affordable, basic, more bedding needed!, April 7, 2006
Reviewer:
vanessajacynth@aol.com
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I stayed here three years ago in early October, with a cousin, the twin room was fine, but not enough duvet/blankets. Shower and loo down the corridor was ok, well positioned near the Rialto Bridge, and since coming to Venice is about seeing it and being in it, it seemed silly to spend much on accomodation. The breakfast was not provided really, it should be as advertised.
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(Review ID: 4344)
I'm still cold, Mr. Rota, March 13, 2005
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Anonymous
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This place would probably be much better for a summer visit... During the colder months (we went in March) they turn the heat off at night, and it's an old building so it got pretty cold in our room, even with extra (unwashed?) blankets. We also were surprised by the fact that our room was in a separate building (a street or two over, actually) from where the main hostel was. We found this kind of strange at first, as well as confusing, since we had never been in Venice before and so had some minor problems navigating back to our room... and this was after we had gotten lost trying to find the main hostel itself due to the awful directions they provided (along the lines of "go over a bridge... go over another bridge" hello? it's Venice). The manager seemed to be mocking us every time we saw him. We can't comment on the breakfast as we never actually made it there, spending our early mornings either waiting for the one shower on the floor or hiding under our blankets trying to stay warm. The reason we were most put off by all this was that it cost around 30-35 euro per person per night- about 10 euro more than we were used to paying for cheap accomodations (even ones that had heat throughout the night...) but then this might just be the norm for Venice, we weren't sure. In spite of these things, the room itself was decent, the bathroom was clean, and we appreciated the towels that were provided. There was no curfew, but it was quiet at night. Also, the central location was great. It's right near one of the main bridges and also a huge fresh fish and produce market, which is cool to walk through in the morning. Overall, there were some sketchy things about this place, but it turned out to be all right in the end (but you might want to bring an extra blanket if you come earlier than April).
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(Review ID: 4345)
Do not stay here. They gave our room to someone else., March 18, 2004
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Anonymous
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We booked this hotel well in advance and had our reservations confirmed, but they still gave our room to someone else. Now granted, we got to Venice around 11pm and finally found the hotel after searching for an hour and a half thanks to the terrible directions we were given by the hotel. We probably should have called to ensure they kept our reservation since we arrived so late.The person running the check in desk was very upset that we arrived so late and told us he had a problem with the room and made reservations for us at another hotel. Unfortunately this was a lie and when we got to Hotel Astoria they had never received a call from B&B reserving us a room. I would suggest staying at Hotel Astoria. The night person was very nice, spoke great english, allowed us to use their phone, and internet connection to find a room somewhere else. Unfortunately we could not find a place and was forced to beg a fellow american that was staying at the Hotel Astoria to sleep on his floor.
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(Review ID: 4346)
The Only place to stay!!, February 24, 2004
Reviewer:
Megan Trammell
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If you are looking to have a really good time this is the place to stay, the hostel is extremly central, excellent management, the rooms in the hostel where we stayed were very clean, if we would choose again we would definitely choose for this hostel.
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(Review ID: 4347)
Spend your time finding something else, February 18, 2004
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Of the 20 hostels we stayed during our travel of Europe and the 12 countries we visited, this is by far the worst accomodation we ever stayed in. It called a B&B but we didn't get any breakfast. The place is run by 2 young gentlemen who have your typical italian charm (especially if you are a female). The rooms appear clean on the outset, but when we looked closer, the carpet has not been vacuumed and dusted for very very long time and the walls are full of squashed mosquito marks. The building has been under renovation for over a year and when we brought the management to our room to complain about the jackhammer noise going between 9am and 4pm, the 2 gentlemen just ridiculed us and said it's nothing when you can clearly hear the pounding noise from above. We were tired and wanted to take a nap on some days but couldn't because of the noise. Our room has a sink that is half installed and cannot be used, a table lamp that doesn't work, carpet full of hair and dust and one single bulb that too dim to read. Our floor has 1 bathroom shared by 8 rooms. The toilet is also inside the bathroom. So, be prepared to fight for it. The bathroom has not one single hook to hang your clothes or towel. The website advertised for free internet usage but we were told there is no such thing. In the end, we showed them the advertisement and they begrudgingly let us use it for 10mins. There is a very small kitchen facility but it's also is the living area where the management hang out all day. So using the kitchen facility is awkward as they can watch your every move. We found out there are many nicer accomodation for that price but located on Lido island.
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(Review ID: 4348)
Good Price for Venice, November 3, 2003
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Anonymous
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We arrived early in the morning (around 9am) and were welcomed in. We were able to leave our bags in a room while we went off exploring as our room wasn't vacant yet. Our room was spacious and clean. The bed I slept in had the lumpiest mattress I have ever slept on in my life but luckily I was very tired. The bathroom was clean but the shower head was terrible. Water only squirted out in patches. We met 3 of the staff while we were there. 2 of the staff were very pleasant but one of the night staff was quite rude to my friend and practically yelled at her for borrowing a towel from the linen cupboard (we were allowed to use these towels anyway). Breakfast was a nice pastry and they allowed us to store our bags at the hostel again before we left Venice. The B&B was in a very good position as it was very close to shops & restaurants. It wasn't too much of a walk to Piazza San Marco either. If I did ever return to this city, I would probably choose to stay here again as it was probably quite good value for money & 2 out of 3 friendly staff isn't too bad!
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(Review ID: 4349)
Friendly, flexibile and fantastic location, October 4, 2003
Reviewer:
Jennie
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I booked a 4 bed dorm with no ensuite on the internet. I emailed them re a baby cot, but they didn't have one, so we had to take our own. When we arrived, they gave us a 4 bed apartment with kitchen and en suite, round the corner! It was on the ground floor, and made life much easier with a baby, stroller and 4 year old. (Always stressful staying in small places with children who cry in the night and might disturb others!) No extra was charged - a totally unexpected and really fantastic event. The location is fantastic - you can get a traghetta from the end of the street, to the nearest ferry point. The place is pretty basic , and yes there were mozzies and there is a bit of a mouldy smell in the air, but for that price and location, who cares?
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(Review ID: 4350)
Good value, September 13, 2003
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Anonymous
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We shared our room at night with at least a 100 hungry mosquitioes but apart from that it was clean, comfortable and considering the price of staying in Venice reasonable.It was really well located for the water bus and getting around.
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(Review ID: 4351)
Had potential, May 28, 2003
Reviewer:
RR
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We booked the B&B rota and when we arrived, we were immediately sent to another hostel halfway across town because they were having shower problems. The owner was friendly enough, and the second hostel was a fabulous apartment with a rooftop terrace, but we ended up sharing the apt that had room for 5 with a total of 11 New Zealanders, who luckily were cool.
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(Review ID: 4352)
Diappointing, May 13, 2003
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Anonymous
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We booked here two double rooms via internet two months ago . This was even confirmed on the phone by Mr. Rota himself. When we arrived there was only a room for 4 people available. We had to go somewhere else. This is not nice when you are tired from travelling.Apparently they could earn more with putting more people in the room. 'Mr. Rota made not a good impression on me. Be warned don't book here!!
