Venice hotels vs Monastery stays -- working on booking everything

How about an apartment?
Lots of people here would surely recommend a good one.

Can’t comment on monastery stays, other than that something in Dorsoduro near Accdemia is well located.

Or maybe an apartment. I have stayed here for two weeks, and returning in a month. Tell Michele that Peter from Australia recommended his apartment.

https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/360544?eluid=2&euid=1672ad1e-e960-aa8e-b4e3-ca2d4ed33087

A few years ago, my family and I stayed at Hotel Tivoli near Frari Church. Here's what you get: basic, clean bare bones room. Your own bathroom. AC from 9 pm - 6 am. Decent breakfast (yogurt, sliced cheese and meat, etc.,). No elevator. Be willing to haul luggage up steps. Good location.
This is a small hotel - it's almost a B&B.
I would stay here again. There is a grocery store called Billa, if that helps your budget.

If the Hotel Tivoli works for you on price, it would be a good choice. (Caveat - I have never stayed there.)
Location is good, no bridges to cross from the San Toma vaporetto stop.
Nearest landmarks are Campo San Toma and the Frari church.

The Billa supermarket chain has been sold, shops have been re-branded as Conad.

What is your budget for hotel in Venice?

If you decide to stay at hotel Tivoli - let me know. I would like to share a couple of tips with finding it.

hey horsewoofie
i have a few places for you to check out:
hotel guerrato - have rooms with shared bath. haven't stayed here but i know it's been mentioned in RS book
cross-pollinate.com - some are bnb's and some apartments, see if something strikes your fancy. read fine print because some may want cash on arrival. used them once in another city, no problems.
cabadoer-veniceflat.it - we stayed in the west studio. absolutely loved it, quiet, frari church behind and loved to hear church bells, washer, little balcony, small elevator, couple that own it are fabulous. we could leave luggage. good area to roam around, san toma stop, close to rialto bridge and st marks but yet so far from the crowds. you need to send a booking form or email and good at returning mail.
looked at your monastery places, and placed a dummy booking, don't know if 1 or 2 of you, but a double bed for 5 nights was about same as an apartment.
hope this gives you more of an insight to other places, let us know what you find, you have 6 months
before your fun tour begins. good luck
aloha

On my last trip to Italy I stayed in convents in Venice, Matera, and Rome.
They were all very clean and convenient to the sights, and as a solo traveler I appreciated the lower price than I would have had to pay for a hotel room.
They didn't all offer breakfast but there were always bars nearby for coffee and a croissant or bread and jam.
Except for the particular one in Rome I found the sisters to be very friendly and sweet.
In Venice I stayed at San Giuseppi just a little bit behind San Marco Square. I liked the area as it was close but out of the tourist drag.
A friend of mine stayed at the Salesian Brothers monastery which is in the Arsenale district, so a little farther out but not touristy.
I also like the Dorsoduro neighborhood and have stayed there, although not in a convent or monastery.
They will have curfews but since I'm not a late night person it was never a problem for me. I think that if you let them know that you have a concert or opera they will still let you in!
Let us know what you decide upon. (And I am so happy that you are doing this trip. Was there ever a resolution with the lawsuit against that swindling tour seller?)

So glad you took the plunge for the South Italy tour and I’m sure you’re enjoying planning the other parts of your trip. I want to return to Venice so I’m reading with interest that there are convents, etc.

I stayed at Hotel Tivoli for 3 nights in early May of this year. My stay was just fine. Breakfast was just fine and comparable with anywhere else in Italy. Staff very friendly. I did have trouble finding it the first time. Supposed to be 15 mins walking from train station. It would be if you turned at each correct corner. That being said I did like the very quiet location, away from the tourists. Was easy enough to walk anywhere like the Academia Museum, the Rialto bridge, Piazza San Marco. Just learned to look at landmarks along the way. Also a very good fast food pasta place several doors away. Cups of pasta and sauce for about 5 euros for lunch. I would definitely stay the Tivoli again, and the price was right.

Whatever place you are considering, make sure that "private" bath means ensuite, if you care about that. Sometimes it means no one else uses that bath, but it is down the hall.

Or better yet, you have to go through the living or breakfast area to get to it. That was the case with our "private" bath in a Venice B&B about 9 years ago.

We spent two weeks in Cannareggio near Madonna Della Orta in a friend’s apartment and loved the area. This is a real neighborhood, away from the tourist fray. The vaporettos to the islands( Murano,Burano,Torcello) are nearby too. It isn’t far to walk down to vaporettos stops on Grand Cansl either.
Dorsoduro is also a very nice, well located neighborhood. My sister enjoyed Pensione Accademia.

Castello seems a little far away

I think nothing is "far away" in Venice. Looking at a map you don't really get an idea of how small the city is.

We stayed in an apartment in Castello last time and had supermarkets and restaurants close by ( on Via Guiseppe Garibaldi) - and Piazza San Marco was just 15 minutes walk away.

Decision made: I went a totally different way and decided to play tourist for my first time in Venice. I just booked a B&B in San Marcos, Casa Fenice. Almost as cheap with good reviews.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions and information. Next step is to book city tours and trains, but I think I have to wait a bit closer to travel dates. At least the major bookings are done.

Like SharYn, we stayed at the Instituto San Giuseppi. It was excellent and luckily we were there after the A/C was on. No breakfast, but breakfasts at the other monastery stays we stayed at we not that great.

After the trip, I asked my wife if in the future she would consider staying at a place other than the monastery stays. “No” was her reply.

I know you have decided elsewhere, but I encourage anyone to consider these alternatives.

hey horsewoofie
yeah, you didn't take long to change you mind and be booked. must of been a good night sleep and some posts here. haha happy for you look at schezzini.it alessandro does a cixhetti tour (finger foods and wine) and talks about the history of venice also. the has a tour that does this and a trip to burano, if you're interested. another site to look at is ilburchiello.it a boat ride up the brenta river and it's history.
aloha

Yay horsewoofie.
Just read you went the bnb route.
That is what I was about to suggest!
Ciao, ciao!

Kathy, if you drink wine I recommend the cecchetti tour that Alessandro does.
It's a lot of fun, plenty of food and wine, and lots of local color.
His contact information is in Rick's book.
He'll put together a small group of travelers so it helps to be flexible about the evenings if possible.