Vencie - San Marco area or Cannaregio area?
 

I'm normally a very decisive person, but selecting a Venice hotel for my June honeymoon is driving me batty! :) Any help would be appreciated!!

I've narrowed it down to either a superior double with canal view at the LOCANDA ORSEOLO or a jr. suite with canal view at the ANTICO DOGE.

Here is why I can't seem to decide:

Locanda Orseolo has gotten some great reviews and seems to have a great location near San Marco but their rooms don't seem as luxurious. Also, will being there be too noisy/crowded?

Antico Doge's rooms seem very nice but I'm concerned about the Cannaregio area -- is it close enough to San Marco -- should that be important to me? Is it safe to walk back there late at night? Are there enough restaurants, shopping, etc around there?

My fiance is leaning towards L.Orseolo b/c he thinks we will want to go out at night near S.Marco and being close by will be important. I am leaning towards Antico Doge b/c the hotel sounds great, the room sounds great and the location seems close enough.

Any thoughts?

i apologize for my typing... clearly, I meant to write "Venice"... sorry!

I can't comment on your hotel choices, but I prefer to stay away from the San Marco area as far as lodging goes. It gets so crowded with tourists that I prefer to visit the area and then go back to a quiet area to relax and sleep.

I don't really know the specific area you're considering, but when I was there 1 1/2 years ago so many people were wandering around at night that I felt very safe walking around. We walked from our hotel right off of San Marco square to the Rialto Bridge and back late at night and there were lots of people around. So. I personally wouldn't worry about walking back to your hotel if it's a little off the beaten path, so to speak. There are restaurants all over the place, so don't worry about that either and the hotel will be able to recommend places to eat near the hotel. Have a great honeymoon. You couldn't have picked a more romantic place. Good luck to you!

Hi, I'm planning on staying at Locanda Orseolo. I saw the rooms on the Antico Doge's website and they are definitely high-end in comparison to the ones at the locanda.

The rates also reflect this fact. So I would say that if you want luxury or something close to it then go for the Antico Doge otherwise you may not be happy at the locanda. It appears that you want luxury while your fiance is concerned more with location. You two need a compromise.

If you've read the reviews of Locanda Orseolo then you must realize that it's run by a husband and wife so it's more of a bed and breakfast hotel. In fact, veniceby.com categorizes it as a b & b so it is not a 4*.

As for the locanda's location I understand it is steps away from San Marco but it is not in a noisy area. Check Rookie's detailed comments about her stay at the locanda to have a better idea.

Hi
The hardest concept sometimes to get across to travelers, including myself from time to time, is that there is more than one great hotel or great neighborhood. There are pros and cons to every option.

I have been to Venice only in shoulder seasons and so crowds have been moderate. June can be a very busy month. I always enjoy staying within a 5-10 minute walk of the S M Piazza, but I haven't been there at peak crowd season.

The Cannaregio area is great. Shops along Strada Nuova (the main drag) and the side street are less expensive than in the San Marco district. Even at its farthest reaches, in the interesting Ghetto area, you are only a 20 minute walk to Rialto and another 10 minutes to the Piazza. Plenty of wonderful churches and many restaurants to explore.

You needn't worry about walking back at night, Venice has a very very low crime rate.

I am not personally familiar with the hotels, but have read many positive comments on each as you probably have done yourself. A canal view for a honeymoon sounds very nice, but reach whatever decision works best.

I have a long file on Venice; if you'd like to see it,email me at
[email protected]

Stayed in a 2nd floor (1st floor in Europe) Jr. Suite at the Antico Doge in March. It did overlook the canal and plaza but since the canal is a small one, you couldn't see it very well due to the geometry. Didn't particularly matter to us, though. It does overlook a nice plaza whose name excapes me for the moment. The hotel is excellent, however. The location is too; only about a 15 minute walk to Plaza San Marco; about 7 minutes to the Rialto bridge. The Cannaregio neighborhood is fine. Also, if you want to splurge and take a motorboat taxi to the airport (we did; easy and fun but expensive) it will pick you up right at the hotel door.

Hi nbs,

Maybe it will help to think in terms of how long you plan to stay in Venice, and how much of that time you plan to spend in your room. The longer your visit, the less important relative distances between places will seem. Once you get your bearings, Venice is very compact. This was our first visit to Venice, we were only there 2 nights, and we wanted to be somewhere near Piazza San Marco because our stay was so short. Our room at Locanda Orseolo was spacious, bright, clean, and modern, and Barbara & Mateo were very gracious hosts. Barbara booked restaurant reservations for us prior to our arrival, and thoughtfully provided a welcoming note in our room containing very helpful maps to each of the restaurants.

If you choose Antico Doge, (which if it were my honeymoon I too would be leaning that way from the pictures) I bet you will enjoy the walk to Rialto and on to San Marco, and won't notice the time. Part of the fun of Venice can be exploring (getting lost). There are signs everywhere pointing the way to Rialto and to San Marco. Vaporetti run all day and all night through the Grand Canal, so from San Marco if you didn't want to walk back, you could hop on one and ride back to the Ca D'Oro stop (I think that's the right one) even late at night.

If you will be in Venice for several days, and plan to lounge & spend several hours a day in your room, the pictures of Antico Doge look much more romantic to me, but if you will only be in your room to bathe/shower and sleep, then the convenience of Locanda Orseolo to Piazza San Marco (and for that matter Rialto) has merit. The courtyard was very quiet and secluded, and the canal views were an added benefit. One evening we walked to a Buon Ricordo restaurant (Ristorante Fiaschetteria Toscana - very good) in Cannaregio and I don't know how long it took, but my guess is 5 to at most 10 minutes. After dinner we returned to our room to drop off my souvenir plate, then headed out to Piazza San Marco to enjoy the dueling bands for a couple of hours. I have to admit, it was nice to have an easy 2 minute walk back to our room, but a vaparetto ride through the Grand Canal late at night (something we did not do) might have been just as easy.

Best wishes as you plan your nuptuals and honeymoon.

I already gave my comments on the antico doge in your prior thread so I will limit this post to the comments already provided.

I agree with the posters above regarding size and safeness of Venice. My wife and I commented after 3 days in Venice that it is hard to find a safer place...even though almost every turn involves going down a back alley it is safe! 90% of the people are visitors and all have maps out (and many have guidebooks out in the open).

If you choose the antico doge (which is at the southern edge of cannareggio) you are only about 5 minutes from the rialto bridge and maybe another 10 minutes from san marco. Shops and restaurants thw whole way. It is an easy walk, but as others have mentioned it is also a very short vaporetto ride along the grand cancal (either get off at rialto and take the short walk or ride it a little longer to ca d'oro).

If you are staying at least 2 days I would choose to be out of san marco because the city takes on another feel beyond the piazza....but many will disagree.

On the flip side it might be nice being that close to san marco so that when the night is over you can just walk into your hotel. Tough call. You'll be happy either way.

We will also be going for our honeymoon in June 2004, and also deciding between Locanda and Antico. I think we will go with Antico. The rooms looks very beautiful and they have a great rate. I would love to hear about your decision. Pls keep me posted.

We had a similar dilema and decided to go with San Marco area instead of Antico Doge. We stayed at Hotel Ala and were very glad that we did. The hotel constantly gets good reviews on this board and the location is perfect (it is near San Marco but still away from all the noise). Their deluxe rooms are very luxurious and if you want to escape the crowds of San Marco you can always walk towards Academia bridge.

Well just to confuse you I'd say check out the Dorsoduro area! We loved it for our honeymoon this past June!
But Venice is safe, easy to get around, and lovely. Stay in the nicer place, even though (or because of) it's further from the tourist center San Marco! Ciao!