We spent the first week of December on vacation in Venice. We took a Saturday afternoon flight that landed after dark. We had debated a bit about how best to get from the airport to our hotel and decided to splurge and take a water taxi about €95, versus €24 for both of us to take a water bus.It was so the right decision for so very many reasons. First it was a 30 minute ride in the cab, the water bus would've been a little over an hour. Second, the water taxis are really nice boats. Finally, and most importantly you arrive in Venice and within minutes of getting your luggage you're on the water, moving fast and you start to feel immersed in the reality of water that is Venice.
We stayed at the Hotel Bucintoro. It was a great hotel. Really beautiful rooms, great servic
e and nice breakfasts. They offered room service breakfast for a small surcharge. Though there wasn't a restaurant, the bar offered coffee and gourmet munchies so it was a perfect place to take a break between touring and the evening out, or after the evening out for a night cap. We also had the most amazing view of Venice from our vantage point on the water and we're steps away from the water bus to the airport as well as all the major Vaporetti routes, making getting around really easy. St. Mark's was about a 15 minute walk and yet we felt like we were outside of the main tourist center and living more among the Venetians. I totally recommend the hotel as well as the location.That first night we asked the hotel for a recommendation for really good pizza and were direct to this amazing, very locals, pizzeria called Al Tosi Grandi at Castello 985/A - 30122. We only had better pizza in one other restaurants in Venice, but we had to eat with lots of tourists there.
