A Month In Venice

The Cannaregio sesteri is one of the most convenient in the whole of Venice. This has its benefits and its drawbacks. Since this is such a convenient place to sleep many of the hotels are easily forgettable as they receive much tourist traffic. Also I would like to point out that many of the restaurants here cater to tourists so they are a bit overprices and mediocre at best. I am not saying you will not find some memorable gems in the mix but I do believe that they will be hard to find if you do not know any locals to show you the way. If you are coming by train then this is one region you should really check out as this sesteri is bordered by both the train station and the famous Rialto bridge on the other end.

Below is a listing of some of the more notable places to stay in this region of Venice.

Al Vagon
Cannaregio 5619 - Campiello Riccardo Selvatico
This hotel is central to the sesteri so it is very convient for any traveler who wishes to see the sights that are located within walking distance.
Double Rates: 60 to 110 Euros
Phone: +39 041 528 5626

Alloggi Gerotto Calderon
Cannaregio 283, Campo S. Geremia
This is a family owned and operated hotel consisting of only 12 rooms. They have been in
operations for some time and with the reputation that they maintain I would say they will continue to have a steady stream of customers.
Double Rates: 50 to 85 Euros
Phone: +39 04 171 5562
http://www.casagerottocalderan.com

Ariel Silva
Cannaregio 1391/A - Calle della Masena
This hotel is just off the main street of the sesteri and it is within walking distance of just about everything you might want to see in the city.
Double Rates: 60 to 105 Euros
Phone: +39 041 714 773
http://www.arielsilva.it/

Bernardi Semenzato
Cannaregio 4366 - Calle de l’Oca
This hotel is just steps away from the famous San Marco Plaza!
Double Rates: 50 to 95 Euros
Phone: +39 041 522 7257

Guerrini
Cannaregio 265 - Calle de le Procuratie
This is a pretty much of a standard hotel with little in the way of character as this hotel prides itself on its professionalism.
Double Rates: 55 to 150 Euros
Phone: +39 041 715 333

Hotel Arcadia
Cannaregio 1333D, Rio Tera San Leonardo
This hotels coms across as your standard fare from the outset but look deeper and you will see the wealth that is inside this restored 17th century building. Definitely worth a look.
Double Rates: 70 to 120 Euros
Phone: +39 041 71 7355

Hotel Minerva e Nettuno
Cannaregio 230, Tera Lista di Spagna
Perhaps a bit overpriced hotel to stay in during high season!
Double Rates: 45 to 115 Euros
Phone: +39 04 171 5968
http://www.minervaenettuno.it

Hotel Rossi
Calle delle Procuratie 262
Double Rates: 64 to 92 Euros
Phone: +39 041 715 164
http://www.hotelrossi.ve.it/

Hotel San Geremia
Cannaregio 290, Campo San Geremia
This hotel has some amazing views but that is just about all.
Double Rates: 50 to 120 Euros
Phone: + 3904 1716245
http://www.sangeremiahotel.com

Hotel Santa Lucia
Cannaregio 358, Calle della Misericordia
A very clean and friendly hotel run by mother and son. Marble floors throughout!
Double Rates: 70 to 110 Euros
Phone: +39 041 715 180
http://www.hotelslucia.com

Ostello Santa Fosca
Cannaregio 2372, Fondamenta Daniele Canal
Serving as a student housing unit this is more of a youth hostel.
Double Rates: 44 Euros
Phone: + 39 04 171 5775
http://www.santafosca.com

Residenza Ca’ Riccio
Cannareggio 5394/a (Campo dei Miracoli)
A charming six room hotel that is located near the Rialto bridge.
Double Rates: 90 to 120 Euros
Phone: +39 041 528 2334
http://www.cariccio.com/

Villa Rosa
Cannaregio 389 - Calle Misericordia
Very close to the train station this hotel would be best served as a place to stay before you leave the city by train.
Double Rates: 70 to 130 Euros
Phone: +39 04 171 6569
http://www.villarosahotel.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

I am sure many of my readers are fully aware that priceline.com can offer huge savings for the buget traveler. However many are not fully aware of how to properly utilize this website in order to get the cheapest price that priceline.com will accept. Well it turns out there is another website called biddingfortravel.com whose sole purpose is to promote informed bidding using priceline.com travel deals.

So in order to get the best deal with priceline.com it would be advantageous to first check biddingfortravel.com to see what was the lowest accepted offer for a particular state or country. I will say that it would be a really great idea to make sure that you first familiarize yourself with biddingfortravel.com and priceline.com terms and conditions before attempting to make any bid.

Using both websites is a great way to potentially save some serious money on your next flight or hotel or even car rental for that matter. Hopefully this might just save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars over time.

Let’s just say that traveling around the world is high on my to do list. It is something that I have dreamed about for a while. I would imagine traveling to far off and exotic destinations such as Singapore, Thailand, China and the former eastern bloc countries such as Croatia and the like. Of course I would travel all around Europe as well as there are many places I have not been yet such as Switzerland and Austria.

Traveling around the world takes a lot of planning and doing this on your own is definitely not recommended as purchasing tickets individually can really cost a lot of money. Fortunately there are other options out there. One of the best options is to use of a service called Air Brokers. This company specializes in around the world planning and can really help plan where and when you want to go in order to save you both time and money. Another service provider would be Air Treks who can save you a lot of money since they purchase tickets at bulk prices and pass the savings on to you.

Now you may ask what would be the average price for a around the world trip. Well the price really varies on when and where you want to go however I would definitely plan on spending at least $6,000 for each person. However you may be able to spend less depending on how you structure your trip and if you go to cheaper destinations such as India and some of the developing Asian countries.

Traveling by air is certainly not the only option when circumventing the globe. Many cruise lines offer a round the world itinerary option. This is certainly not for the budget traveler as this option is certainly more expensive then flying around the world. This option is great for those that do not want to hassle with airport security at each destination which can become a bit exasperating. The best deals to be found are through the Internet of course as many travel agents do not specialize in this area. A great resource can be found at vacationstogo.com on their world cruise page. Not only will this give all the options available but it may save you some money in the process.

Traveling by luxury cruise liner is certainly not the only option when circumventing the globe. What most travelers are not aware of is that you can also circle the world by freighter. This is certainly an option for the more adventurous traveler as many of the amenities available on cruise ships will certainly be lacking. However this is not to say that these ships are not comfortable, they are just geared more towards the shipment of cargo then supplying entertainment for their passengers. The rate for participating in such a adventure is not cheap as the price per person ranges between $12,500 and $14,000 so it is definitely not for the budget traveler.

I would say that you would need to plan at least a year ahead of time in order to get the best deal on your trek around the world. There are many resources and people to help you plan your trip. It really depends on where and when you want to go and how adventurous you want to be. i just ask that if you actually do one of these trips around the world that you record your experience for all to share. That way you will be not only preserving your memories but also allowing others to learn from your successes and setbacks.

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!