Hotel Antico Doge

We stayed seven nights, with several people in our group in different rooms. A couple of us had a terrible sewer smell coming from the shower drain. I covered it with a wet hand towel, which helped, but you have to lift the towel and run the shower for a couple of minutes at night, then put the towel back. If housekeeping comes in and removes it, the room stinks again, so we put the do not disturb sign on the door. Some others in our group had no smell at all. There’s a large window that opens and airs out the room quickly, though people passing outside make quite a bit of noise, especially on weekends. It got pretty loud at times. The staff were awesome, and breakfast was good, though it got a little monotonous after several days, which is just my personal take. The location was good.

The hotel had a distinct smell, either strong perfume or mustiness, and I was extremely disappointed despite having thought well of it from other reviews. The heaters also require you to flip breakers in the rooms to get them working. I’ll never stay here again or recommend it.

The location is a real plus, close to Rialto bridge and other sights. There’s a small gondola station right outside, and water taxis can stop there or across the canal by the ice cream shop. We asked for a canal view and got one, and the room was reasonably large and nicely decorated. It wasn’t quiet, though, so keep that in mind. The shower doors wouldn’t shut properly and left the bathroom floor wet after every shower. Breakfast was very limited, with croissants, muffins, bread, and a toaster, and almost no hot options. The coffee was good. Staff were generally nice and helpful. There’s no lift, so you need to carry your luggage up some stairs to reception. It’s a 3 star hotel, so don’t expect much luxury, but it’s good for what it is, especially for the location and accessibility.

The staff were the best part of our honeymoon stay at Hotel Antico Doge. They helped with our bags since there’s no elevator and gave useful advice for getting around Venice, including how to reach the airport at 3 a.m. The hotel and rooms had a charming, classic Venetian feel. Our room’s private hallway and door helped keep noise from other guests down, and the well-sealed windows blocked street noise when closed. There was plenty in the room: a mini-fridge, TV, make-up desk, closet, bidet, toilet, mini-safe, sink, and stand-up shower. The air conditioning kept things from getting hot but never really cooled the room. Breakfast was average, fine but not memorable. Overall, we had a lovely stay in a beautiful historic hotel with excellent service. I’d recommend it, especially to couples after a romantic, authentic Venetian experience.