The Westin Europa & Regina - Venice, Italy     

We stayed at the Westin Europa and Regina for the last two nights of our honeymoon this past July. When we arrived, they told us we had been upgraded to a room on the top floor (room 556) with an incredibly view of the Grand Canal. Our price for the room was 320 a night. There was also champagne and candies waiting for us....a very nice touch. There were two large lounge chairs on the patio as well as a table and chairs where we ate breakfast each morning. We did not, however, pay for the hotel breakfast (54Eu a person) as we thought that seemed outrageous and our view was better than that of the dining room. The room itself was amazing with a king size bed and huge bathroom with a marble decor. The staff was nice, not overly friendly, but helped us with a map and dinner reservations. A quick note about food: A delicious restaurant called Bancogiro had been recommended to us by a friend (it is Piazza San Giacometto) and it is also known as Osteria de Andrea. It was absolutely FANTASTIC, so great in fact that we ate there both nights. They have a tremendous wine list with hard to find wines from all over Italy and delicious food. Our bill both nights was under $150 USD! A great treat and lovely location as you sit outside and overlook the Grand Canal. One other note: If you are going to be in Venice for 2-3 days, you might consider getting the two or three day pass on the vaporetti. It is more economical (52 Eu) and you just breeze buy the line by swiping your pass. You can purchase this pass at the tourist bureau in the train station or wait in the long lines at the ticket station outside. We also tool the alilaguna to the airport for 12Eu instead of hiring a taxi. It took about an hour and was very easy to negotiate. This Westin hotel is very nice, very grand and very expensive. It was worth it for us as this was our honeymoon, but we would probably not stay here the next time we come to Venice as there are more affordable hotels in other parts of Venice.

Stayed with the wife for our honeymoon. It was our first time in Venice and we aboslutely loved the hotel. I stayed using my starwood points and they gave us a top floor room with balcony overlooking the city. They also had champagne and chocolates waiting when we checked in. Venice is a tough city to navigate and even tougher with bags. The hotel isa bit of a walk from the water bus, but there are also private water taxis taht take you right to the front door. I thought the location was great, the staff nice and the room very elegant and with lots of personality. Don't miss the breakfast buffet which had a huge selection of delicious treats.