Great location

We stayed at the Hesperia in May 2005. The location is excellent, 5-10 minutes from the Piazzale Roma where the buses from the airport come in. It is located in Cannaregio on the Cannaregio Canal, a few minutes walk from the western end of the Grand Canal. Vaporetti stops (San Marcuola to the east and Ferrovia to the west) for the Grand Canal are a short walk away. There is also a stop (Guglie) close to the hotel. The area around the hotel is more relaxed than the more obvious tourist areas, less crowded but still with lots going on. We ate at the Hotel Marte on our first night (on the corner by the bridge) and unfortunately felt we were ripped off (87 euros for two for one not very good course and wine and staff who were friendly enough but didn't seem to like tourists much). However some might say we paid for the canalside location. Watch the mosquitos if you sit by the canal. On our second night we asked the hotel staff for a recommendation and had a much better meal. Hotel staff are multilingual, helpful and friendly. Our room was fairly basic but clean and comfortable. Highlights of our trip were coffee in Caffe Florian in St Mark's Square (orchestra, waiters in white coats, expensive but worth it), going up the Campanile in St Mark's Square and having a 360 degree view all over Venice and beyond and a swim in the Adriatic from Lido island. Prices for food and drink on the Lido are MUCH cheaper than in Venice itself. Watch out for cars though - it was a bit of a shock after pedestrian Venice.

Excellent value for money!

This friendly family-run hotel is in a peaceful location away from the crowds but only a few minutes walk from the train station & Grand Canal. Our room was light & airy & spotlessly clean, bathroom was small but well equipped & again immaculately clean. Breakfast was very good & included fresh croissants, cereal, fruit, yoghurt, juice, coffee etc. We would happily stay here again for the friendly service & quiet location, not to mention the excellent value for money compared to many other hotels in Venice!

Stellar service and great location

We stayed at this little family run gem in September of 04 after having found it on this site and really couldn't have been more pleased. Charming, VERY convenient to the termini and the water bus lines, comfortable and cozy. Terrific, knowledgeable and amiable service from the proprietors as described in other reviews. Bathroom was postage stamp size, but who cares? You're in Venice in a room overlooking the Canareggio canal! Highly recommended.

The best

we have just come back from venice on the 31st of jan 05 .We have been to venice four times in two years and we would not stay anywhere but the Hesperia ,staff are great and the two sisters and there dad who run the hotel are very warm and helpfull we went with are small children this time and thay where just great. ThankS girls we love you all ,see you again in july suzanne caulton and kids

PS rooms are very clean and breakfast is great .

Not very accommodating

I am posting the following to share the experience my wife and I had

with Hotel Hesperia in Venice Italy:

We had a trip planned to Italy and then along came the events of September 11. There were warnings from the United States State Department warning Americans traveling abroad and especially to Italy of possible terrorist activity. So, based on these events and warnings we decided it was best to postpone our trip. We telephoned the airlines (United), hotels, and the car rental agency to cancel; every one of these places was gracious and understanding and had no problem with our cancellations; there is one exception...HOTEL HESPERIA in Venice Italy. This hotel refused to return our deposit; when my wife called to further explain why we had postponed they were very rude. After several communications with them they have still refused to return our deposit, so I thought a posting here may help others planning trips to, or in the selection of accommodations in Venice, Italy.

Helped to make it a wonderful break

A lovely hotel that comes complete with lovely owners set in a cosmopolitan and bustling area.

So convenient for the the main Waterbus routes, just over the other side of the Cannareggio Canal, that you can be anywhere on the island or the lagoon within minutes.

We've promised to go back and I don't break a promise.

Kind, knowledgeable and pleasant

Small warm hotel serviced by kind, helpful and knowledgeable people. The rooms are really clean, during the winter a little cold--but they provide tons of blankets. While we were there a transit strike occurred, we wouldn't have known if the people at the front desk hadn't mentioned it to us. They were always very willing to explain anything and everything, since it was our first time in Italy. Breakfast was really good, and there's a pay phone as well as small stores located around the corner from the hotel, so you're not really isolated from "it all". Great experience!

A great location and value to boot

The hotel, even though it is located in the north off the Grand Canal is a top notch place from top to bottom. It's a small hotel, great breakfast and staff. Within a five minutes walk to the train station and 10 minutes from the Parking area using the water taxi on Rt 51. The hotel rooms overlook one of the canals and if you are looking for that nice place and a decent value, then this is the place to go.

Charming, relaxed, lovely & a value

A friend living in Murano investigated hotels for us and recommended the Hesperia. This family owned and operated hotel was great. We'd been told to avoid 2 star hotels but we would have no qualms about recommending this one to anyone looking for a good value. Spotless. Generous and accommodating. Lovely continental breakfasts. We had a view of the canal. The only concern for some might be the lack of an elevator.If you're looking for elegance with all the features of a Ritz Carlton this is not the place for you. But if you'd rather spend your time and money exploring the city it's perfect and you'll be sharing the hotel with many Europeans and far less Americans but the owners speak English so it's not a problem if your Italian is not up to par.

Good Enough for Me

I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the room. It was small but spotless. The bathroom facilities were some of the best I've run across in Europe. The staff can't be helpful enough. The location was good for me. It's within easy walking to the train station and close to the water taxi. Good English skills and great hot chocolate. Try it, you'll love it!