My wife and I just returned from a two-week trip in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. We booked almost all of our lodging based on advice from Trip Advisor. Of the places we stayed, the Hotel Altieri was the nicest place while being one of the least expensive.

It is clean and new. The rooms are quite large by European standards. The bathrooms are modern with a nice shower head. The beds are very comfortable. The hotel has air conditioning, which is a rarity in Europe. This could be important in the summer. Each room has a TV, but it doesn’t have any English stations. Still useful for getting weather information.

The staff is very friendly. They were professional and offered sound advice on ground transportation to/from the city as well as local places to eat. (The choices are somewhat slim – a few pizza shops nearby and they also recommend a hotel down the street which has a restaurant, but we didn’t try it.) There is a sign for a Burger King not too far from the hotel, but when in Italy I wouldn’t recommend BK. The local food and wine is too good!

The breakfast (included) was typical Europe – croissants, yogurt, deli meat and cheese, some bread/pastry, cereals, and typical beverage choices (juices, coffee, milk, etc.) All very fresh and tasty.

The location may be the only perceived weakness. However, if you are traveling to or from the airport it is a short and convenient (5-10 min) bus ride. This hotel is probably 10-12 miles from the island of Venice. It is in Favaro Veneto - a small, quiet town a few miles from the Mestre and a few miles from Marco Polo Airport. If I remember correctly, taking bus #19 is only a 20 minute (1 Euro) ride to the main terminal on the island. The bus runs every 30 minutes.

I highly recommend this hotel. You will not be disappointed with your decision considering the cost to stay on the island. When we were walking around Venice, we saw many people lugging their suitcases up over the bridges to (presumably) get to their hotels. Some of them are a good 30 minute walk from the train station. I think riding the bus into town would be easier. Not to mention the savings of staying on the mainland.

One important note – if you do decide to stay here, make sure you know how to get to the hotel from where you arrive in the area. There is no local train service nearby. If using public transit, bus is the only way to go. We got on the right bus from the Venice Mestre station, but the stops are not marked at all, nor is there a map on the bus. We ended up just asking the bus driver to tell us which stop to get off at – Favaro Veneto (also called Piazza Pastrello.) The hotel is a short walk from either of the bus stops in town.

I stayed at the Altieri hotel with my wife for 4 nights.

Pros:
- Cheap! I'd rather spend money inside Venice than invest in a more expensive hotel. After all we were at the hotel only at night, spent most of our time in Venice.

- Good breakfast. We had bread with cheese, ham, and salami; yogurt; cafe latte; and two sorts of juice.

- Service. The personel was very friendly and professional. We knew no italian and has no problem communicating with them.

- Bus service. There are quite a few bus stops about 100 m away from the hotel. Bus nr. 19 takes you directly to Piazzale Roma in Venice (15-20 mins). Bus nr. 4 also goes to Venice but takes longer. Bus nr. 15 takes you to the airport (10 mins)

Cons:
- The distance from Venice meant that we couldn't stay out late in Venice since we had to catch the last bus back to the hotel. Also it would be nice to have a place inside Venice where we could come home and relax and freshen up. If you're planning on doing alot of shopping, get a place inside Venice or else you'll be carrying all your stuff around with you all day long.

- The hotel claims to be a 3 star hotel, but we found it to be more like a 1-2 star. The room was quite small and the double bed was actually two single beds put together.

- The smell. For some unknown reason the room had a foul smell from day 1. Don't know if it had to do with the rains (?).

Conclusion: Good value for money. However I think I will try a place inside Venice next time, since it gives more freedom at night time and is a great advantage for shoppers. But if you're out to enjoy Venice during day time and not interested in much shopping, then you may choose this hotel and save money.
Good luck.

This hotel was nice but a little out of the way. We took a bus to get there and in Italy (at least in this area) there are no signs on where the bus is stopping. We were worried we were going to miss it. The hotel is bright pink and modern inside. Our room was large. It had a double bed and a single next to it. The bathroom was modern with a pretty good shower. The only problem was to turn the room lights on you must put the key into a slot on the wall. If someone leaves and takes the key with them the lights go out. No one wants to be in a dark room taking a shower-somewhat of a problem. There really are no restaurants or shops around here. The hotel will suggest another hotel in walking distance for dinner. The food was decent and a good price. There is a Laundry matt near by too! Breakfast comes with the room and is very good. Free Cappuccinos! Venice is a close bus ride away and from what I hear this hotel's room is cheaper and larger. I'd stay again, just don't be freaked about being outside of Venice, it's OK!

We stayed here for 4 nights. We booked online and wondered what we'd get but having seen everyone's reviews on the various websites, we thought we'd give it a go. We weren't disappointed.

The hotel is a way out of Venice (about 20 mins on the bus) - but there are buses every 5 mins just along from the hotel and they are very cheap - only €1. This is so much cheaper than a hotel in Venice and cheaper than some hostels we've stayed in Italy.

Transport-wise, we bought a 3 day pass for Venice for €25 which also covered the bus to / from the hotel / vaporetti in venice and boats to Murano, etc - well worth the money when you've got tired toes!

We couldn't fault the hotel. It was clean, spacious, towels were changed and beds made every day . The staff were friendly and helpful. There was a good selection of food for breakfast and the capuccinos and lattes in the morning were lovely.

We would stay there again and will recommend it to all our friends.