A Month In Venice

The sesetri of San Croce is best know because it is just across from the bridge of the Santa Lucia station where many of the tourists of Italy enter the city. This part of town is known by its many older buildings that date to the medieval times. So needless to say that this part of town definitely has its charms. One of the benefits of staying in this district is that there are many small restaurants or trattoria’s all throughout so you know you will find a good place to eat somewhere. Because of the high amount of traffic that this district receives finding budget accommodations can be difficult.

Below is a listing of some of the best budget hotels of the San Croce region in Venice.

Al Ponte Mocenigo
Santa Croce 2063 - Fondamenta de rimpeto a Ca’
Having only 10 rooms does not mean this hotel lacks anything. Quite the opposite as you will find a wealth of antique furnishings and well appointed rooms throughout.
Phone: +39 04 1524 4797
http://www.alpontemocenigo.com

Casa Peron
Santa Croce 85 - Salizzada San Pantalon
A small hotel of only 11 rooms this place is filled with artwork throughout and a very friendly staff as this is a family run establishment.
Phone: +39 04 171 1038
http://www.casaperon.com/

Falier
Santa Croce 130 - Salizzada San Pantalon
Having 19 rooms this is another hotel to check out. Not a hotel lacking anything this place is sure to please even the most picky budget traveler.
Phone: +39 041 710 882
http://www.hotelfalier.com/

Hotel Dalla Mora
Santa Croce 42, Salizzada S. Pantalon
Another small but well appointed and well run hotel of only 14 rooms.
Phone: +39 04 171 0703
http://www.hoteldallamora.it/

Locanda Salieri
Santa Croce 160 - Fondamenta Minotto
A tiny hotel of 11 rooms this place is great if you want to have a balcony view of the Canal del Gaffaro which is sure to please some.
Phone: +39 04 171 0035
http://www.hotelsalieri.com

The Castello sesteri of Venice is the largest of the regions in Venice. Being divided into two parts Castello and Castello Alto it offers a variety of places to stay that should fit within a reasonable budget. Needless to say that staying in Venice is perhaps one of the most expensive hotels in the whole of Italy if not Europe itself. This region is mostly occupied by residents in the area so the level of nightlife might be less then what you can expect in other regions.

However since this region borders San Marco it should be ideal for those that want to see this city but not break the bank. Below is a list of some of the budget accommodations you might find in this wonderful sesteri.

Al Prava
Ruga Giuffa 4838/40, Campo Santa Maria Formosa
This hotel is quite nice with marble floors throughout and a very friendly family and staff are there to serve your needs.
Double Rates: 110 to 210 Euros
Phone: +39 041 528 5174
http://www.hotelalpiave.com/

Ca Del Dose
Castello 3801 (Riva degli Schiavoni)
This is a small cozy hotel that is better suited for an outdoorsy type of personality. Consisting of only five rooms this is perhaps one of the most intimate of hotels that you can
stay in this sesteri. Note that the bathrooms are very small in this hotel.
Double Rates: 70 to 125 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1520 9887
http://www.cadeldose.com

Casa Linger
Castello 3541, Salizzada Sant Antonin
Definitely for the active traveler or hearty student this is a no frills hotel that comes at a
reasonable rate considering.
Double Rates: 60 to 120 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1528 5920
http://www.hotelcasalinger.com/

Casa per Ferie Santa Maria della Pieta
3701 Castello, Calle della Pieta
This hotels seems to cater to the University student as the rooms are outfitted as dorm rooms. There are no televisions or pictures but there is plenty of light and room to move about.
Double Rates: 96 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1244 3639
http://www.pietavenezia.org/

Casa Querini
Castello 4388 - Campo San Zaninovo
A very small hotel with only 11 rooms this is quite an experience. Notably half of these 11 rooms look out onto the Santo Giovanni Novo square. This hotels boasts that it is only 2 minutes from San Marco square so it is definitely worth looking into.
Double Rates: 93 to 197 Euros
Phone: +39 041 241 1294

Doni
Calle del Vin 4656 San Zaccaria – Castello
Consisting of only 13 rooms this hotels is replete with narrow hallways and horrible creaky
floors. I would describe this hotel as an acquired taste.
Double Rates: 60 to 120 Euros
Phone: +39 041 522 4267
http://www.albergodoni.it

La Residenza
Castello 3608 - Campo Bandiera e Moro
This is a plush 17th century palazzo that has gone through a restoration process. For those that like this type of architecture I would definitely check this hotel out.
Double Rates: 80 to 160 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1528 5315
http://www.venicelaresidenza.com/

Locanda Silva
Castello 4423 - Fondamenta del Remedio
This is a friendly and hospitable 23 room hotel that is very near to Santa Maria Formosa.
Double Rates: 60 to 115 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1522 7643
http://www.locandasilva.it

Locanda SS. Giovanni e Paolo
Castello 6401 - Calle de l’Ospeaeto
This is a traditional six room hotel run as though in a 18th century palazzo.
Double Rates: 80 to 170 Euros
Phone: +39 041 522 2767

Rio
Castello 4356 - Campo SS. Filippo e Giacomo
This is a small 28 room hotel that has recently gone through a makeover. Larger than some of the other hotels on this list but still with a friendly staff.
Double Rates: 60 to 180 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1 523 4810
http://www.aciugheta-hotelrio.it

When is the best time to visit Venice, Italy? Well that is kind of dependent upon when you can make the time to go and your budget. For true Venetophilles there is no inappropriate time as the city is always rich in culture and events that are sure to delight everyone. In my opinion if you do not like Venice, Italy then there is something seriously wrong with you.

Venice’s peak tourist season is from June through September. Now this usually means higher priced hotels and plenty of crowds. For some this is okay as some are used to throngs of tourists when ever they visit any place.

To avoid the high crowds of the peak tourist season the best time to go is from November through March however as Carnevale occurs in February for ten days avoiding the city then might also be a good idea.

I could go to Venice tomorrow if I had the opportunity to do so. For me there is no time that I would not want to visit. I am just simply enthralled by this wonderful city.

In my surfing the web I come across many travel websites. Many of them are fairly good with some useful information, some of which I actually use. However once in a while you come across a great resource, a blog that just never disappoints. In this case I am talking about the Budget Globetrotting website. This website is geared towards the budget traveler with an emphasis on international travel and backpacking.

The demographics for this website seem to be geared towards the younger crowd and not necessarily for the older more seasoned traveler. That is not to say that those who are older will not find the information indispensable, rather it seems like the information is geared towards the college age student. Since the author of the blog is about to enter college this only make sense.

Since this blog was just accepted into the Trusted Travel Blogs Network I am assuming that this author can be trusted to give accurate information. Unbiased information from “non-evil” sources seems to be in demand these days. I can perfectly understand the motive to create a network of trusted travel blogs as there are many spammy blogs out on the web today hoping to cash in on the Adsense rush.

Hopefully you will find this blog to be just as great of a resource as I did.

The quest to save money is a real motivator for me. Let’s face it the more money you keep means the more options you have later on in life. One of the biggest expenses in traveling is the airfare to your chosen destination. With gas prices on the rise so are the ticket prices on the major airlines.

To find the cheapest airfare you must first have a plan in place. Here is my step by step process for finding the best deal on whatever flight I may be taking. The first step is to check the major airfare search engines such as Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and Cheaptickets. This will give you an idea of what is the standard going rate for a ticket at full retail price. I would not initially go for the deals offered on these websites without some further checking however. Also it is always a good idea to check the surrounding airports from your departure and destination. If you are willing to drive a little bit before or after you leave it could save you some serious money.

The second step is to check what is known as aggrregator sites such as Kayak, Qixo, Sidestep and Mobissimo. These aggregators will search all the major search engines mentioned above and also the airline websites which should give you a betteridea of what a good price for a given ticket should be.

The third step is go directly to the airline that displays the cheapest ticket for where you want to go. For instance if you find the best airfare on American Airlines through one of the aggregators or search engines I would then proceed directly to the American Airlines website. The reason is there is usually a transaction fee that these search engines place on each transaction for booking the flight for you.

Finally check the budget airlines themselves as they would not be listed in the search engines or aggregators in some cases. You can find some really good deals on flights from Southwest, AirTran and Ted airlines.

Having a plan to save money will ultimately make you a better consumer and help you with your bottom line. Whether you travel for business or for fun hopefully these tips should save you some money and enrich your travels.

Happy trails!