Hotel Location in Venice?

I have stayed close to St. Marks, in Cannaregio, and in Dorsoduro and have loved all three areas for different reasons. My theory now is to be aware of how many bridges I need to cross between my lodging (apartments in my case) and the nearest Vaporetto stop..
All areas are lovely but as I age, the ease of getting my luggage to my apartment becomes more important. And with the vaporetto system, getting around Venice when I don't want to walk that far, makes its very easy. Apartment owners are very glad to tell me how many bridges I need to cross so I'm thinking hotels will gladly do the same. Your mother will appreciate it.

How will you be arriving in Venice? One thing I noticed is that ramps have been installed on the bridges along the Riva east of St Marks. That makes it a bit easier for walking.

Not sure exactly how we will be initially getting into Venice. We'll be coming straight from the airport though.

I was thinking about the Vaporetto (sp?).

Do stay in Venice. It is much more fun to be there after the cruise ships and other tourists leave for the day. In my estimation it is also easier to walk places than have to take the vaporettos everywhere.

I've recommended Hotel Campiello a lot lately just because it is SO easy to get to from the airport. You take the Alilaguna Ferry (docks at the airport) to the San Zaccaria stop and the hotel is down a short street/alley from there. No bridges to cross. I initially booked in there because I was meeting my brother and SIL in Venice and wanted it to be easy for them to find. Brother was having back issues and I did not want him to have to cross many bridges after their flight from the NW part of the US. it is 2 bridges away from St Marks Square.

http://www.hcampiello.it/

Here is a link to googlemaps so you can see how close the dock is to the hotel.

http://goo.gl/maps/TiKv2

Take a look at hotel Ala. It's right at the Giglio vaporetto stop and an easy walk to San Marco. Use the vaporetto for everything else. Also remember that if you don't want to walk over the Rialto bridge you can get off at the Rialto Market and stay on level land.

Enjoy Venice, it's like being "in" a work of art and not just observing one in a museum!

A point of clarification: the vaporetti (plural of vaporetto) go around Venice, but do not go to the airport. The boats that go to the airport are the Alilaguna; these are on separate tickets from the vaporetti.

With four people, one of them not a great walker, you might want to consider a water taxi from the airport. It's not cheap (something like €120), but it will not only be faster than other methods; it will usually get you to a dock close to your hotel, minimizing the need to cross bridges and take long walks with luggage.

Stepping in and out of the water taxi requires a few steps, as does the vaporetto.

Sam mentioned ramps on the bridges east of San Marco. Those are temporary. They put them up in October for the marathon at the end of the month. Then they dismantle them---sometimes right away, sometimes not. But they are not there during the main tourist season.

I strongly suggest not using water taxi unless your mother is particularly spry They are similar to speedboats, and you need relatively good agility to get into and out of them, as well as some strength in your legs.

Definitely stay in Venice; it's wonderful to explore late at night or very early in the morning. There's a lot of walking in Venice, so I suggest you stay close by the attractions that most interest your mother. I stay in the San Marco area and really like the convenience.

You might want to ensure you get a hotel with an elevator – many places in Venice don't have one. Also ask lots of questions about the elevator. Sometimes you have to climb a flight of stairs to get to it, and sometimes you have to climb a flight of stairs after the top of the elevator

Venice is great for all ages. We had my grandfather here when he was 100 though he was an athletic walker. We had my 86 year old father in law with us there recently and he found it fine to walk.

I recommend the Hotel Moresco www.hotelmorescovenice.com/en It is gorgeous, central and -has air conditioning and an elevator. Having to go up and down stairs and be in an un-air conditioned place would likely be worst for your mom than doing leisurely walking.

@ Sasha, They better get crackin'. They were still there in February.

My two cents:

Make sure you don't stay on one of the two main routes from the station (Ferrovia) and San Marco.

We did that last summer and when we came back from a trip in the early afternoon it was almost impossible to get through the throng.

another vote for the Ala. So easy to the vaporetto and so convenient. And the Alilaguna Orange (Arancia) ends there, from the airport. An excellent hotel. It is just a few easy steps down from the main floor to the breakfast room, maybe 4 or 6.

I have stayed at B&B Zaguri, http://www.zaguri.net, less then 10min. to St. Marco square. Less then 5 min. walk from the S. Maria del Giglio water taxi/bus stop. Does not have an elevator, one flight of stairs up to main office and majority of rooms.

Sam---last time we were there they started dismantling the ramps the day after the marathon. I have read they sometimes leave them up all winter. But I do not think they are ever there in the summer, unless a big change has been made.

I stayed at Locanda Ca' San Marcuolo, it's a simple little hotel with breakfast and an elevator. Quirky but reliable. They have a little garden in the back as well. The hotel is 50 meters from the San Marcuolo vaporetto stop. Check it out at booking.com. It's in Cannaregio, a very quiet little area with lots of shops, restaurants a couple of streets away.