who is 76 but in a great shape, and her SO are going to Venice and they made reservation in Locanda Orseolo. Their room is located on third floor. But there is no elevator and the third floor in Italy is really a fourth floor, isn't it? Should I worry about her having a heart attack when climbing to her room?

I'm a <i>lot</i> younger than your mother. I stayed in a B&amp;B in Florence a couple of years ago that was on the fifth floor (US). Those cement steps seemed to get higher and higher each time I climbed them, and I'm in good shape. I had to change my daily itinerary to come back to the room as few times as possible during the day when popping back to the room would have been very convenient to leave packages or for a short rest. Will never do that again! You may want to reconsider. Buon viaggio.

I know that the hotel will try to accomodate you on the floor you want. They can put them on the first floor instead.

Has anyone personally experienced Locanda Orseolo?

Pat there are a few posters who've stayed there. Look for Rookie's post in this string. She stayed on the 3rd floor which is the top.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34442627

Here's another string from Lisa but no mention of steps.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1406997

Pat, no, I have not personally experienced staying at the hotel yet. But I am planning to do so in 7/04. I can assure you that I had the same concern about a room on an upper floor and Barbara Peruch, one of the owners, replied personally that I could take a room on the first (ground?) floor instead if I was worried about walking up too many stairs.

You can read the excellent comments from Rookie but if you really want to be certain, email the hotel directly with your concerns. Here is their email [email protected].

Having just returned from Venice yesterday, and spending 4 glorious days in the most beautiful city in the world, I can say without hesitation that Barbara and the entire staff will make sure that your mom and SO are well taken care of and if she needs to be on the first floor they will do everything in their power to make sure that happens. The staff at Locanda Orseolo are amazing! They are warm, generous people who will find you fantastic restuarants, make wonderful breakfasts for you and will make your stay as perfect as can be. I hesitate to post here about the B&amp;B because I want this place all to myself. Its location (one block from the Plaza St Marks), its reasonable price, the newly remodeled rooms, and they service is, imo, very very difficult to beat. Barbara and Matteo (they are not owners, but the managers) are warm, kind people who will take very good care of you. Enjoy and save a room for me next year when I bring the family back once again.

oh yeah, one more thing....after spending the past four days in Venice, I must say that it would be a fairly challenging city for someone who has difficulty getting around. If you have concerns about a couple of flights of stairs a couple of times a day for your Mom, how about the million stairs she's gonna have to climb up and down the million little bridges that dominate the city? Just a thought....

We are in Venice right now, leaving tomorrow after a week. We are on the 3rd floor (at Locanda Antica Venezia), really the fourth. There is no lower floow, below are apartments and stores. A nice hotel but the stairs are tough. If you have trouble climbing stairs like myd aughter does Venice will be tough, you cannot go anywhere without going up and down dozens of them and verrrry few elevators. There a a few bridges we saw with handicapped elevators, never saw one actually running.

Pat, my parents, who are both 71 and in great shape, always take into account the stairs. It's not an insignificant concern. My parents work around it by not forgetting anything when they leave their hotel, so they won't have to make frivolous return trips to their room. They pack lightly (22&quot; rolling suitcases) and make sure they have excellent walking shoes on their feet. They also follow a walking regime so that they're in reasonably good shape when they arrive in Italy. By being sensible, my parents have climbed many an Italian hill town and managed many third floor hotels!

Thank you all for your posts. Maybe I shouldn't worry about my mother. She is 76 but in a better shape than I am. She swims 5 times a week, walks 7 miles a day and today she is down hill skiing.