Best hotels/apartments to stay when cruising out of Venice.

Hi! We are a family of six flying into Marco Polo and cruising out of Venice next summer. Being that we are six, it's usually less expensive to get a VBRO rental - although I am used to five star hotels so I'd like something nice. I'd like to not spend more than $1,000 for two nights (but would need two rooms if staying in a hotel). Does anyone have any suggestions? We are hoping to not rent a vehicle either - so walking distance to the cruise port. We'll be there two nights before we depart. Thank you again!

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"Best" is a horribly vague and subjective opinion, but TripAdvisor does list the hotels for a given area in a ranked order, and you can screen by luxury, or 5 star. I would try there.

Looking down the board is this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2545446

Not directly related, but some info that might be of help.

Hi! We are a family of six flying into Marco Polo and cruising out of Venice next summer. Being that we are six, it's usually less expensive to get a VBRO rental - although I am used to five star hotels so I'd like something nice. I'd like to not spend more than $1,000 for two nights (but would need two rooms if staying in a hotel). Does anyone have any suggestions? We are hoping to not rent a vehicle either - so walking distance to the cruise port. We'll be there two nights before we depart. Thank you again!

 

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for 6 people you will need two rooms if not 3. good luck with staying under 1000 4 for two nights even in 3* . Make your reservation ASAP for next summer

Not sure why you would choose to walk to the pier. There's a People Mover (monorail) that runs from Piazzale Roma to the pier; a 3 minute ride for 1.5 E pp. Then another walk depending on which berth your ship is using.

If you must stay close to the pier, this link provides the names of the closest hotels. The

Papadopoli is the nicest but probably not in your price range. The Arlecchino and Olimpia are well reviewed and popular with cruisers. http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/bridges/piazzale-roma.htm

We're staying at Hotel Becher. It is a 3 star. It located very near San Marcos. They have a private dock, so a private water taxi can drop u off and pick up. We are paying about 233e per nite. They do have family rooms for 3 or 4 so u can get 2 rooms. The trip advisor reviews are very good.

Does your family of 6 include kids? If so, maybe your first thought of an apt would be best. On 2 trips to Venice, we had kids with us and appreciated having a little kitchen for snacks, drinks, and even a light b'fast. So don't rule it out. Most require 3 nites, but not all.

I'm sure you can find an apt for $350 a night, then you can use the rest of your budget for transportation from the airport to Venice and then to the pier. This would expand your search to all areas of Venice, instead of Piazzale Roma.

While this site is helpful I would also be reading Trip Advisor. This is how I approach hotels. for cruises in cities we are not familiar with. I start here and then take the recommendations and read reviews on Trip Advisor and use their search functions to expand the list of possibilities.

Keith

We're staying at Hotel Becher. It is a 3 star. It located very near San Marcos. They have a private dock, so a private water taxi can drop u off and pick up. We are paying about 233e per nite. They do have family rooms for 3 or 4 so u can get 2 rooms. The trip advisor reviews are very good.

room for two may cost 233 per night ,room for 3-4 will be much more.

While this site is helpful I would also be reading Trip Advisor. This is how I approach hotels. for cruises in cities we are not familiar with. I start here and then take the recommendations and read reviews on Trip Advisor and use their search functions to expand the list of possibilities.

 

Keith

Be sure to take TA reviews with a tablespoon of salt. And, TA is "pay for play" - a hotel can pay to get "top of the page" posting. And hotels can use employees to post positive reviews (yes, it happens). Their search functions are not neutral.

You need to use more search engines to see which hotels come out more "on top" over a variety of engines.

OP: If your "best" means quality and not cheap price (like many, if not most CCers who come looking for info), if you have an AMEX Plat or Centurion card, look at the AMEX Fine Hotels & Resorts site. I think other premium CCs have similar programs and sites. You said you are used to 5-star hotels; is that Forbes 5-star, AAA 5-diamond, state-sanction ratings (like in Italy, Germany, France) 5 stars, or self-declared 5 stars. You know those standards. To look for accommodations for your family in your posted price point, I'm afraid you will most likely have to downgrade your expectations to maybe a 3-star. Do not go by the star ratings given by search engines like TA, Hotels.com, etc., as they are based on comments, not facilities and service of the hotel. Avoid places where people comment things like "small but clean", "good enough for our one night," etc. But, I would definitely look at apartments for the family - you just have to be diligent in looking for them. I've only used VRBO once in Italy in Vernazza, but I plan to use it again on my next trip to Italy (in 2 years).

I just booked an Airbnb for 6 peoples for our cruise next september. We paid 1086$ CND. It looks very nice, modern and convenient (it is a 3 minutes walk to Piazzale Roma). I think an appartment is a good way to go for 6 peoples and cheeper than hotels....