Venice in Winter
by Autumn9
The hotel, Apostoli Palace does not have a grand frontage as its name implies, in fact, it is tucked down a narrow alley and has no grand view from its windows. Inside however it is light and airy. The decoration is understated Rococo, if that isn't a contradiction. A simple and elegant use of wood, stone and fabric is the setting for pleasant pieces of decorated furniture that enhance this historic building. Our room had a large bed, floor to ceiling curtains, a wide, comfy armchair and built-in wardrobe, all very clean, light and attractive.
The four days and three nights we chose to stay in Venice were exceptionally cold and we were very grateful for the warmth and cosiness of our room. Our large bathroom was heated to oven temperature! The staff was extremely friendly and helpful and although the area for breakfast is a bit small the service was good. Our room, the Giacomo, led straight onto the breakfast area which was very convenient as long as you didn't forget yourself and wander out in your pyjamas.
The Apostoli Palace is in the Cannaregio area which is not far from the Rialto and has a village atmosphere with its local shops and restaurants. There is even a small Irish pub nearby - well, isn't there always? There are both reasonably priced and more expensive restaurants within a short walk of the hotel. The vaperetto stop (water bus) at the Ca'Doro is the nearest stop if coming from the railway station or the Plazale Roma. By the way, do not get herded onto a water taxi at Plazale Roma. Walk a little further along, to your right, to the water bus stop and pay a fraction for the trip than the greedy taxi sharks will fleece you for. If you are catching a late Ryanair (UK) flight from Treviso, the Apostoli have a 'restorative' room apparently and they will look after your luggage after you check out. Oh, and the last bus for Treviso goes from P. le Roma at 19.00. (We missed it!)
Venice needs to be savoured; stop and stare and do not try and do too much art in one day. The Apostoli is a good base from which to enjoy this city and I recommend it. We paid $288.27 for three nights, inc. taxes, through hotels-flights.net
Photos
Winged lion on the wall of a church in Venice
Sala del Maggior Consiglio - View from balcony.
A Ferry to nowhere
It's huge, and I don't have to share!
Forum Posts
january honeymoon hotel
by WmMichael
Greetings. My bride-to-be is insistent upon a honeymoon in Venice. Sounds lovely but the wedding date is early january. I suspect Venice has its own beauty in the wet, grey winter climate but i believe during this season(and during a honeymoon) it would be especially important to secure accomodations which allow you to enjoy the feel of Venice from cozy interiors. The stay would be for 3-4 days before moving on to Rome. Budget issues suggest the most high-end hotels would be out of our reach. any advice would be most welcome. Thank you in advance
Re: january honeymoon hotel
by londonbabe
How about renting an apartment? Then you'll have plenty of space to chill out when outside is chilly :-) Try http://www.venice-rentals.com/ should be about the same price as a not-too-expensive hotel. And you can end up with typical venetian architecture, furnishings and canal view.
I think January is one of the best times to be in Venice - yes it's cold, but quiet, free of day trippers, and if you're really lucky it will snow. It's actually not that grey - you can get beautiful clear days. But take a very warm coat, boots and hat :-)
Sarah
Re: Re: january honeymoon hotel
by rpm114
What exactly are you looking to spend per night?
Re: january honeymoon hotel
by zuriga
The Flora is a good mid-priced hotel. They serve a nice breakfast and it's in easy walking distance of San Marco Square... lots of good restaurants around. At that time of year, you should be able to get a good deal for a hotel.
Re: january honeymoon hotel
by mccalpin
If the soon-to-be official spousal unit understands that Venice may be cold (and or worse, windy) in January, then I would say "Go".
Venice in January has the advantage of (1) being cool, (2) being less smelly, (3) being less overrun with tourists, and (4) being a neat place to dart out for an hour's walk, get chilled, have a Jaegermeister or something similar to warm up, then retire to the now-all-the-more-comfortable indoors....and if she gets antsy on the 3rd or 4th day, run over to Murano and buy her some baubles.
As we all know, "When Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" so why start things off wrong? As long as she has a sense of humor and understands that you don't control the weather, off-season is really the better time to see Venice.
Bill
Re: Re: january honeymoon hotel
by WmMichael
thank you all for your interest. i was thinking in the range of 100-120USD. most discount sites quote a price around 130 euros. thank you again. WmMichael
Re: january honeymoon hotel
by Autumn9
We stayed in the Apostoli Palace, in in the Cannaregio area early this year. It cost under 300 US dollars for both of us for three nights. See my travel page for more details. Venice is better out of the tourist season but always romantic and cosy. All that Renaissance art and architecture will set the scene for a memorable beginning to your married life together. It remains my most favourite city on earth.
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