Can anyone recommend a good hotel in Venice that has atmosphere,charm and a good location for 1st timers to Venice? My husband and I will be traveling with our
2 teenager daughters. I have considered either the Luna Baglioni or Hotel Bauer.
Any ideas on the best choice of these two?
Thanks for your help!

My husband and I stayed at Hotel San Cassiano with our kids a couple of years ago and really liked it. On the canal near the Rialto Bridge. Very nice with lots of charm. We requested a room on the canal and got a huge room with two windows we could sit in to watch the activities. Breakfast included, bar with outside patio on the canal. Search on the hotel name for their website. Ciao . . .

Good morning, Have stayed at a number of hotels, five within reasonable distance from Pza S. Marco
were the Saturnia, the Do Pozzi, the Ala Gabrieli Sandwirth and La Fenice, all are either three or four star hotels and would recommend all,the Bauer and Baglioni are five, but might
suggest that four star hotels can run a very close second to five.

We have used the Saturnia for our last three visits and been more that satisified with it, its staff and also
its excellanmt ristorante La Caravelle..
Richard of LaGrange Park,Il.

People's idea of "good location" in Venice can be very different. P. San Marco-the center of Venice-can be VERY crowded, especially in high season. Some people prefer staying away from that area. Others like to be right in the midst of things. I believe both the hotels you mention are right in the middle of things. Is this what you're looking for? As to charm, I usually think of smaller hotels as more charming than bigger ones. The 2 you mention are bigger. While I haven't been in the Hotel Bauer, I gather there are 2 wings & 1 is newer & somewhat spare (the Bauer) while the other (Il Palzzo) is old & I think more charming.

I would suggest you look at the Londra Palace which I think has more charm but is still centrally located. The Europa Regina (a Starwood hotel) is also considered topnotch. The Palazzo Sant Angelo (sinahotels.com) is also quite lovely, smaller, newer, on the Grand Canal but further away from P. San Marco.

FYI, for many people, having a water view & possibly a terrace in Venice is most desirable.

We stayed at the Luna several years ago and would recommend it only in cool weather- and at a reasonable rate. The location is great - only a couple of blocks from San Marco - and the rooms were pleasant - but we had an issue with the air conditioning. It was fine during the day but was turned off at night and we had to create a huge scene to have it turned back on. (They claimed it had broken - but somehow it was magically fixed at 8am each morning) I don't recall if at was a Baglioni hotel then - and new management may have solved this problem. Note that they are calling this a 5* hotel. It is not. More a European 4* on the basic level. So, it depends on the time of year you're going and how good a deal they give you.

Hi
I don't know the Luna except by reputation, but the Bauer and the nearby Europa Regina are two of the best hotels in Vencice, among the best in Italy. I've had friends and family stay at each. At the Bauer, do ask for rooms in the Palazzo. If you like being located centrally, the Bauer, the E-R, the Luna are all perfect.
I stayed at the nearby Saturnia a couple of years ago. Rooms definitely larger than the Venice average, though ours was a bit dark and perhaps in need of updating. Very nice service and staff, excellent buffet breakfast provided every morning.

Hi,
The Hotel Bauer is beautiful, also the Danieli is old world grand! If you don't stay go for a cocktail!
I stayed at the Hotel Metropole...beautiful...on the water just down from San Marco and the palace, just far enough away from the crowds. It has it's own canal/boat entrance right into the foyer. At night the main floor is dark with many white candles, blowing white drapes! The small bar is a great place to start the night with a drink before your walk to dinner.....If your interested, just search under "Hotel Metropole Venice, Italy".
Have fun.
John

We have stayed at the Hotel Bauer, old wing. We had a lovely room with a balcony overlooking the Grand Canal. Though the room was in the old section, it was updated, the bath beautiful. The staff at the hotel were very helpful and extremely nice. We were there for the Carnival and the dinner and party the hotel had was fantastic.

Hi

My wife and I went to Milan and Venice in June last year on a short vacation. We spent a few days in each city. I was quite surprised by the fact that Venice is quite small so I don't think that location is that important. We stayed at Hotel Continental over by the train station and we got a nice, big room with two windows facing canal Grande. Well, if you want more info on the hotel you can check out my trip report I have posted the report (with lots of pictures) on my personal homepage <font color=blue>www.gardkarlsen.com</font> Maybe you can find some useful information there. Get in touch if you have any questions or comments.

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

We loved the Pensione Accademia (sp?) two summers ago...close enough to walk to restaurants, but far enough way from the busier San Marco area.

We stayed at the Luna in '02 and really liked it. It is so convenient to everything. We were there in May and didn't have a problem with the A/C. The only downside is that none of the public rooms face the Grand Canal. You can get a side canal view from your room, but there really isn't anywhere in the hotel where you can sit outside and look at the view. It was a good price and a great location though. The staff was extremely helpful. Oh,the breakfast was excellent. We got a package that included breakfast and some museum tickets. I couldn't get as good a deal this time because I am going in June this year,so I decided to splurge at the Europa. The Luna is right next to the Vaporetta stop.

It really does depend on what your budget allows. Of the higher end hotels you are more likely to have a flawless experience at the Gritti. The Danieli is a classic - an icon - but you may have difficulty securing a room there with any atmosphere for a reasonable price. They, like the Bauer, have created newer buildings that are slightly 'hidden' behind or next to the original hotels. They often try to throw first timers, or standard room fee customers in these buildings which can be quite a let down. If you choose one of those hotels be very clear about which building you prefer to be in. Once you are there, you may have to remind the front desk of your preference. As for the Luna, the suites are wonderful and while the standard rooms are quite small, the decor may be more in line with what you might want to experience for a first time visitor to Venice. However, some of the staff seem very prickly - we had a particularly poor experience with the staff and the resident event coordinator. She particularly seemed very put-out, aggressive and borderline nasty regarding several very basic things. We felt their treatment was rather unnecessary. It was not until they were spoken to in a native Italian tongue that she or any of the staff began to make any move towards being decent. It is always such a shame to see old stereotypes about the treatment of americans in Venice reinforced. As for other hotels, I would suggest the Londra - impeccable staff, simply wonderful food and a lovely atmosphere. However, the decor is rather 'modern classic' not the ornate venetian style that you might expect - so again, as first time visitors, you might want to take that into consideration if you are looking for that very heavy baroque experience.

I would like to recommend you Palazzo Sant'Angelo on the Canal Grande, just 10 minutes walk from the Accademia and San Marco Square. I have been there twice and I truly believe it is more of a 5 star hotel than a 4 star hotel as officially is. The entrance is right on the Canal Grande and you could have a beautiful view of Rialto Bridge from your balcony. However, there are some rooms that face a very quite and pleasant internal garden.
Bathroom is HUGE compared to the standard in Venice and they all have Iacuzzi! I would recommend you to check their site and check it by yourself: www.sinahotels.com - I am sure you will like it too.

We stayed with our teenaged daughter at Hotel Flora and loved it. My daughter, now 21, loved Italy so much that she's returning for a quarter in Siena! So we're returning too.

I just tried to book Hotel Flora for May and it is full! So, you don't say when you're going, but it seems they do fill up fast. You can check them out at hotelflora.it.

Good luck.