I didn't like the idea of limited reception at the Foresteria either. But you could store your stuff at the train station if you arrive at the "wrong" time. Did you check www.bookings.org and www.hrs.de and www.hotels.de ? (I have seen good deals on all of these from time to time, but not necessarily Venice.)

My concern with Foresteria is that I actually may not make it in before 8. It's unclear what's on happening on 9/3 right now. As you know, I'll be in Florence, and I'll be taking a train to Venice. I may stop in Padova en route or I may not. But given my tight schedule and the sheer amount of stuff I want to see, I'm foreseeing a late arrival.

But then, I've been toying with the idea of forgetting about art and spending a few hours on the beach in Lido. But maybe I can do that on Sunday instead.

I'll look into the other websites you suggested. I've checked ryanhotels, venere, veniceby (? suggested by ira) and ratestogo and I don't see any obvious booking choices. The cheapest ones are around 100 euros, but when I checked the candidates against tripadvisor there's usually at least one bad review that's giving me pause.

There's always Priceline. Odds of success are low, but they do have (or at least had) a zone that is strictly the island of Venice.

I can't remember if laterooms.com has been mentioned.

Locanda Novo fits the bill for a single - but doubles are 130E. Website is www.locandanovo.it If they have nothing, ask about the hotel right across the street -- do not know the name of it, though.

I looked at Novo earlier this morning, actually. It was given by VeniceBy. TripAdvisor likes this one, and VeniceBy showed availability but the hotel's website showed that Saturday (or was it Sunday) was booked.

The double (single use) was taken.

I took a very quick look at laterooms.

Is there some secret to using laterooms? The hotels always seem to be arranged in a haphazard order. I feel like there's some sort of logic that I'm not getting. Other booking engines just seem much easier to use.

I think that I'll have to pass on Foresteria. I called a few times. First busy signals. Then the phone rings and after a while I get a voice that comes on and tells me "please call later." So this is giving me pause already.

I've booked Al Campaniel in the meantime. There's a listing in Venere, by the way, and the reviews look great. Interestingly, Al Campaniel's website has a link to this thread. (I'd better be careful about what I say.)

I guess I can pick up the search again a little later since I've 7 days to cancel the reservation. (Hey, Al Campaniel, if you're reading this thread, can you give me a discount? )

Can someone tell me how long it takes to walk from San Toma to San Marco? I assume that the best bridge crossing to use is at Accademia? If memory serves, there're only three bridge crossings in Venice.

Thanks again!

I've never found a way to manage LateRooms other than by brute force.

It's good to know that it's not just me. I guess I'll take a look again since I've time at the moment. But I should shelf this search for now, as I think that I've exhausted my choices already (except for Bernardi).

I should probably look at Florence hotels again though.

Actually it's odd that Sunday 9/4 seems to be causing more trouble for the Venice hotels than Saturday 9/3. I wonder why that's the case.

La Calcina is a few minutes from Acadamia bridge. It's vaporetto stop is Zatterre and the hotel is very close to it. Takes about 15 mins. to walk over to San Marco. I love the location in the Dosoduro I've stayed at this hotel twice; it's one of my favorites ANYwhere. (Sorry for misspellings of locations above & that it's already booked!!)

This is one place I looked into in Venice before. Perhaps they're booked up too:
http://www.albergosansamuele.it

Yes, San Samuele is booked.

Thanks for the info, Suze -- it will be useful for someone else reading this in the future.

Locanda Arte is available, it looks like. Single at 115 euros per night. #42 in TripAdvsior. It's near Accademia.

(Also a Locanda Art Deco. Looks like two different hotels.)

I think you may be having problems finding a room September 4th because there is a beautiful historic regatta going on that day. It is held at the Grand Canal. It goes back to the 13th century. I was there several years ago and it was very hard to even find a restaurant.

Last summer we stayed at Hotel Astoria, Calle Fiubera 951/a, San Marco, tel. 39-0415-225381, Euro 35.00 per person per night, including breakfast. It was clean and a very short walk from Piazza San Marco. Full details on our trip report, search on my name ("Mom and Teens...&quot, I have no idea how to attach links, sorry!

Thanks Simone. I guess I've a knack for choosing a busy period.

Other potential choices:

Locanda Al Leon. A double on bookings.org for 130 euros per night (but it's in the annex -- how is the annex?).

Ca' Dario. Near the train station. Not an interesting location. And I can't find anything on TripAdvisor. Anyone knows anyting about it?

Thanks leslie. I remember seeing your report. Have linked it for posterity. Here's what you said about Astoria.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34513204

For more, people can open the thread themselves and use the "Find" button in their browser (search for "Astoria&quot.

Hotel Astoria (Calle Fiubera 951/a, San Marco, tel. 39-0415-225381, Euro 35.00 per person per night) was just a few blocks off piazza San Marco. The hotel?s directions ?go under the bell tower, walk 20 meters and turn right? will not get you there, but my daughter and the map will get you there no problem. The woman at the hotel desk was incredibly nice. We climbed lots of stairs to our room and noticed that the hallways had a somewhat unpleasant odor. The room itself had no odor and was quite nice, with a large king-size bed plus a day bed for my son. The bathroom was a little funky. It was long and narrow. First came the sink. Then, as you walked into the depths, was a shower area enclosed by shower curtains, and way in back was the toilet. To get to the toilet, you had to walk right through the shower. We pondered the logic, or lack thereof, of this design. No one can use the toilet while someone is showering, and once the shower has been run, the whole bathroom floor is wet so it?s a mess if you try to walk back to the toilet. At least this hotel?s plumbing was silent with no noisy pump!

I've stayed at Al Campaniel and liked it. Not fancy, but clean and pleasant and inexpensive

I always walk all over Venice, so I don't think of the walk to San Marco as being too long. You're about halfway between the Rialto and Accademia bridges, but you don't have to take either if you take the nearby gondola traghetto across the Grand Canal or alternatively take the vaporetto across to the opposite side.

Hi leslie, how did you book Ho(s)tel Astoria? I see it here:

http://www.hostelscentral.com/structure-289.html

Did you call the hotel directly?

A single with bathroom at 60 euros. Not bad.

Is the front desk 24 hours? I don't mind if it closes at midnight, say, but something like Foresteria's may give me trouble.

Anything bad about it?

Thanks again.

Thanks KT. I was a little concerned with getting home if I wander out late at night. I sometimes walk when most are sleeping (around 1 or 2 in the morning). I checked lines 1/82 for the vaporetto and they seem to stop running around 12 am. The earliest line 1 seems to be a little after 4 (from Lido).

There is a skeleton service night route vaporetto (called the N) that goes along the Grand Canal--you could check that one out.

The gondola traghetto doesn't run at night.

Great, thanks for the tip, KT!

Actually I vaguely recall an argument with my mom when we were in Venice six years ago. Somehow we wandered out to Lido and then made it back to the hotel (very late, way after midnight). So we must have found a way somehow. I panicked. Maybe we used "N" that time.