Venice: Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo OR Locanda Orseolo
 

We will be in Venice from May 7th - 10th 2009 and it seems that the rooms fill up early.

Both of these hotels get rave reviews on here and tripadvisor and both have availability when we are in town.

Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo has a double superior room in the annex (new section) for EURO 150/night. The old section is already full. I am a bit worried about the annex, is that the same quality as the hotel itself?

While Locanda Orseolo has a double room with a courtyard view for EURO 230/night. Again, the canal view rooms are already fully booked.

I am not opposed to spending the extra EURO 80/night for Locanda Orseolo if it merits it, so I am looking for some help.

Obviously, there is a location difference as well.

Advise please?

Thanks.

TTT

I've stayed in the main part and annex at A Ponte Mocenigo. The annex is indeed the same quality. the entrance is around the corner from the entrance to the main part of the hotel. The annex entrance is monitored by video by the person at the front desk inside the hotel, who buzzes you in when you buzz him. All annex rooms are up one flight.

I've never stayed at the Orseolo, but my impression is that it is a step or two in quality above Al Ponte Mocenigo. People rave about the breakfasts of nutella crepes and the like. You will not find such an elaborate breakfast at Mocenigo, just nice pastries, individually made coffees, fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, and such.

Locanda Orseolo hands down. I researched for a couple years for our anniversary trip and once I found LO, that was the place. It gets RAVE reviews on Tripadvisor.com and even with my high expectations, LO exceeded them.

The location was ideal in a small quiet courtyard near San Marco. Due to its location, it was very easy to find our way back after getting lost (our mission) in Venice for 4 days.

Since it was a special occasion for us, I booked over a year in advance and requested their best canal room. About 9 months or so prior to our visit, they had a water line problem and a number of rooms were out of commission, so we were informed immediately and decided upon a Superior room on the courtyard which proved to be the better choice as it was peaceful and romantic. The canal is right near the gondola loading area and can get very noisy in the early morning. The breakfast area is smack dab on the canal which is heavenly.

And the breakfasts...were the best and most bountiful of all our 19 days in Italy! And the staff.....words cannot describe their exceptional warmth and hospitality. We left the inn with them as our lifelong friends.

LO is very popular and I'd suggest booking a room just to hold your reservation if you are still deciding.

I posted a very long detailed trip report in early 2008 which you can retrieve by clicking on my screen name.

Have a great trip!

Ciao!

I agree with Adventureseeker. We loved LO. The staff actually takes the time to get to know you and treats you like you are a guest in their home. The breakfasts were amazing. I also thought the location was perfect - whenever you get lost (and you will) just follow the signs to San Marco and you will easily find your hotel.

Thanks for the feedback so far. I just sent in my credit card info today to Locanda Orseolo to hold the room per your advice.

No wonder a handful of properties are full at this point for May '09, it never occurred to me to book a year in advance.

By the way the extra cost for Locanda Orseolo would be EURO 267 more for the three nights because Al Ponte offers a cash discount.

Any more thoughts?

You might want to consider an apartment rental for your stay in Venice. We have been doing it for years and really enjoy it. There are several agencies and places are scattered throughout Venice.

Many places have 3 night minimums available. We have used these folks in the past.

www.veniceapartments.org

www.viewsonvenice.com

bookmarking

jersey1977,

Here's a second thought.....

267E is a hefty difference. Knowing nothing about Al Ponte Mocenigo, I'm not qualified to compare it to Locanda Orseolo.

Since this was a very special occasion and our first trip to Italy, we were willing to splurge on LO which (based on reviews) seemed to offer the "experience" we sought after for this particular trip.

If I were in your shoes, I'd gauge if I would gain more by saving 267E than a certain "experience" (which granted, you just may find at Al Ponte!).

We left LO thinking that it would be the only place we'd stay at in Venice, but I think we'd go the apartment route for our next trip. The LO holds a special place in our hearts and I would HIGHLY recommend it to travelers looking for a quintessential Venetian experience (especially first timers).

If you are looking for the apartment route, this is one that we bookmarked from researching here at fodor's talk.

<b>Rosa de Venezia Apartment: </b>http://www.rosadivenezia.com/en/index.htm

Hope that helps...

Good luck!

We stayed in a double room in the Annexe at Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo and were very happy with it. Our budget didn't allow for LO, but in the end we didn't care. We had breakfast in the courtyard and it was fine - not fabulous, but fine. Everything was fresh and the coffee was freshly made. The location involved some walking which we enjoy. It is really close to a vaporetto stop - about a 30 second walk.

Adventureseeker,

This is our first time to Italy as well, and we can afford it so I think we will splurge and go with LO.

We are already being sensible by staying in less expensive digs in Rome at EU152/night at Best B&amp;B as opposed to splurging an extra EU100/night to be at Albergo del Senato. So, I can justify the extra money for the quintessential Venetian experience.

Thanks so very much.