There is someting in common between Venice & Disneyland. They both feel not like real cities with real people living in them, but as decoration built for tourists amusement

Sondra: Check out the Europa Regina, it runs about $400 per night and is a wonderful hotel in a great location.<BR><BR>Capo: Excellant post.<BR><BR>

Sondra, try the Hotel Bizansio...I believe they have a web site. It costs around $150.00 a night. Very nice rooms, with bathrooms and a very good breakfast. It's about 2 minutes from St.Marks Square.<BR><BR>http://www.jimtardio.com/italy.html

Been there,<BR><BR>When a place is extremely touristy being friendly or not with customers becomes basically irrelevant. You can get by with being rude or unconcerned, or whatever, since there will always be crowds waiting in line to buy your gelato, postcards, souvenirs, whatever...and these customers won't come back again, anyway. So, there's no reason for them to change jobs. Unconcerned or not, they will basically earn as much money (and this is a lot, at least for the owner). So, you've to rely on their natural attitude. Great if they happen to be fine people, too bad if they couldn't care less about you, or happen to be tired/fed up.<BR><BR><BR>That said, there's no way I've been dissapointed by Venice. And there still are parts of the town which aren't that much crowded...just try to get lost in the city, away from St-Mark square.

Sondra, I just got back from Venice and stayed at the Luna Baglioni. I got the best deal there. Without looking it up, I think my room was about 450 Euro and included a great full breakfast, museum tickets to the Doges Palace and others, wine in the room on arrival. It was a deluxe room with a side canal view. I really enjoyed this hotel and it is at a great location.... out one door to St. Mark's, the other to the Vaporetto stop. It is located right behind Harry's Bar. I would definitely stay again and I compared it to the Europa, and it was about $200/ni. less expensive. I think the package I booked was called the Moonlight in Venice package or something like that. I don't think it will disappoint you. Kay

The first time we were in Venice 1999, we stayed at the Hotel Riva on Ponte D'Anzolo (Angelo) about 3 minutes walk from San Marco. It was our honeymoon, and we paid 140,00L for what was probably a triple. Last year, we went back and got the "not so fancy" double (#22, I think). In both cases our washrooms were en-suite, but the second time I swear the washroom was no bigger than a standard twin mattress! If you sat on the toilet, your knees bumped the wall. You had to squeeze into the shower sideways.<BR>But, the magic of Venice is not in the facilities... I have stayed at the Venetian in Las Vegas. It is nice in its own way, but there is a magic in seeing real history. A Doge's palace with that huge flat ceiling in the main chamber (built by hand) is more awe-inspiring than any modern steel-beam construction 10 times the size. Wall paintings or mosaics done by the original artist amaze me more that something conceived on a set designer's computer and transferred by automated means. Hand-carved, hand-gilded decorations filling a room are more inspiring than mass produced decor 10 times the expanse.<BR>I amazes me to think of cities that began construction of cathedrals that lasted a century or more. Who does that kind of project today? Even the failures are fantastic - go see the unfinished part of the cathedral in Sienna.<BR><BR>Sorry to hear you got screwed over by an uncaring hotelier, but... oh, well, live and learn. You'll laugh about it, and better yet - get the last laugh by telling everyone about it here. Feel free to repeat this warning every year about Feb. when people are planning their summer vacations.

To Sondra:<BR>If you look at Capo's other posts you would not think he was so smart, although he does make a good point here.<BR>Bottom Line-do a search for your info, and don't rely on any one persons opinion