Ciao! We are headed to Venice for our 25th anniversary and only have 2 days, so we want to maximize our experience. Would love suggestions about the best part of the city to stay in, recommended hotel/apt as well as recommendations for a private guide for part of the visit. Grazie!
I would read Rick's guide on Venice. The upshot is 1) as far away from the train station/Piazalle Roma/Rio Terà Lista di Spagna as practical, and 2) any hotel on a popular tourist piazza or overlooking the Grand Canal will probably be overpriced.
I don't know your budget, but I would highly recommend this place:
http://www.hotelsaturnia.it/en/page/venice-hotel
We had a lovely room that looked out over a small canal. Very romantic!
Its a special occasion and requires a special hotel.
Hotel Bauer is in the heart of San Marco.
http://www.bauervenezia.com/en/
Congrats.
We stayed at Palazzo Odoni for two days just last month. We absolutely loved it. We were greeted by the hotel dog, Maffy, a golden retriever, when we arrived! The staff, food, location and everything about it was wonderful.
Here is my review:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/residence-palazzo-odoni-venezia?ylist=italy-venezia-11