Olga C.
Yelp
Great value for your money in Venice! When I told my fiancé that the Venice hotel we'll be staying at was only rated 2 stars, he wasn't expecting much. But what we got, we felt was much more than what we paid for. This is a wonderful hotel with old Venetian charm, but all the modern amenities you need while traveling (ok, maybe not AC during certain months, but that's not the hotel's fault... it's the law). From the point of reserving my room via e-mail to check-out, we felt very welcomed and everyone was extremely helpful. We got directions, restaurant recommendations, train schedules and had every question answered with outmost patience.
We had a double superior room with the view of a canal for 2 nights. The room was excellent, with high ceilings and traditional Venetian décor; the bathroom was recently remodeled and spotless! I would have like a bit more space for my toiletries (I have a lot) and a more powerful hair dryer, but both were just a minor inconvenience. Despite the room overlooking the canal, we slept very well and didn't hear much noise in the morning. But we did sleep with our windows closed, would just get some air in before going to sleep.
Breakfast was good with hot croissants, yogurt, cereal, juices and yummy cappuccinos! We've had similar breakfast at all of our hotels in Italy (sans hot croissants).
Hotel location is excellent. While it's about 15-30 minute walk (depending on how many photos you take along the way) to the San Marco square, we loved being in this quiet neighborhood and very close to the San Stae vaporetto stop. We actually wanted to be away from the main square, I felt it was a great way to experience real Venice. I suggest you consider getting the Vaporetto pass, this way you will be able to take it anytime, especially at night after doing a lot of walking and eating.
Finding the hotel... just follow the directions you get from the hotel and you will have no issues finding the back door and will not have to cross any bridges, which is a BIG plus in Venice. I posted a picture of the super narrow "street" you take to get to the back door of the hotel, because we couldn't believe it was it when we first saw it. From the airport, we took bus #5 to the 1st vaporetto stop and vaporetto #1 to get to San Stae. You can include bus #5 ride to/from the airport with your vaporetto pass, it's just a few euros more. I was concerned that this will take much longer, since we were arriving on a holiday, but the trip took us less than an hour and it was a relatively easy trip.
Thank you Al Ponte Moncenigo for making our stay in Venice comfortable and memorable!