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| Venice (Italy) |
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| Author |
Venice (Italy) Reviews |
pabmatttina
Guest
Visited in:
July 2009
for a period of
3
Accommodation:
Hotel
B&B Casa Mimma
Voted this Destination:
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I booked this through Venice35.com. I had originally booked an apartment, wanting some space and a kitchen handy for my baby. Venice35.com promised the key pick up was in the building and there was a place for left luggage. I then made the booking, and was told the key pick up was about one kilometer away...same with the left luggage and it was a SHARED bathroom. Then Venice 35 promised it wasn;t. Then a range the apartment and they said it was...How can an apartment have a shared bathroom?
then I got hung up on about five times, then finally got bck through to Venice 35.com . They found a new place - much nicer, they said - much bigger, with a balcony.
They had booked me in as one person (I was traveling with my baby and husband). The b and b put as in a tiny room, charged more for a cot. The whole place had no balcony. The staff were rude and we were made to feel very uncomfortable. They would only give one of us breakfast.
it nearly ruined our whole venice experience. NEVER use Venice35.com they have no idea of the accomodation they are booking
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Jodie
Travel Writer - Bronze
Visited in:
February 2008
for a period of
3 nights
Accommodation:
Hotel
Ambassador Tre Rose
Travel Trophies: None
Voted this Destination:
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What can be said about Venice that hasn’t been said before? In short, the simplest way is to say that it lives up to all of the hype that you will have heard and much, much more.
Let’s first of all deal with the issue of the romance of Venice. It is true that the city is impossibly romantic and will charm even the most cynical of people. Venice makes an ideal romantic getaway and I defy anyone not to get carried away with the romance of the gondolas, carnival masques, Venetian buildings, and stunning sunsets. Even the flower sellers add to the charm and are not at all out of place.
But having said all of the above the City also has so much more to offer and the threat of romance should not keep away the more cynical of travellers!
I was lucky enough to visit Venice for a long weekend earlier this year and was inspired by the overall charm of the city. There is plenty to do to occupy yourself for a long weekend. Venice is full of history and each and every building tells a different story – the beautiful buildings of the Doge’s Palace and Basilica are an absolute must see. Like all places in Venice they can get busy, especially around midday, but in general the crowds are well organised and queues seem to move quickly. One handy tip that I found is to purchase a ticket which includes entrance to all of the historical sites of interest and is for sale at all ticket kiosks – this saves money but also saves time queuing at each attraction!
If shopping is your thing then Venice also ticks the box, with plenty of designer stores, individual boutique shops and not to mention the more reasonably priced typical Italian shops.
As far as entertainment goes there is plenty to do in Venice to occupy your time in the day although the City does get much quieter of an evening, when the entertainment appears to revolve around eating out. There are very few bars for those looking for a livelier night out.
If you visiting the area for longer than a few days then I would imagine that it would be necessary to venture further out for sightseeing purposes and I would recommend the local islands and, in warmer months, the nearby Lido. There is, however, plenty to do and see for a long weekend.
I stopped at a hotel which was basic but centrally located and reasonably priced. The hotel was located just a few moments away from St Marks Square and was therefore the perfect location for a short stay. The hotel service was very good and the staff were helpful, although the rooms and breakfast were very basic.
In short, Venice really does seem to have something for everyone, whether you are romantic or not it will be impossible not to get swept up in the charm of the City. An ideal location for a long weekend!
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pjcasanis
Visited in:
February 2008
for a period of
3 days
Accommodation:
Hotel
Ambassador Tre Rose
Travel Trophies: 1 (View more...)
Voted this Destination:
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Despite giving this destination my traveleye awards for 'Most Romantic Destination' and 'Most Picturesque Destination', as a strict marker i've actually given in 4 stars instead of 5 stars as an overall destination. Summary below:
Venice is truly an incredible place. We stayed in a nice old fashioned hotel (Ambassador Tre Rose) that was just a side street of Saint Marks Square (which boasts the famous Basilica and Doge's Palace).
Venice as a destination is beautiful and even made me want to take up photography due to the incredible varying architecture and the beautiful scenery that can be seen from the canal side streets and views from the grand canal.
Venice is also undoubtedly the most romantic destination. We embraced the romance of the place by booking an evening private gondola ride followed by a 3 course meal at a top class Italian restarant (package booked through expedia in advance). Perhaps due to it being February, it felt like we had the canals of Venice to ourselves on the evening Gondola ride. All we could hear was the moving and splashes of the ores and Gondolia singing and whistling. There is plenty of side street lighting and main lights from the grand canal to thoroughly enjoy an evening gondola ride instead of a more typical daytime one. Gondola rides come at a high price though.
As far as 'things to do' we pretty much covered everything we wanted to see and do in the 3 days. Other than absorb the incredible scenery and art there isn't a great deal to do other than enjoy a number of museums, the Basilica, Doge's Palace etc. We also visited some of the lagoon islands (Murano, Burano and Torcelli) which was a nice experience. Murano is a glass blowing trade island, Burano is incredible for the painted buildings and Torcelli is something a bit different altogether.
Getting around Venice is done most economically by the Vaporetta's (water buses). Other options are a water taxi or gondola.
As a harsh marker I left one star off my destination rating of Venice because there is pretty much NO late night options in Venice (in February anyhow) and very little in terms of entertainment of an evening. We watched a theatre production 'Carnival' which i'd recommend but everything in Venice closes down before midnight. We were told that all bars and restaurants have to shut before midnight as the workers have to be sure to get the last running water bus off the island. Only the rich live on the island of Venice. This was a little dissapointing as after a lovely evening it would have been nice to prolong the night. The other slight downside was the annoying fake hand bag salesman & rose sellers that would stop you in the streets every few minutes.
However, all things considered, this is a truly beautiful and breath taking place to visit but i would not recommend it as a two week holiday. As a long weekend it is truly magnificent.
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| Rating points for this destination: | 589 | |
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