Venice for 5 people

Hi Lorie. What sources are you using to find a room? http://www.vrbo.com rents apartments, a good idea for so many people. We booked thru them for December. Try the recommendations in Rick Steves' book? Did you try Trip Advisor for ideas? We found our B&B there. Haven't used this site http://www.viewsonvenice.com to book, but have perused it quite a bit. Looks like some promising places. If you are only there two nights, apartments may be tougher to get (they like longer rental periods), but you can try!

It's possible that things are too booked up by now. I booked a room at Pension Guerrato on July 2 (of '08) for a mid-September room and all that was left for a double room was a small room just off the lobby with a bathroom across the lobby. Pension Guerrato is a stone's throw away from the Rialto market and the canal, tho it is not ON the canal. It's very nicely decorated and the people are great! If you can something there, I'd recommend it; but I fear they are likely booked.

I'm certain that rooms remain available somewhere in Venice for June. You're asking about a place for five people for two nights. Apartment rentals through VRBO usually require longer stays. So, likely, you're looking for two rooms somewhere. You say you want to be near the canal. I assume you mean the Grand Canal. Hotels along it are the most expensive in Venice. But Venice is full of canals and there's no reason to make staying near the Grand Canal a priority. It's not like trying to get an ocean view at a beach resort. Tripadvisor is one good resource for rooms. Venere.com is another - it's more oriented to Italy. Both have customer comments for each place listed. If you could suggest what your budget for two nights for five people is, we could probably add suggestions. But don't worry about being shut out of Venice this early.

I have actually tried trip advisor and venere.com and expedia and hotels.com. I am willing to pay what I must but also don't want a total hole in the wall. The only hotels I can find are not on venice but the surrounding islands. Does anyone know of any other ideas? Do some hotels hold their rooms for certain travel agents?

OK, here's what's going on. June 2-4 are the preview days for the opening of the Venice Biennale. Venice is going to be packed, which is why you're seeing online rates so high. I'm still not worried this far out. You may need to go to individual hotel websites and e-mail for availabilities. When I'm in this situation, I build a list of hotels from a variety of sources, including major newspaper travel archives online. I e-mail inquiries about availabilities in the evening and see what I hear back in the morning. I'm still not clear about your expectations. Would you consider a hotel with bathrooms in the hall, for example? Or are you seeking a place with a 24 hour desk, in-house restaurant and bar? Saying you don't want a "hole in the wall" doesn't help, because everyone has different standards. If you are specific about yours, you'll get lots of suggestions here.

In addition to the Biannale, there are also a couple of international conferences. It also appears that there are at least a couple of cruises that depart either the 3rd or the 4th of June. I think you have basically 2 choices; There are probably still several rooms available at smaller B&B's, Inns, pensiones, guest houses etc. but they may be harder to find. You may also want to look at spltting up in different hotels. one room may be easier to find at a location than two or three rooms. If you are set on staying somewhere on the Grand Canal in a more western than Italian styled accomodation or in a begger budget spot, you may have to change you prefeered travel dates. there appears to be plenty of availability the next week.

I booked a place called B and B Ciprea. I believe they have rooms for up to five people and the rates are pretty reasonable (85-100 Euro). It's about a 15 minute walk from St. Marks on the east side of Venice. A bit out of the way of the tourist path... just the way I like it. http://www.ciprea.info/indexcipreaUK.htm

I finally found a hotel!!! Thank you for everyone who tried to help me!!