Hi and thanks in advance for all the grand input everyone gives on this forum. I am looking at Hotel Bernardi which on tripadvisor gets mixed reviews for shared bath and also walking distance with luggage. We arrive in Venice after trans-atlantic flight with two teenagers and am wondering if we really need to secure a private bath given that some experience at the hotel is waiting/pools of water etc. and others no problem. Also, toting luggage getting lost (don't mind getting lost once we are settled) with 10 minute walk seems to be a big negative for our arrival. Can't tell if I am being un-adventuresome about it all. Otherwise it seems a nice place and location and 98E for a quad can't be beat. Your thoughts?

Hi R,

That's a very good price for a quad.

The Bernardi has gotten good reviews here.

All hotels have their bad days.

Some people expect too much from budget hotels.

>Can't tell if I am being un-adventuresome about it all. <

I think you are.

A 10 minute walk doesn't seem very far--the hotel can't be more than about 400 yards or so from the vaporetto stop.

Directions seem to be pretty easy. I think one reason people get lost in Venice (besides just being new in the city) is that distances are deceptively short. Even using a good map, it's easy to walk past the street you want because you don't think you walked that far yet. There's also the gawking factor for people who are in Venice for the first time--checking out the scenery when someone needs to focus on where the group is going.

If you're arriving in Venezia and have to find your way to a hotel, it sometimes makes sense to leave your luggage at the station, then check into the hotel, get your bearings and work out the easiest route to the hotel. Carrying luggage is so much easier if you know the way. Getting lost is the best way to explore the old city, but not if you're carrying luggage.

We have been to Venice once before and it is easy to get lost - one of the great things about Venice. I would suggest you take your luggage on the vaporetto, get off at the correct stop and then let one or two people in your party search for the hotel while the others stay with the luggage. I am not sure whether it was on Fodors or TripAdvisor, but one person gives a great account of getting to the hotel from the vaporetto stop.

We stayed at the Hotel Bernardi several years ago. It was a very short walk from the Ca d'Oro vaporetto stop. Seems like maybe 1&1/2 block. It took us about 5 minutes at most. Fairly easy to find. They will give you detailed directions. Our double room was small but adequate and spotless. We had an ensuite bath so I can't respond to the shared bath issue. We liked the Bernardi.

We stayed at the Bernardi last year and liked it. We didn't have any trouble finding it. Just follow the instructions:

Take the No.1 vaporetto to the Ca' d'Oro stop. Get off, walk along the Strada Nuovo till you reach the SS. Apostoli Church Square (you can see the spires in the distance, so you can't get lost). Take a left just before the church and another left at the first alley (Calle de l'oca). There's actually a board pointing the way towards the Bernardi once you reach the square.

Our double bedroom had a ensuite bath and was small, but clean with a beamed ceiling and quaint shutters. Breakfast was decent.