Trying to decide where to stay. I want a view of the canal and hopefully a balcony. Considering Hotel Bauer Il Palazzo or the Europa and Regina. Does anyone have any comments or alternate suggestions? And there are not any bargains even though we are going in Nov!
Thanks,
Laura

Bargains and Venice rarely go together.
You might check with the Rialto Hotel. It isn't so luxurious as your other two options, but if you can get them to guarantee you room #402 (they call it a junior suite) you won't be sorry. 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. We last paid about $300 a night for it in July. www.rialtohotel.com

Hi
the two hotels you mention are not known for bargains to begin with, they are two of the best hotels in Venice and among the best in Italy.

Take Patrick's suggestion for a lower-priced good hotel, or consider any of several other mid-priced alternatives: Flora, Colombina,
American, Ca'Pisani, etc etc.
The American and the Colombina have some canal views.

But if I wanted to stay at one of these two hotels, does anyone have any experience at either? Or comments?
Thanks!
Laura

Laura, while you may find some current posters with experience at one of these, I'd suggest doing a text search here (type the hotel name in the box above), looking on rants & raves in the hotel section on Fodors and checking on tripadvisor.com

I seem to recall a fairly recent post about scaffolding/consruction at the Europa & Regina. I believe the Bauer has 2 sections, one being new/modern & one being quite old. Can't remember which was good & which wasn't.

You might want to look at the Sant Angelo at sinahotels.com This is a newer property on the Grand Canal.

The Bauer is top notch. It is quite nice to have your private water taxi take you right to the door. The Bauer has different "levels" of rooms. Some go for as little as 200 euros per night but I don't think those have canal views. We specified a canal view and we got a side canal - not the Grand Canal and our room was 600 euros for 2 nights.

We just returned from a stay at the Metropole. It may not exactly meet your criteria...it's on the lagoon, not the canal, and it may not quite meet the standards of the Bauer (the Metropole is 4* and I believe the Bauer is 5*).

However, it is a lovely hotel and we were happy with the location and all services. Our room was a jr. suite and was lovely. We paid 90 euro/night less than as quoted by Europa, and almost 300 euro/night less than Bauer.

Michelin Guida Rossa ranks the Bauer #4, Europa #7, and Metropole #9 in Venice.

Have a great trip,
j.

Laura,
My husband and I traveled to Venice last year and stayed at the Rialto. After a 6 hour train ride, we arrived at 6:00 am at the check-in, which was well before our check in time of 3:00pm. We were pleasantly surprised when the nice gentleman at the desk suggested we go on up to our room and have a rest before going out into the city. The hotel was wonderful, great piano player at night, and although we didn't spend alot of time in the hotel itself, it was a great place to come back to rest and relax and rejuvenate for the next day. We had a great room that overlooked the canal. Hope this helps.

Over the years we've stayed three times at the Europa and once at the Bauer. Much prefer the Europa. But be sure to get rooms on the correct side of the hotel--one is more recently renovated than the other (though both may be completed by now.) We stayed in 205, 6, or 7 with views directly onto the Grand Canal. At the Bauer our "canal" room was really on a side canal with a view back onto the Grand Canal only if you pretty much stuck your head out. The hallways were really "creepy" like those in a state hospital. As people emerged from their rooms I kind of wanted to say "Oh, so you've been in the quiet room, hey?" Paying $600 per night for that just wasn't worth it.

I have stayed at both hotels this year. Both hotels are of a high standard and are situated almost next to each other (close to St Mark's). Baur Il Palazzo is slightly strange because of its layout as it is liked to the Baur Hotel.

Il Palazzo has suites overlooking the Grand Canal although you will find the 'Palatial Rooms with a View' slightly larger (and cheaper). However the canal view is of a side canal and you can only glimpse the Grand Canal. Each floor in Il Palazzo is very different in terms of decor so make sure you know the difference at the time of booking. Room 749 is a Palatial room which has a terrace (the decor is blue) - 504 also has a terrace. I agree with the poster who mentioned the 'crepy' corridors, they are very stark. One of the things I particularly liked about the hotel is the rooftop restaurant where breakfast is served. The views are stunning.

The Europe & Regina is equally as nice and has more of a proper hotel feel to it, mainly because it is a little bigger than Il Palazzo and also because of its layout. I stayed in a very large room (# 420), although it had only rooftop views. I did see a junior suite which had very nice views, but it was a much smaller room.

I don't think you will be disappointed with either hotel, but if I was to return I think I would pick the Europa & Regina.

My husband and I have stayed several times as the Bauer (Used to be the Bauer Grunwald) We had a lovely room with a balcony overlooking the grand canal. We were there for the Carnivale and watched lighted gondolas come down the canal. We also went to a costume party at the hotel which was spectacular. The staff is extremely helpful. It is in a great location.

Thanks for all the feedback. Now for one more possibility, anyone ever stayed at the Londra Palace? I am torn between staying at one of the "classic grande dames" in a "regular" room or staying in something like the Londra Palace or the Il Palazzo where we can get a canal view room. The Londra Palace looks great on its website....but that can be deceiving... Thanks again for all the help!
Laura

I too am going to Venice. There are tons of hotels that look good, but my question is, What area is the best to stay in for a first time visitor who wants to see the sights?

Breathe this question is asked a lot & the answer is....almost ANYWHERE IN Venice. Venice is relatively small. The major (but not all) sights are in San Marco Square so many people like to stay in the San Marco sestieri. The downside is it's a busy/crowded area although there are some hotels located in the area but in a quieter section of it. Many Fodorites like to stay in the Dorsodoro area because it's near San Marco (over the Accademia bridge), has many decent hotels, restaurants, some sights like the Accademia & Guggenheim museums & has a bit more local flavor.

There are some nice hotels in the Cannaregio area that is a bit less expensive. Really the only place not to stay, if you're not familiar with the names, is Mestre, which is not actually IN Venice but on the mainland, or Lido which is a separate island. Lido is a beach community (popular in summer) so some people do like to stay there in summer but it requires getting on a vaparetto (water bus) to get into Venice proper. Hotel rates there are much cheaper in winter.

There is a lot of info here if you do a text search. Type Venice Hotels in the text search box & you'll get more threads than you can read.

LauraD,

I would most definitely stay in a Canal room at the Londra Palace than a 'regular' room at the Europa. We stayed in a 'regular' room at the Europa. It was nice but there was nothing really special about it, in my opinion. If you're in Venice and have a chance to have a Canal front room for a decent price, take it. The Londra Palace is small, intimate, beautiful and highly recommended by many. The Europa Regina is highly recommended on this sight but it does have a larger, more commercial feel to it than smaller properties. I rather stay in the nicest room of a 4 star than a regular room in a 5 star hotel, price being equal.

Hi

My wife and I went to Venice in June and we stayed at the hotel Continental. It is located near the train station but I don't think the location matters that much in Venice because it is a fairly small town. We got a nice big room at the hotel with two big windows facing Canal Grande I have posted a review of the hotel in my trip report and lots of pictures on my homepage www.gardkarlsen.com. I'm sure you can find some useful information there Have a great trip.

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

If you're looking for a canal view, I think the Bauer or Europa are best, especially the latter for the reasons cited in my earlier post. These are directly on the Grand Canal and across the canal from the beautiful Santa Maria della Salute church. The Londra Palace (which is other respects looks quite fine) is on the Riva degli Schiavoni, a wide pedestrian "street" next to the lagoon rather than the Grand Canal (although the Grand Canal empties into the lagoon) But the intrusion of the street before the water takes away some of the wonderful mystery that only occurs when the property is directly on the (any) canal.

Mclaurie, Thank you. That is exactly what I was looking for!

Any Info...

Please help. I am going to Venice next year for my honeymoon. I want to be extra special. I am at the moment weighing up Westin Europa Regina & Hotel Danieli. Both proving VERY exy ! I do however want a 'fantastic' canal view. Any suggestions from anyone as to which is the better hotel and maybe any others (better value) I am not aware of ????
All advice appreciated...
Lisa.