Hotel Locanda Vivaldi in Venice

A beautiful hotel in a great location. However we were very disappointed with our room. It seemed to be in an annexe of the hotel. We had to walk over the courtyard and through a door that didn’t seem to ever be locked, before we arrived at our room. It was more like an AirB&B than a lovely hotel experience. Access to the courtyard was either through the hotel or the mooring point (which the public had access to). We didn’t feel safe. The room itself was dark and there were some more issues which the hotel acknowledged and after two nights we were upgraded. Unfortunately we were only there for 3 nights. We were also disappointed that there were no coffee making facilities in the room. There seemed to be a lack of communication from the concierge as we weren’t told about the hotel’s boat which was available to take us to Morano until just before departure even though we had made enquiries about Morano the previous day. The rooftop bar was amazing as was breakfast. We’re still unsure if the hotel served other meals. It was very odd. My daughter and I are seasoned travellers and we loved Venice but would definitely not stay in this hotel again.

Great location a short walk from St Marks Square and opposite the vaporretto stop so easy to get about. The downstairs reception area was lovely but I’m afraid this didn’t extend to our room. Whilst the bed was very comfortable, the room was shabby. The shower was small and scruffy. I know this is Venice and it’s a very old building, but there was an aroma of drains in the corridor and in the room. Even in mid October the mosquitos were a nuisance especially at night. Ask reception for a plug in repellant. The breakfast was ok. Don’t expect a buffet style breakfast but it was served in the rooftop veranda with an amazing view. This doubled as the bar at night which was disappointing and not what I would expect of a bar from a 4* hotel. There were no tea or coffee making facilities in the room or anywhere else. Staff were pleasant and helpful. They arranged a water taxi to Murano free of charge, just ask at reception. If you want somewhere central overlooking the lagoon with easy transport links it’s a great choice. The downside is that it is noisy, especially first thing. However, I think a 3* rating would have been a better reflection of the accommodation. Seemed expensive for what it was.