Hotel Locanda Vivaldi

Situated along the waterfront promenade overlooking San Marco Basin, one of Hotel Locanda Vivaldi's best features is its location. The knockout views, especially from its terrace restaurant, is part of what make the hotel an exceptional — and pricey — place to stay. The hotel opened in 1999, but the property has historic ties to Venice-born Vivaldi. Common spaces feature classic Venetian-style decor, with antique furnishings, Murano glass lamps, and dark hardwood details. The effect lands somewhere between stuffy and charming, though in some common spaces the mix of patterned wallpaper, Oriental rugs, and pastel upholstery can feel busy. Still, it's a well-kept and intimate hotel, and the excellent location draws a well-healed, cosmopolitan mix of couples and other leisure travelers. 

Hotel Locanda has a coveted address in the popular San Marco neighborhood. It overlooks the San Marco Basin and the Riva degli Schiavoni, a promenade leading to Piazza San Marco. The hotel even has its own dock where water taxis (known as vaporetti) can drop guests off after a scenic "motor" around the city. The attractive neighborhood tends to be pricey, but it's accessible to major sights, and guests can wander the streets and find delicious hole-in-the-wall restaurants that cater to locals and offer reasonable prices (and often the best food). - Two-minute walk to Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace)

• Five-minute walk to Piazza San Marco
• 12-minute walk to the Rialto Bridge, the oldest bridge in Venice
• 18-minute walk to the Gallerie dell'Accademia museum
• 13 minutes to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection via water taxi
• 30 minute to the Venice Marco Polo Airport via water taxi

Individually decorated guest rooms, which were updated mid-2017, feature classic Venetian decor. Wood floors meet walls richly wallpapered in damask and other patterns, while swag valances, antique wood furnishings, and Murano glass lights lend a stately feel. Modern, white-marbled bathrooms tend to be roomy, with bidets and combination whirlpool bathtubs and showers in most; others are outfitted with nice sauna showers. All units have AC, flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, electronic safes, free Wi-Fi, and nicely stocked minibars, while bathrooms are outfitted with hairdryers and free individual toiletries. Standard and Superior Rooms, which make up the bulk of the hotel's stock, are similarly sized and equipped, but Superior Rooms offer picturesque views of St. Mark's Basin and the iconic San Giorgio Maggiore church in the distance. The view is an outstanding alternative to the courtyard views in some Standard Rooms, though guests in Superior Rooms sometimes complain about noise. The hotels has five Junior Suites and Suites, which add separate bedrooms, and/or furnished terraces, and can sleep up to four. (Not all suites offer the basin view.)

While this property lacks the convinces of many larger hotels (like a fitness center and spa), Hotel Locanda Vivaldi does offer dining and drinks. A satisfying hot and cold breakfast buffet is served in a creamsicle-orange breakfast room (or in-room for a fee), though it isn't necessarily included in the room rate. There's also a small bar and lounge with wood-beam ceilings for drinks and snacks. The best feature, though, is the seasonal terrace restaurant. It's open to guests for dinner (or just a drink) and the views are outstanding. The hotel offers concierge service, a 24-hour front desk, a meeting room, and free Wi-Fi. Some pets are allowed and children can be accommodated with high-chairs and in-room childcare (extra fee for the latter). The hotel also has its own private boat, which picks up some guests at the central station free of charge, though this should be arranged well in advance and is subject to restrictions.