BB Live in Venice

The afternoon before we were due to leave, I got a call saying our room had been overbooked. We were offered other options, including one in Mestre. Taking that option added an hour of travel to our Biennale visit, meant we couldn’t change clothes, and left us dealing with overcrowded night buses. Just before the call, I’d received a text asking whether xxx was my girlfriend. I said no. Later, at the apartment in Mestre, xxx was there too, and by coincidence she knew my daughter. She had also been texted to ask if I was her boyfriend. They’d told her she was moved to Mestre because of a leak. The whole thing felt very unreliable. Hotel prices are often double during the Biennale preview and opening, so perhaps the B&B got an offer they couldn’t refuse.

It’s an apartment on the fourth floor with no elevator, and they won’t keep your luggage if you need storage. The owner isn’t on site, so you have to call and wait outside until he decides to send someone to let you in. The room itself isn’t bad, but the hassle really isn’t worth it.