Venice - Italy - page 283

where you can observe the Ghetto below. Double rooms go for 220,

depending on season, but an extra bed is only slightly more, making this a fine
choice for groups. Breakfast is included, and is served in a smart little room with
views onto the canal at the back of the hotel.

€

80 to

€

€€€

When it comes to getting your luggage to your hotel, an excellent choice
is the good-value Locanda Cà San Marcuola

5

(Campo San Marcuola, Cannaregio
1763; % 041-716048; www.casanmarcuola.com). Its lion-flanked entrance is just
a few steps from the San Marcuola vaporetto stop on the Grand Canal; this seri-
ously cuts down the time you spend getting lost while dragging your luggage
along every possible wrong alley. Guest rooms are unexpectedly spacious for
Venice, with quaint, comfortable furnishings. Remarkably, you can get a double
room here for € 120 during high season (breakfast is not included), although—as
with all Venetian hotels—rates jump up and down like a volatile stock exchange;
always check the website for specials. Because the hotel backs onto a small canal,
you'll also have access to a private boat, although it's only available after 3pm.
Guests can now order in-room Ayurvedic massage.

€€ - €€€€

Opened in 2003, the Apostoli Palace (Calle del Padiglion,
Cannaregio 4702; % 041-5203177; www.apostolipalace.com) is an unexpected
gem hidden down an inconspicuous lane with eight guest rooms at the top of a
narrow, steep stairway. After the tiny reception area, the bedrooms are fabulously
spacious (by Venetian standards, they're exceptional), with handmade Venetian
floors, timbered ceilings and antique-styled furniture; the bathrooms are particu-
larly bright, and there's Wi-Fi reception in every room. Two rooms have balconies,
while the unit named “San Andrea” has its own terrace. Far from the crowds and
the madness of the tourist areas, this tiny hotel—in an old house renovated by its
original owners—is quiet and friendly. There are future plans to add four guest
rooms, which may diminish the wonderful intimacy. Double rooms here can
range from as little as € 77 in November up to € 200 in the summer months.

All the rooms at Ca' Dogaressa (Fondamenta di Cannaregio, Cannaregio
1018; % 041-2759441; www.cadogaressa.com) are named for the wives of the
doges and have furnishings these pampered ladies would appreciate. In fact, the
hotel is a mecca of 18th-century lavishness, including all the standard Venetian
“antique” trimmings such as Murano chandeliers, reproduction furniture, silk-
covered walls, and elaborately carved headboards (first-floor units are in shades of
green, while on the second floor there's lots of yellow). Ca' Dogaressa is owned by
Giampaolo and Graziella Antenori, who lived here before turning to the hospital-
ity industry; you'll feel as if you're visiting a modestly wealthy Venetian uncle,
rather than staying in a hotel. There's a terrace on the roof, and you can also take
drinks at one of the tables at the edge of the Cannaregio Canal. Standard doubles
cost € 180 in high season; Internet specials on the website can lop 35% off that
rate, so be sure to check online first.

€€€€

€€€€ One of Cannaregio's most interesting hotels, packed full of historic
ambience and occupying a former confectionary warehouse, is Hotel Giorgione