Please help us choose a lovely hotel with a view of preferably the Grand Canal or one of the nicer smaller canals but close to St. Mark's Square. A few years ago we stayed at Monaco and Grand, which was lovely but we didn't opt for the canal view because it was very expensive. Checked and a canal view at the Monaco is even more expensive now. Our limit is $400 U.S. a night... is that unreasonable for September 2005?

Sandy

Author: SandyR
Date: 04/03/2004, 12:26 pm

Message: Please see post re: $* hotel in Venice and help with a hotel...Thanks... Sandy

Author: SusanP
Date: 04/03/2004, 12:31 pm

Message: Sandy, you should post this message as a reply to your first post so people don't start answering the wrong question. They might not see this correction on a separate thread.

There - now they are both together.

The Europa Regina is a beautiful hotel with excellent views, three minute walk to St. Marks

I highly recommend the San Clemente Palace Hotel located on San Clemete Island which is 12 mins. by water from St. Marks. This is a new 5-star hotel/resort with beautiful, large rooms, a heated pool, putting greens, jogging trail and health club. We had spectacular view of the entire Grand Canal "sky line" from our room. The hotel runs 2 comfortably refurbished cruisers back and forth to San Marco 24 hours a day, every 20 minutes. The staff was very pleasant and professional, the buffet breakfast quite sufficient and the peacefulness of the island a welcome change from the excitement of Venice. AND the best part, our rate was an absolute bargain at 175 euros ($210) per night, breakfast included. The San Clement Palace was by far the nicest and least expensive hotel that we stayed in while in Italy on our trip last month. Our only regret was that we had only 2 nights to stay there and the weather was too cool to truly appreciate all that the hotel had to offer.

I am quite certain that the low rates we had will not be available once this lovely hotel becomes better known as it is truly a 5-star hotel. So, I would urge you to book your room there ASAP. I think you will love your stay at SCP.

I should have mentioned that this "new" hotel/resort is actually a 600 yrs. old renovaated monastery. There is nothing about the exteriors or the grand marble staircase that screams new construction. The original buildings have been modified in a very graceful manner by its Italian owners.

Website: www.thi.it

Thanks very much for that review, padbrasher. The San Clemente captured my attention after reading Frank Bruni's write-up in the NY Times last December (url follows, registration required). Wow, sure can't beat that price! Did you know that after it ceased being a monastery it became an insane asylum, and then most recently before renovations a cat sanctuary for down-n-out felines? And did you get the feeling, as Mr. Bruni did, that the place would have been a great setting for a Hitchcock film?

http://query.nytimes.com/search/arti...51C1A9659C8B63

Hi padbrasher,
FYI
I tried to get the 175 euro rate for the 2nd week of May and was quoted
350 euros per nite.
Does look nice though....
pete

To Pete1222:
Ouch! I knew we had lucked out at SCP with such a low rate (my AmEx Platinum Travel agent deserves the kudos), but I did not realize how fortunate we were. Have you checked Orbitz for a better rate? I suspect we were given the "low season winter discount" although it was only 2 weeks ago. Good luck! I wouldn't give up on this hotel yet...it's truly worth it if you can find a more reasonable rate.

To KS452:
Despite being a faithful reader of the NYTimes, particularly the Travel section, somehow I missed this review. Thanks for mentioning it, reading it now allows me to relive a wonderful start to our Italian trip.

In 1999, whilst working in Venice (I was on assignment), one of our photographers stayed at the Hotel Continental in Cannaregio, 166 Lista de Spagna. His room was $150 a night at the time, not as posh as the Danieli, of course, but he had a beautiful view of the canal! The vaparetto stop is right in front of the train station a block away, which takes you right to Piazza San Marco. You may want something more posh, but I recommend the hotel for anyone with limited funds.

The fax # is 041-5242432

The only bad thing about his room was there was no shower curtain in the bath, and there was water everywhere after the morning shower.

In Venice we stayed at the Hotel Marconi, on the Grand Canal almost right at the Rialto Bridge. In spite of being in the middle of things, it was quiet and lovely. There are 2 double rooms that have balconies that open onto the Grand Canal. They used to cost the same as the other double rooms but they get reserved early, so it is important to request them early. We did not have one of those rooms, but while the maids were making them up after a check-out we took a peek and it was like something from a movie to stand on the balcony looking out at the Rialto Bridge and all of Venice In 2000 we paid $200/night for this hotel. I don't know what current exchange rates are like but it is hard to imagine it could have gone as high as $400. If you are interested, here is the Marconi website (which I think is theirs, as opposed to being a reservation service). Our experience is that when you deal with the hotel directly, you get more personal service. I used to have a msg from them in my email inbox, but hard drive "crashed" a few months ago and it was lost. Good luck. http://marconi.hotelinvenice.com/main_en.htm?source=