Video Archives - SandSpice

03
Dec 24
0

Booking a Venice Hotel 🎭

When planning your dream trip to Venice, securing the perfect hotel is essential for a memorable stay. Knowing how best to book a Venice hotel can save you time, money, and hassle.

From selecting the ideal location—whether it’s a charming spot in the heart of the city or a tranquil retreat on the outskirts—to understanding the peak booking times and exploring various online platforms for the best deals, this guide offers some tips and insights.

Choosing a hotel that aligns with your preferences and budget will go a long way to ensuring a seamless and unforgettable Venetian experience.

Highlights

Choosing Your Venice Hotel

Choosing our hotel in Venice was the result of some precise online research. Finding good, reasonably-priced accommodation – that’s not too far from the center – can be a challenge in itself. It’s therefore worthwhile scrutinizing the best deals that are currently on offer.

As with everything in Venice, the price you see is generally much lower than the price you pay.

We shortlisted a dozen hotels that were rated 80% plus by travelers. We then started to whittle down our choices based on location, price, number & date of reviews, whether or not breakfast was included, and the quality of the breakfast.

Ca ’Fortuny Hotel Venice - Great choice when Booking a Venice Hotel

Traffic Jam in Venice

Our budget for a Venice hotel was anything between €75 to €150 per night for a double room (including taxes, and any hidden extras).

However, as with everything else in Venice, the price you see is generally much lower than the price you will actually pay. On top of the advertised hotel price, you will have to pay an additional 10% in taxes, plus a city tax per person per night (low season).

Venice Tourist Taxes

In fact, Venice now has multiple tourist taxes, including an entry fee and a tax on overnight stays. These taxes, primarily targeting cruise line passengers, are intended to help the city manage over-tourism and preserve its cultural and environmental heritage

Entry fee

Day-trippers over the age of 14 pay a fee to enter the ancient part of Venice:

Cost: The fee is €5, but increases to €10 if you book less than four days in advance
Dates: The fee is in effect from April 18 to July 27, 2025, on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays
Exemptions: Residents, students, workers, and those with hotel reservations are exempt
Payment: You can pay the fee on cda.ve.it and receive a QR code to present if you’re checked

Overnight stay tax

Non-residents pay a tax for each night they stay in a hotel or other facility in Venice:

Cost: The rate is between €1 and €5 per person per night, depending on the time of year and the type of accommodation
Exemptions: Children under 10, disabled people, and those with hotel reservations are exempt

Our Choice – Ca ’Fortuny Hotel

After much deliberation, the hotel we decide to book was the Ca ’Fortuny located in Rio terà della Mandola, just a few minute’s walk from the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark’s Square.

The price here was €150 per night for a double room with breakfast. So for 2 nights together excluding taxes the final price was €300 – just within our maximum budget of €150 per night.

There is much to recommend Ca ’Fortuny. A great central location, very high Traveler’s reviews, reasonable price, and an excellent breakfast (not simply croissants, jam and coffee).

Ca ’Fortuny Hotel – Close to the center

Immediately after booking online, we received an email from the hotel giving us useful information and directions.

We would be arriving in Venice shortly before lunchtime – our Airport Express bus was scheduled to arrive in Piazalle Roma around midday.

From there, we planned to walk to the hotel, with the aid of our map (see Venice off-Season). This seemed like a nice way to introduce ourselves to the city. Since it was lunch-time, we had also ear-marked a few cafes and restaurants that we wanted to check out along our route (see Osteria & Trattoria).

It was surprisingly easy (and quick) to navigate our way to the hotel. Our room was small but perfectly adequate – nicely decorated, with a well-equipped and modern bathroom.

During our stay, we did begin to notice small defects: a slightly unstable wall-mounted toilet, broken peddle bin, a few lights not working, and a non-functioning flat screen TV. For us these are minor gripes, outweighed by a well-heated room and plenty of hot water for the bath – it was January and cold outside – so we would use this a lot.

We were also impressed by the very pleasant and helpful staff, and the great variety of fresh food on offer at breakfast.

After Dark on the Grand Canal

Right next to the hotel is a small alleyway with a supermarket at the end: Useful for stocking up on Italian delicacies before heading back to the airport.

Our Verdict

The Ca ’Fortuny Hotel is an excellent choice for travelers seeking a blend of luxury and historical charm.

Located in a beautifully restored historical building in the heart of Venice, it is just a short walk from iconic landmarks like Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge.

The hotel combines traditional Venetian elegance with modern amenities, providing a comfortable and intimate stay. The helpful staff, clean and spacious rooms, and convenient location make it an ideal base for exploring the city.

Does this sound like the kind of place you’d enjoy staying at?

All Hotel Deals in Venice

If you like the Ca ’Fortuny Hotel Venice, check out our other Short Breaks & City Stopovers. You may also like:

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08
Nov 24
2

Penang Malaysia 🐉 Welcome to China

Tags : penang Video

Penang, an island located on the west coast of Malaysia, is a popular destination for tourists from all around the world. This small island is a melting pot of cultures, offering a unique blend of history, food, and architecture.

As soon as you arrive in Penang, you are greeted by its warm and welcoming locals, who are more than happy to point you in the direction of the island’s many attractions.

The capital city of Penang, George Town, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and for good reason. The city’s colorful colonial-era buildings, coupled with the intricate carvings and decorations that adorn them, make it a feast for the eyes.

Highlights

… Where are we?

On a first visit to Penang, you could be forgiven for thinking yourself in mainland China. As with the unbalanced demographics of Tenerife North in the Spanish Canaries – which is permanently occupied by a majority of aging Germans – Penang Malaysia seems to be home to many ethnic Chinese.

Rocky beach north of Georgetown

Such shifts in demographics are becoming a trend with the more easily-accessible travel destinations. Just 10 days earlier we were in Phuket, Thailand, where we couldn’t move for East European tourists.

We were arriving by boat from Penang’s more laid-back neighboring island – Langkawi. From what we had so far heard about Penang, we could expect a more vibrant and up-tempo lifestyle.

Langkawi to Penang by Boat

If you’re travelling by boat from Langkawi to Penang, you first need to get to Jetty Point in Kuah. From there you can purchase a ferry ticket from the Langkawi Ferry Services company.

Ferries to Penang usually run twice a day at 10:30 am and 3:00 pm.

Ferry from Langkawi to Penang

The price of a one-way adult economy ticket is Rm 60 (€12) – Children travel for around half this price. You should count on around 3 hours for the journey. The ferries are small but comfortable enough. Our journey was smooth, and they showed a movie to pass the time.

If you step outside the cabin around 15 minutes before arrival you’ll get some nice views of the north coastline.

Penang Malaysia – Arrival by Ferry Boat

Initial impressions of Georgetown

Our first impressions of Penang were gleaned from the long walk we took through Georgetown. Starting from the ferry landing, we wound our way through the maze of streets bordering Little India to our hotel in the south-west area of the city.

It was neither an easy nor a pleasant walk. The narrow streets are congested with cars and motorcycles coming from all directions. We picked our way over broken pavements and roads, with people and hawkers randomly milling around.

Noise, sewage smells and seeming chaos everywhere.

To avoid constant collisions you need eyes in the back of your head.

Penang Malaysia – Rooftop View

We were relieved to finally reach our hotel, and happily surprised at the very modern and quirky style of the decor – which extended even to the ‘uniforms’ of the hotel staff.

Neo+ Hotel Penang

At just an 8-minute walk from the Komtar Tower, the Neo+ Hotel Penang has an ideal central location. Supermarkets and restaurants are within easy reach.

Neo+ Hotel – Wigs or hats compulsory

Our hotel room was compact, but spotlessly clean, including a small fridge, kettle and really comfortable bed. The breakfast buffet was excellent, catering well for all ethnicities.

Perhaps the Neo+’s biggest plus for us was the large and spotless swimming pool on the roof. This was an absolute blessing after a day spent wandering around in the heat of the city.

We paid Rm 170 (€35) per night (excluding breakfast) for our room at the Neo+. Their buffet breakfast was an inexpensive and worthwhile addition. Although the supermarkets are not far away, the hotel has a little shop which stocks some basic items at reasonable prices.

All in all, the Neo+ Penang provided us with a cool and relaxing oasis from the hot and traffic-choked streets of Georgetown.

Welcome to the Neo+ Hotel Penang (I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore)

Penang Beaches – How do they measure up?

Before arriving in Penang, we’d heard that the sea around the island wasn’t very clear. Considering the amount of seafront construction going on, this isn’t too surprising. However, we understood there were some good beaches on the up-market north coast of the island. These are located along the coastline between Georgetown and the Penang National Park.

We took a bus from the Komtar bus terminal in Georgetown to go and find out for ourselves.

The beaches around Batu Ferringhi

Depending on the traffic, it’s a good 30-minute drive from the center of Georgetown to Batu Ferringhi where the popular beaches can be found. The beaches here are pleasant and sandy, and the sea is calm enough for swimming.

However, the water is murky. If you use a mask to check the view under the surface you’ll find visibility is around zero. Standing waist-deep in the sea, the sand feels muddy and sticky – in fact your feet will sink in an inch or two: Not the most pleasant sensation.

Some locals even consider the water insufficiently clean for swimming.

Penang Malaysia – Moonlight Bay beach

Further east along the coast, between Miami Beach and Batu Ferringhi, you can find Moonlight Bay.

The beach here is wide and sandy – a nice place for a picnic. However as with much of Batu Ferringhi the water is murky, and the area has been compromised by aggressive property development.

We planned to spend 7 nights in Penang, with quite a lot on our agenda. We were keen to experience the multi-cultural food, markets and ambiance of Georgetown. We also wanted to take a look at the booming property market to assess costs, and discover how the standards and quality of life compare to Europe.

Finally, we were hoping to purchase some jewelry, and where better to negotiate a bargain for gold than in the backstreets of Little India?

Hotels Around Georgetown