What would you recommend as a good three start hotel in Venice near St. Marks?

Have you done any searches here since this question is asked almost daily. Just type in Venice hotels in the search field. Also, look on www.venere.com and tripadvisor.com for other answers.

If I were to visit Venice I would definitely try to book a room at the Locanda Orseolo which is next to St. Mark's. A couple of years ago I thought we would be able to visit Venice and contacted the hotel. Well, in short, every good thing you read about the staff/owners is true judging by their correspondences

Locanda Orseolo is a great hit here. It's very close to Piazza San Marco.

I'm really trying to find some places that have more authentic charm - something that's nice but doesn't look like every other hotel

The Locanda Orseolo seems charming to me. It's in an ancient building and is overlooking a canal and the staff is excellent. I guess I'm not sure about your criteria exactly.

The Locanda Orseolo does sound good to me. I may investigate further.

dcappolino, do the search here, go to the website that sandi_travelnut gave you. If you see any hotels that you think is what you are looking for then go to www.google.com and type in the name of the hotel, Venice, Italy and no doubt the hotel will have a website (you will probably see a lot of websites) and you can check it out to see if it meets your requirements etc.

Oh, really! You know nothing about the hotel and say that it does not have enough charm for you!

Do you know anything at all about Venice? With the exception of one or two hotels away from the centre, not a single Venetian hotel "looks like every other hotel."

Not all Venetian hotels look like the hotel shown in "Summertime", but that's not to say they are not charming. You should have checked the Locanda Orseolo's website first before coming to the conclusion it is not charming. Anyway, hope you find what you are seeking.

I see from another post that you are considering next May or Sept. Locanda Orseolo is small (12 or so rooms) and usually classified as a B&B, but it has lately been booking farther and farther out, so it is not too early to contact them regarding your dates when you settle on them. www.locandaorseolo.com

You'll find many favorable reports here, and it is #1 on tripadvisor.com for Venice.

I think there are differing definitions of charm and unfortunately no two people feel the same about it. Websites are fine for information but only by seeing a site firsthand can one really make any determination. Last year when I visited Venice, I had checked out every place ad nauseum - but again they are only websites and can't offer you what you get from the 5 senses.

Aside from actually flying to your desired destination and checking out each hotel, all that one usually can do is check out the hotels' websites and research for former guests' comments. You say that you did visit Venice and checked out each hotel 'ad nauseum'. I guess none of them met your criteria. You really won't be able to get a 'perfect hotel'. Good luck in finding what you need. You sure have alot of time yet, but as someone mentioned the Locanda Orseolo (if you are considering it) books up quickly nowadays. A year in advance isn't unheard of for this hotel I'm sure.

I'm actually interested in hearing details about the Orseolo, charming or otherwise.
Decor is traditional or modern?
Elevator?
Breakfast available?
etc

Guestroom decor has been further upgraded since I was there in May 2003, so others can tell you better about that, but the lobby and breakfast room doorways received lovely new facings during my stay - traditional. The bathrooms were brand new. There is no elevator. Breakfast is a combination of pastries, cereals, fruits & cheeses, and cooked to order crepes and eggs. (Along with coffee and juices.)

Hey everyone, I volunteer to go to Venice for all of you and review the hotels. That way we would have an absolute description right down to the aromas for anyone that ask.

It is a tough job but someone has to do it. All I ask is airfare and lodging expenses. I will take care of my own meals and wine.

More about Locanda Orseolo:

Three are 3 floors of guest rooms. On the top floor there are 5 rooms. Three face the Orseolo canal and 2 face the campo Corte Zorzi. The rooms facing the canal are quite spacious - I did not see either of the rooms facing the campo. I had thought there were also 5 rooms on the 1st & 2nd floors, but their website says 12 rooms total.

The air conditioning worked very well (in-room controls). There was a mini-bar, safe, color TV w/several international channels, desk, armoire and sitting chair w/side table. Lighting is Murano glass chandeliers. The bath linens were thick, absorbent and ample sized. Various soaps, shampoos and lotions were supplied.

I would not describe the room as charming when we were there but the owners had only taken over a few months prior and their plans were to continue upgrading room by room as they could afford to. However, everything was spotlessly clean. There are a couple of pix on tripadvisor.com which lead me to believe they are doing (or have done) just that, and that the rooms might now have a more charming feel.

There is a water taxi door (window).

What really makes this place stand out is the owners and their staff (mostly family). They are the real charm here.

Oh, I remembered one more thing - the hot water was hot, and the water pressure was strong. Our bathroom had a bidet, tub and separate enclosed shower.

Rookie, there is no elevator at the Locanda Orseolo? Sorry, I must have misunderstood. I thought Barbara (owner) had said that it's one floor from the ground floor.

Just had a look at their website. They have updated it and there's a photo of the staff and owners. They should be models!

Hi francofile,

Perhaps you are right, and that could explain how they went from 15 rooms to 12 rooms. As Mateo carried our luggages up to our room, he commented that they had petitioned for an elevator but had been denied. Maybe it has since been approved and installed. I sent an email asking the question - we'll see what they say back. Oh, and there is a current trip report from someone who was just there - I'll ask there, too.