Venezia Hotels

Pensione Accademia

A longtime favourite Venice pensione, the Accademia is loved for its rare garden setting (roses and fruit trees, canalside patio). Inside the shuttered 17th-century mansion, bedrooms have been renovated to a good standard with inlaid wood floors and antiqued mirrors. The public rooms are plainer. NFondamenta Bollani, Dorsoduro 1058, 30123 Venezia.

Hotel Bucintoro

This simple, old-fashioned, family-run pensione has fabulous views from every room. Some, such as Nos 1 and 11, have windows overlooking both San Giorgio Maggiore and San Marco, and are much in demand by artists. No 4 has a large bed, airy curtains, and the lagoon waters gently lapping below. All rooms are plain, clean and light. Basic breakfasts. Riva San Biagio 2135, 30122 Venezia.

Hotel Bisanzio

For those who value uncomplicated comfort and convenience rather than character, this is a pleasant, quiet hotel set back from the Riva degli Schiavoni. The reception area is spacious and streamlined, with sitting areas and a bar. Best of the bedrooms are those with private terraces and rooftop views, and the family rooms. Calle della Pieta, Castello 3651, 30122 Venezia.

Hotel Locanda Ai Santi Apostoli

Lovely third-floor palazzo apartment transformed into an elegant B&B. Stylish sitting room and spacious bedrooms. Strada Nuova, Cannaregio 4391, 30131 Venezia.

Hotel Agli Alboretti

Simple, spotless bedrooms with tiny bathrooms near the Accademia. Breakfast in summer under a pergola on the rear terrace. Rio Terra Foscarini, Dorsoduro 884, 30123 Venezia.

Hotel Hotel des Bains

The setting for Death in Venice, still evocative of that belle époque period. NLungomare Marconi 17, Lido, 30126 Venezia.

Hotel  Londra Palace

This venerable hotel can claim to be in the top league. Public rooms are cool and elegant, with good food served in the romantic dining room. Front bedrooms (the hotel boasts 100 windows onto the lagoon) have matchless views, and the quality of furniture and original paintings is impressive. Riva degli Schiavoni 4171, 30122 Venezia.

Hotel  Gritti Palace

As Somerset Maugham wrote, there are few greater pleasures than taking a drink on the Gritti’s terrace at sunset, watching Salute church bathed in colour. Before bed, he advised, glance at the portrait of Doge Andrea Gritti, who, after a tumultuous life, spent his last years here in peace. Campo Santa Maria del Giglio, San Marco 2467, 30124 Venezia.

Hotel Quattro Fontane

A wide, shady terrace encircles this 150-year-old mock-Tyrolean building. It has lots of character, with charmingly decorated reception rooms filled with mementos of the owners’ travels. Bedrooms in the main house are individual; those in the annexe are more streamlined, with gaily painted bathrooms. Via Quattro Fontane 16, 30126 Lido, Venezia.

Hotel  Piccola Fenice

Right by La Fenice theatre and sister hotel to the well-known Fenice et des Artistes. The spacious suites for up to six people are perfect for families. Bathrooms are prettily tiled with generous basins; furniture is attractive; and there are facilities for making breakfast. The topmost apartment has a little terrace. Calle della Madonna, San Marco 3614, 30124 Venezia.

Hotel  La Residenza

This grand Gothic palazzo overlooking Campo Bandiera e Moro appeals to true lovers of Venice. For a modest two-star, it has a deliciously immodest setting, with a vast, lavishly stuccoed Baroque hall. Some of the rooms are quaintly old-fashioned, but taking breakfast here in the early morning light is a treat. Campo Bandiera e Moro, Castello 3608, 30122 Venezia.

Hotel  VENICE Danieli T

his palace became a hotel in 1822, thereafter housing a raft of famous figures. Riva degli Schiavoni, Castello 4196, 30122 Venezia.

Hotel Locanda Sturion

If you can conquer the steep stairs, you will find plush, handsomely decorated bedrooms, two of which overlook Grand Canal. Calle del Sturion, San Polo 679, 30125 Venezia.

Hotel Locanda Ca’ Foscari

Budget one-star hotel, a cut above the norm. Modest but pristine bedrooms; some have their own bathroom. Calle della Frescada, Dorsoduro 3887B, 30123 Venezia.

Hotel Raspo da Ua

For local colour and little money, plus the chance to enjoy Burano at night minus the crowds, a restaurant with simple rooms. Via Galuppi 560, 30012 Burano, Venezia.

Hotel Venice Rentals

London-based specialists offering a wide selection of apartments from cosy studios to luxurious palazzos. In a city where hotels are booked months in advance, this is a delightful and cost-effective way to become part of its fabric. Enjoy, if only for a short time, the domestic pleasures of being un veneziano. Various apartments throughout Venice.

Hotel Serenissima

A stone’s throw from St Mark’s, with simple but pretty bedrooms and many attractive modern paintings on white walls. Calle Goldoni, San Marco 4486, 30124 Venezia.