Concordia Hotel

Beautiful, charming and great location

This is a charming, beautiful hotel supremely located. Don't let the somewhat drab front of the hotel fool you. The attractive entrance of the hotel is actually on the back and is much more indicative of the overall feel of the hotel.

Friendly staff members welcomed us with drinks upon our arrival and then showed us to our room, which I thought was very nice. We had a queen and had a separate small area that had a daybed/couch. The bathroom was pretty and clean.

The included buffet breakfast offered fresh fruits, yogurts, delicious breads and other baked goods, cold cuts, juice, etc. This was a great deal as food in Venice, especially with the dollar falling in value, was expensive.

The view from our room was one of the best memories from my trip. The windows open out and you can lean out of them and watch the hustle and bustle of St. Marco Square, and enjoy as the little metal men strikes the bells across from my room. In the mornings when the square is still nearly empty, you can watch as the peddlers bring their carts out and tourists start to arrive.

The only caveat is that you can get better deals on the gondola by yourself than you can from the hotel, and the Murano boat trip factory they send you to if you take the free trip will try to sell you some very pricey pieces. After the glass factory salesmen realized we weren't going to bite and pay a couple thousand dollars for their items, they finally showed us to their cheaper rooms. We bought a trinket we probably could have gotten cheaper elsewhere and left to go explore Murano, which is very charming and had inexpensive souveniers by the boatload.

Other than that, I would highly, highly recommend this hotel, which was easy to find. As you face the square, you go all the way back and to the right. The entrance is right across from McDonald's.

One warning, there are many steps in this hotel and I don't believe there is a way up for the handicapped from the street. I may be wrong, but I don't believe there was an elevator from the street. There is one from the lobby, but it is tiny.

Also it is slightly noisy because of being so close to the bells and being above the square. But I think anywhere in Venice would have a lot of foot traffic and/or boat traffic if you are on the main canal. The noise did not bother me, but my son, who was in the little room closer to the bells said they would wake him at night.

Unique Quality: Only hotel in the square.