Venice Airport Hotels
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Continued from page 2
ABOVE: An Alilaguna airport boat approaches the
floating pier at San Marco Giardinetti.
Hotels near San Marco
San Marco is the most popular tourist area of Venice, and it's
also the most convenient place to arrive or depart via the
Alilaguna airport boats since both the
Blue and Red lines stop near the Piazza San Marco at San Marco Giardenetti.
The closest hotels to Alilaguna's San Marco stop also tend to be among Venice's
most expensive:
 Luna Hotel
Baglioni (5 stars) is Venice's oldest hotel; an inn has stood on its plot of
ground since the 12th Century. Every room is different, and all are supremely
comfortable.
(See our review.) Don't let the 5-star
rating intimidate you: There's nothing snooty or stuffy about the Luna, where an intimate
atmosphere and friendly service attract a loyal European and American clientele.
Europa &
Regina (4 stars), a member of the Westin group, has a prime location
along the Grand Canal.
 Il Palazzo
at the Bauer (5 stars) is a boutique hotel in an historic palazzo on the Grand Canal. Just behind is
a slightly less expensive sister property, the
Hotel Bauer
(also 5 stars), which occupies a modern wing next to a canal that's popular with
gondoliers.
 Gritti Palace
(5 stars) has been a luxury hotel since the end of the 19th Century, but it
dates back to 1526, when it was built as the residence of a Doge. It caters to
visiting heads of state, movie stars, trust-fund babies, and corporate
aristocrats.
 Monaco and
Grand Canal (4 stars) is just a short walk from the Alilaguna airport boat's
pier. The hotel, which was renovated in 2005, occupies a magnificent site where
the Grand Canal feeds into St. Mark's Basin. (Note: The location on the linked
page's map is incorrect; the hotel is on the waterfront west of the former Royal
Gardens.)
Looking
for something cheaper? The
Anastasia (3 stars) has single and double rooms at rates that are
surprisingly reasonable for this area of San Marco. The
Casanova,
the
Torino, and
the Firenze
(all 3-star hotels) are also convenient to the Alilaguna boat pier. The very
reasonably priced
Mercurio
(2 stars) is just west of the Piazza San Marco.
Two personal favorites are slightly
inland and within easy walking distance of Vallaresso:
 The
San
Moisé (3 stars, photo at right) is about five minutes from the boat platform, on a quiet
street near the
Hotel Kette
(3 stars). We've stayed in both hotels and can recommend either, although the San
Moisé might be a better choice during the warm months because it has a courtyard
with tables for guests. (See my Hotel San Moisé
review.)
 Other three-star hotels close by include the
Violino d'Oro, the
Lisbona,
the Bel Sito &
Berlino, the Flora, and
La Fenice et de
Artistes. The
Saturnia
& International (4 stars, photo at left), the very popular
Ala
(3 stars) on the delightful Campo de Santa Maria del Giglio, and the
Locanda
Fiorita (1 star) are also reasonably convenient.
If
you're willing to roll your bags a longer distance, you might consider staying
just north of the Piazza San Marco
(see listings).
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Durant
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