maxi

I was in Venice in 1998 and stayed in a room without a view. I was on a budget, so it didn't bother me. My fiance has never been there. We will be in Venice as part of our honeymoon next May.

I am now checking for hotels and like the Locanda Novecento but wonder if we will regret not having a room with a canal view. What are your personal experiences?

LoveItaly

maxi, I think that it depends on your budget first of all. How much more would it cost you to have a view of the Grand Canal? And would this fit into your budget? I assume you do mean the Grand Canal, or do you mean a smaller canal?

Personally I have always wanted a room overlooking the Grand Canal. But I do not do the amount of shopping that others do. Think each travel budgets what is important to them which is such an individual choice.

I truly just think it is a matter of your budget and how you want to spend the money that you have. For some a view is very important and others would want to spend their money on other things, restaurants, sightseeing, shopping, business class in airplane etc.

Whatever you decide do have a beautiful honeymoom and congratulations on your marriage.

Ryan

We stayed at the Metropole Hotel in September of 2002. One of our guidebooks suggested that a room facing their garden was a better idea as the rooms that faced the front were noisy. Bad advice.

The rooms facing the Canal gave us a spectacular view that was far more memorable than a garden.

BTW, the Metropole has old fashioned wooden shutters that you can close when it's time for bed.

jody

MAybe it's just me..butI don't spend a lot of time in my room ,looking out the window!

elaine

I always think it's lovely to have the view anywhere, but I don't let that drive my decision per se. If the cost differential isn't much, or if I've found the perfect hotel but they are out of rooms with a view, I wouldn't necessarily decide on that basis.

I live in an apartment with a great view, but not having the view wouldn't have led me to look for a different apartment. The view is a bonus, but there are other benefits that mean more to me.

BowenLinda

I think LoveItaly put it well. For me, water is such a large part of the Venice experience that a room with a water view is important. The Grande Canal is preferable but a side canal is okay too.

That hour or so first thing in the morning, the before-dinner relaxation break, and the hour or so before bed mean three hours gazing out the window with a coffee or glass of wine in hand. For me that's a small but important part of a Venice trip.

Best wishes,
Linda

LoveItaly

Oh BowenLinda, you have been spying on me!! LOL. Yes, that hour in the morning having coffee, the hour back at the room relaxing before wine and dinner out (while having a glass of wine) and the hour before going to bed. Some of us do think alike evidently.

To me, and possibly you, the Grand Canal is like a great show. Every type of vessel including the police boats, the garbage boats, the supply boats, etc. A living moving Venice up and down the Grand Canal.

Beautiful memories with more to come hopefully.

maxi

Thanks for sharing. Your experiences have made me believe more that a room with a view may add a great deal to our experiences.

Do you mind sharing what hotels and rooms you prefer or usually stay that offer that experience?

Daneille

I've been to Venice twice and both times had a room without a view, but both hotels were well located and as we spent so little time in the room anyway it hardly mattered. In fact even the hotels being well located, one at San Marco and the other nearer Rialto didn't really matter as Venice is so easy to get around anyway that nothing is very far really.

awbaker

La Calcina has been well reviewed here. We stayed in room 38 (lovely!) which had a large terrace and partial view of the giudecca canal, but room 4 has a larger terrace right on the canal. The manager told me this room books quickly.

kappa

Not so expensive(for Venice)hotel rooms with canal view I stayed in recent years. The prices are for a double room (not per person), all in November low seasons rates:

Pensionne Accademia : Side (San Trovaso) canal view. Great.
Standard room EUR 155.00 (2002)
Superior double EUR 175.00 (2003)

Pensionne La Calcina : Giudecca Canal view. Great!
Corner double . EUR150.00 (2002)

Savoia e Jolanda (2003 - next to Danieli): Lagoon view with San Giorgio in front and La Salute on one side. Magnificent view! Thought that was the best view + room I had.
Junior suite EUR 480.00 (this was their special offer "Why Not?" including 2 nights + a-la-carte dinner & wine/water & a bottle of prosecco in the room). Their breakfast room was less charming the other hotels'.

2004.The same "Why Not?" special. The same lagoon view but the room was a notisably smaller and San Giorgio church was covered due to restauration. No real complaint because we got this offer for EUR420.00, curiously cheaper than the previous year.

Foscari Palace (2004) This new hotel (opened only last June) was a real find. Superior double corner room with two windows facing the Grand Canal (the fish market was in front and could almost see the edge of the Rialto Bridge). All new facilities incl. big LCD TV, clean and large bathroom with jacuzzi, two huge beds + such a HIGH ceiling (a former palazzo building). Also the staff was courteous, the breakfast with a lots of quality food. Seemed to me a true 4 + star hotel. The view from the roof-top terrasse is not to be missed, always open and you can see Venetian roofs and church towers from the (European) 4th floor level. All this for EUR160.00. I could have other rooms for EUR120-140.00 without canal view but at a Venetian hotel of this quality 160.00 even at low season rate is a serious bargain.

I'm very thankful to boards like Fodors. They have given me such rich informations to help me pick hotels among others. I was happy with all above hotels and would return to any of them gladly. However, I have booked a super budget hotel for my (this time)solo trip to Venice in Feb 2005 after carnival and will be staying at Hotel Mercurio, EUR50.00 for a sigle room. No view and the room may be super tiny but I will be so happy to be back in Venice.

kcsqueeze

I can't agree more with the comments from posters on the magic of a canal view room.

We have stayed twice at the Hotel American (3* with view of Rio San Vio) in Dorsoduro and twice at the Savoia y Jolanda (4*) with a spectactular view of the lagoon near Piazza San Marco. We will return to the S&J in March.

BTW, the S&J has those electric shutters that close out light and noise.

Have a wonderful honeymoon.

suze

I stayed in one of the front double rooms at Pensione La Calcina which has a view out over the Guidecca Canal. Lovely hotel, reasonable room rates, nice breakfast included, private rooftop patio you can book... truly honeymoon worthy IMO.

britomart

I have to agree with the others about Pensione La Calcina. I had a room without a view, but it actually had a view of a side canal. It was wonderful to have the sound of the water lulling me to sleep each night. I think in Venice some sort of water view is a definite must. Esp. on a honeymoon.

mclaurie

I'm another one of those who feel a view of the water (doesn't have to be the Grand Canal) adds immensely to the Venice experience. For a May visit on a honeymoon, I'd want to add a balcony. I may have mentioned this to you on another thread, but Patrick has posted about room 402 at the Rialto Hotel. He says, "...they call it a junior suite.... It is the largest and most elegant room in the hotel with large sitting area and a triple balcony across the front looking right out to the Grand Canal. It is right at the Rialto bridge."

LoveItaly

Maxi, I am so frustrated. After News Years 2004 I went through everything I had in order to cut down on "stuff".

In doing this I threw away so much info on Italy. This was before I "discovered" Fodor.

So, I could walk to my favorite hotel and I know that the name of it is "somewhere" in the back of my mind but at the moment I cannot think of it.

If one left the area of San Marco, crossed the Rialto Bridge, turned right and followed the Grand Canal (Grand Canal would be on your right) pass the fish markekt, turn in to a small piazza the hotel is there. It is across from the the Ca d'oro (which is across the Grand Canal). Now this info is not any help to you obviously.

Tonight if all goes well I will check photos and see if I was intelligent enough to write down the hotel's name on back of any. Hopefully the name will come to me too. This was and is my favorite hotel in Venice. And not expensive (for Venice). Has a private taxi stop too. Oh, just thought, I had a letter from one of the employees, believe I kept that. If so will have info for you.

ira

Hi Maxi,

Locanda Barbarigio has gotten good reviews here.

http://veniceby.com/barbarigo/index.html

The room called Smeraldina seems to be a favorite with honeymooners.

"- 2 persons
- 2 windows with a suggestive view on a canal"

maxi

Thanks for all your replies.

I am going to check those hotels you mentioned and would welcome more suggestions. Now, I am really looking forward to having a canal view, be it the Grand Canal or a small one.

At the moment, La Calcina has only a small room without view available. And Pensione Accademia has only double standard (with canal view) available. I would like to have the superior standard, though. Hotel Ala has a deluxe room with canal view available. And Hotel Monaco and Grand Canal is full for the period I want...

maxi

And Savoia y Jolanda looks great but the price of the same package is very different for May.

LoveItaly, would like to know your hotel!

Melissa5

We stayed at the Pensione Accademia in the dorsoduro neighborhood...I asked for a room with a garden view and we were delighted with our room. The room and the view of the delightful little garden were plenty romantic enough for us...also we could walk out of our room into a pleasant parlor that was shared by the rooms in our section...but we felt like it was our own parlor because when we were in it, we happened to have it to ourselves. good breakfast here too. We absolutely had no regrets in not having a canal view...in fact, you will get your fill of canals as they are everywhere that you can see...so it was pleasant to have a garden view, which is more rare in Venice! Pensione Accademia is on a smaller canal just off the Grand Canal, just a 2-minute vaporetto ride from San Marco. You can also walk from the hotel to San Marco if you really want to. I would definitely stay there again.