Nice Location, not so nice service and other Venice, Italy Hotel/Accommodation Reviews

The best thing about this place is the location...and that is about it. It near the Rialto Bridge area. It is a little bit of a walk from the Vaporetto stop, but still very close to the Rialto Bridge. It is located on quite a busy street, so there is a lot of street noise throughout the day, if your window faces the street...bring earplugs. You get breakfast at the cafe next door, a tasty croissant and a cappucino. The room was clean and they put new sheets on the bed, but the blanket is not that clean. There is only one bathroom for several people and I often had to wait in line to use it. I think there were some rooms with their own bathrooms, but I had a room that had to share a common bathroom. I am usually OK with that, but I felt that there were too many people sharing just the one bathroom. It is ridiculous to wait so long to use the bathroom. The staff for the most part is not that helpful. The guy who was working when I checked in was rather helpful and nice. However, the guy who was there in the morning was completely oblvious. A group of Canadian women had arrived from the airport and the guy had them waiting for over half an hour while he talked on his personal cell phone, only to be told that they couldn't check in yet. They could leave their bags and check in at 1PM, this was 8AM in the morning. It was quite ridiculous, I felt really bad for them. I wouldn't recommend this place again because you pay so much for what you get.

Unique Qualities: The only great thing about this place is the location. It is close to the Rialto Bridge, which is nice.

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Theme: Hostel
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$40-80  » Currency Converter
Address: San Polo 1699, Calle dei Boteri, Venice, Veneto 30
Directions: Rialto Bridge Area.

This hostel is part of the Hostelling International, so you either have to be a member or pay a little more each night to stay. Either way, it is the cheapest non-camping place in Venice. It is located on Giudecca Island so you have to take the Vaporetto to get there. (You may want to get a Vaporetto pass if you are staying in Venice for more than a day, because they require you to pay for yourself to ride the Vaporetto and also your luggage...however, if you get a pass, you luggage is covered.). The Vaporetto ride isn't that long either if you take it from Plaza San Marco, you can also catch one directly to Piazalle Roma (bus stop to get to the airport) or Ferrovia (train station). They provide breakfast, which is a roll and hot drink. But you can buy something more for breakfast there if you would like. You can also buy dinner there if you like (though I would recommend eating elsewhere for the price). They have a luggage storage for a fee, but the fee is cheaper than storing your luggage at the train station. They have lockers with keys as well, which is nice. The lockers are fairly big so they can fit all of your stuff. I have 2 complaints about this place, one is that although the rooms are partitioned off, the walls don't go all the way to the ceiling, so you can hear the noise in several other rooms, which can be a lot. The second complaint is that there are only 4 electrical outlets for several people to share, which can be very difficult. And there are no outlets inside the rooms, so you have to be very trusting to charge things over night. However, I don't know anyone who had a problem with that. Although Giudecca Island itself is rather quiet, it can be very loud within the hostel, even though they have quiet hours and a curfew. I would definitely recommend this place because you can't beat the price. That alone makes it worth it, and it is very accessible to the main island and other islands.

Unique Qualities: One cool thing about this hostel that I didn't find in many other hostels I stayed at, is they had individual reading lights for each bed. I really appreciated that because they turn off the lights at a certain time. So you can turn your individual light on when they turn off the lights or if you just want more light because you are on a bottom bunk. It was nice not to have to use my flashlight.

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Theme: Hostel
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: US$20-40  » Currency Converter
Address: Fondamenta delle Zitelle 86, , Venice, Veneto 3013
Directions: Giudecca Island. Take the Vaporetto #82 and get off at Zitelle. Once out of the Vaporetto Stop, turn right and walk along the water. You will see the sign for the hostel on the building. Very easy to find once you are on the island.