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October
21 - 23, 2005 & October 31, 2005 |
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When planning our
vacation, the first thing we did was schedule our cruise with
the
Costa Victoria. The
cruise departed from and returned to Venice. Using the
dates of the cruise, we scheduled our stay in Venice. We
studied numerous websites and books about Venice before we
started making plans so we could make informed decisions.
We suggest you do the same.
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Even though the cruise departed and returned to
Venice, the cruise line did not allow for extended
stays in this lovely city. After hearing from the
other passengers, we were glad we planned our own air
transport and transportation to the ship. Many
passengers were flown into Venice and taken directly
to the ship and returned the same way.
Therefore, they did not see Venice except from the
ship. Stephanie snapped these shots when we
returned in the morning of October 31st.
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We arrived in Venice on October 21, 2006, 3 days before our
departure on the Costa Victoria on the 24th. We gave
ourselves 3 days to recover from jet lag, to see the
highlights of Venice, and to allow for any flight
delays/cancellations that might have made us miss the cruise.
We met in Chicago and flew to Munich, Germany and then to
Venice.
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There are several different ways to get to Venice from the
airport:
You can rent a car: BUT in Venice, there are no
cars. You must park outside of the city.
Take a water taxi: Most expensive option. AND you
will have a hike to the area where the water taxis are,
dragging all of your luggage.
Take the bus: Most economical and convenient
option. This is what we did.
The Venice airport is not large so it is easy to find the ATVO
ticket booth. The cost of getting to the Piazzale Roma
(the main transportation hub for Venice) is 3 Euros. The
buses pick up right in front of the airport. It is about
a 30 minute bus ride.
Please note, there are 2 bus services. The other is
called ACTV. It is easy to get the acronyms mixed up.
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The ticket
they give you for the bus (left)
and the schedule they have for the buses to
Piazzale Roma and for the return trip to the airport
below. |
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Where We Stayed
& Rules on How to Book a Hotel in Venice
When we were looking for accommodations in Venice we had a
list of criteria: 1) the hotel had to be somewhat near
to the Costa Victoria's departure point, 2) hotel had to be
reasonably priced, 3) it had to have 2 beds in the room, 4) it
had to have unlimited internet access, 5) was a smoking room,
and 6) have a room safe.
With our list in hand and a few maps of Venice, that I picked
up at a local bookstore I decided on the area to concentrate
my hotel search. At first I thought any hotel around the
Piazzale Roma would be ideal. They were booked.
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Rule 1 - Book w-a-y in advance.
Even though we were booking during an off-season, 3 months in
advance, it was not early enough.
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Rule 2 - Do not expect to find a
cheap hotel room in Venice. Compare prices and share a
room like we did, to cut costs.
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Rule 3 - Do not think that
booking through one of the online Hotel websites that you have
a room. I thought I had found the perfect hotel at the
Piazzale Roma with all the criteria I required. Then
about a week after making the online booking, I contacted the
hotel...just to make sure. Not only did they not have
our reservation, but they were booked. And you will
say......"but you have a confirmation number" why yes, I did.
But this is Italy. Just because you have a confirmation
number does not mean you have the room. Hotels in Venice
tend to overbook, just like airlines. Which is another
thing to watch out for. Also, they do not necessarily
honor the reservations from all online hotel booking websites.
So think about it. You end up at a hotel you thought you
booked and you don't have the room, what do you do? If
you booked online, who are you going to yell at? If you
used a travel agent at home, what are they going to do for you
half-a-world away? Why not use a travel agent in Venice
with a physical address so, just-in-case you don't get your
hotel room, you actually have someone to yell at or at least
cry to and beg for help. This is what we did.
I contacted VeneziaSi Hotel
Reservations
http://www.veneziasi.it/
I filled out their online form with my
dates/criteria and they contacted me via e-mail with what was
available. I then researched the hotels they had
available on the web. The hotel we chose was Hotel Abbazia. At 160 Euros a night, it was a deal for Venice
at this time.
They e-mailed me a pdf form to sign, agreeing on the terms.
I signed it, scanned in the form, and e-mailed a pdf back to
them. Sounds like a hassle but I felt more secure with
this reservation because I was communicating with a real
person in Venice. About a week later I e-mailed the
hotel directly to ask them about their internet access and to confirm
the reservation. They had our reservation!
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Rule 4 - Do not expect to find a
hotel with ultra modern facilities in Venice. We are
sure they are around, but for a price. Expect small
rooms with an old world feel. It is part of the allure
of Venice. Immerse yourself! |
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About the Hotel Abbazia
For more about this unique hotel, which is
the former Monastery of the Barefooted Carmelite Friars of
Venice, visit their website.http://www.abbaziahotel.com/
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Hotel Abbazia (photo from their website) |
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About Our Stay at the Hotel Abbazia
We stayed at the hotel twice. The 3 days before our
cruise and 1 day after. When we arrived in Venice we
only had reservations for the first 3 days. We
decided to live dangerously and book our last day in
Venice when we got there. Our reasoning was that if
we did not like the hotel we would look for another while
we were there for our last day. Well....we loved the
Hotel Abbazia and asked if they had a room available on
the 31st. They did, so we booked it.
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The room was
small, but we expected that. The room on the 31st
was larger. The bathrooms have been remodeled and
were modern. Our first room had a window that
opened up into the spacious courtyard in the center of the
hotel. A pleasant little
get-away. On our second stay, we were on the second
floor and we could not see the courtyard from our window.
The hotel serves a complimentary breakfast every morning.
There is cappuccino, juice, assorted pastries, a variety
of cereal, meats, cheeses, and hard boiled eggs.
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Courtyard of the Hotel
Abbazia from our first hotel room |
The breakfast does not begin
until 7:30 am so if you are an early riser, you will have
to wait until then. No American coffee here or
anywhere else in Venice. You may need to dilute the
coffee. We had cafe lattes. |
The staff were very pleasant and helpful. They all
spoke enough English to assist you and answer questions.
They offered to hold one of our bags in storage while we
were away on the cruise. When we left to the airport
on November 1st they suggested yet another way to get to
the airport. Private transport. At a cost
between a water taxi and bus we were driven by van to the
airport by a resident. The gentleman hand-trucked our
luggage to the rail station where his vehicle was waiting.
We hopped in and off we went. No bridges to cross,
no boats to take, no bus tickets to purchase.
There are the monastery bells that are rung every morning...... throughout
the entire morning. They did not bother us because
we were awake by then. If you are a late sleeper
they will probably wake you.
The room had a safe where we locked our valuables,
including the laptop. Our laptop was small enough to
fit in the room safe when I took the battery off. We
had a Dell Inspiron 700M. |
The Hotel's Internet Access
For the
internet access, you need to have 3 things. Your
laptop, a grounded plug adapter, and your cable.
Your AC adapter for you laptop should already protect your
laptop from the increase in voltage (check with the
manufacturer) but you will need a grounded plug adapter
for Italy.
Bring a cable with a RJ-45 connector. (The jack that looks
like a phone jack, but larger)
The hotel staff will give you the instructions on
how to log on. We had no trouble. If you do, they
offer to help you get connected. |
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Grounded
plug adapter for Italy |
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The back
side
of the adapter |
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RJ-45 |
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The rest of the photos from our
Venice visit are on the following pages:
- October 21, 2005
- October 22, 2005
- October 23, 2005
- October 31, 2005 |
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