Venice - Opinions on Hotel vs. B&B vs. Apartment (aka airbnb option)

If it is a bed and breakfast you are interested in, you might like Bed & Breakfast Alla Vigna. The owners are a sweet couple -Santos and Sousie- who will make you feel like part of the family. The B& B was formerly an old palazzo (palace) which has been turned into a bed and breakfast inn. It is elegant with marble and old Venetian decor. Your room will be large and you will have a private bathroom with a shower or tub. Bathrooms are large too. Try to get a canal facing room. They are the best. You also get a breakfast buffet. There are lots of restaurants and shops around plus you can walk or ride (via boat) to any attractions you want to see. It is a safe neighborhood and you'll see plenty of artists, writers, and filmmakers enjoying the quiet there.There is air conditioning which makes a huge difference in Venice! You will also have a tv in your room which many bed and breakfasts don't supply.

To see more and to book, visit their website at www.bballavigna.com

I recently stayed at Locanda San Marcuolo in Venice (50 meters from the San Marcuolo vaporetto stop), which is a small hotel in a quiet neighborhood. The breakfast was good and there was opportunity to speak to other people. The B&B idea is a good one, but keep in mind that some hotels function the same way (small number of rooms, breakfast included).

There are also convents/monasteries which have an even more communal atmosphere, cost is low for Venice (and other large cities), and a simple breakfast is included. These places are usually on quieter streets as well. Check santasusanna.org or monasterystays.com (the latter charges a commission up front). Monasteries and convents tend to prefer cash as payment.

We've been to Venice 4 times, and 3 of those times, we stayed at Al Campaniel B&B

http://alcampaniel.tripod.com/

It's in a great location - just a minute from the San Toma Vaporetto stop, hubby and I had the room with the bathroom across the hall (standard double). We've been mid-Sept and prices were about 75-80 euro. Marco was a great proprietor and we had some great chats with him and other couples when having breakfast (especially an Aussie couple we chatted with for about 30 min). Nice breakfast consisting of cereal/juice and meat/cheese (tho I don't think the last time he had the meats - cold cuts - maybe people didn't want it) and toast/rolls/lovely peach jam filled croissants, coffee/tea.

I tried booking them last year when we went, but my mom was with us. They do have an apartment as well, but it was booked up and we wanted to have a private bedroom, so I went with an airbnb instead which was fairly nearby to that. It ran about $150 a night. But as a solo traveler, you could probably find cheaper airbnb's. I do like getting to chat with people at B&B's (we seem to end up talking with other guests whether we are in Italy or California). Hotel's are def more impersonal. But I guess it's whether you are a people person or not...you can get airbnb's that are a room in someone's home, so you could interact with the people who live there (we've done this as well and have met some lovely people!)

Pensione is the common term in Italy for a small, family-run hotel, although they could also use Hotel or Albergo in their name. You have to read beyond that name if you're looking for specific quirks or amenities. Private rooms, usually just a few rooms operated by the owner, are also called affita camere. Most hotels offer optional breakfast but affita camere and AirBnB I think less so. Breakfast is not traditionally a big deal in Italy.

As a single traveler, I choose my accommodations by price and location first. That is, I go through Rick's guidebook listings and circle all the cheapest single rooms, then check more details. If they are also charming and family-run, that's a bonus. It's not unusual for all those features to go together, nor is it the rule. I would use on online search engine the same way, to define my budget and see what is conveniently located.