Le Ville del Lido - Venice, Italy     

With the euro such a lousy value for American travelers, we sought out a reasonably priced Venice hotel that was not a dump. We were delighted to find Le Ville del Lido, a suite hotel set on the Lido beach island of Venice. For a total price including taxes of 90 euros a night, we had a very comfortable apartment-style suite with bedroom, living room and kitchenette, continental breakfast included. It is about a 10-minute walk from the Lido vaporetto (water bus) stop, with St. Marks Square about 15 minutes away by water bus. After sightseeing in Venice during the day we were always relieved to return to the Lido, which is much more mellow and relaxed, but it was always easy to return to central Venice in the evening if we wanted. The grounds of Le Ville are spacious and green with lots of lawn and shrubbery (it is an ideal place for families with younger children as they have space to play). A large pool had just opened for the season while we were there. Lido restaurants are a short walk away and the room had a small refrigerator. The staff is pleasant and helpful. Highly recommended.

Venice is such fun with kids, everything around you is the attraction rather than queueing for museums. Added bonus is no cars around, making walking with kids a pleasure, plus boat buses are fun and easy with kids. Lido is much quieter than central Venice so v. relaxing, with less crowds, especially out of high summer. Hotel was clean, friendly and good value. Breakfast adequate, and accomodation lovely. NB Venice much harder with a stroller (pram) - I would wait till 4+.