Bauer Hotel

Imagine my concerns when my husband and I decided to take our two toddler children with us on a four day break to Venice to celebrate my 40th birthday after our babysitter fell through.
With no direct flights from Glasgow, we chose return Easyjet flights to London Stanstead and then Ryanair return to Venice Treviso - booked on the internet - and a bus journey to the heart of St Mark’s Square. Then just a couple of minutes stroll on to where the luxurious Bauer Hotel & Palazzo is located.
On our own, this would have had all the hallmarks of a romantic long weekend but, with our adventurous three-and-a-half-year old daughter Holly and inquisitive 20 month son Alex, both my husband John and I knew that the trip could turn out to be more of an endurance test.
In advance, we had contacted the hotel to get their take on whether kids were something they encouraged and found the staff welcoming, reassuring and friendly.
A bed would be waiting for Holly and a cot for Alex so with wrist reigns packed, we set off and found both flights to Venice went more smoothly than we could have imagined. Easyjet and Ryanair operate a policy whereby passengers with children get priority seating which meant we were amongst the first onboard and able to get the hand-luggage and the kids stowed, as it were, before the stampede!
The kids saw the entire trip as an adventure and with sticker books and colouring in pads at hand, the flights passed by without incident.
Having paid 12 Euros to enable us to board the bus which was waiting for us at the airport (kids go free), a relatively smooth 45 minute ride to the heart of Venice brought us ever closer to our destination. Then a Vaporetti, or water bus to our stop near St Mark’s Square.
Amazingly, the kids loved every minute, excited by the varied modes of transport. By the time we arrived in the evening, there was just enough time for a quick change (in Alex’s case, a fresh nappy) and off to the first restaurant. Again, this can be problematic with kids but wherever we went the staff at the very least put up with the kids or went out of their way to be friendly.
If there is a criticism, it is that Venice is all about tourism. 6 Euros for a glass of warm milk was standard in every restaurant. A bit steep when one considers that it’s to put in little Alex’s bottle. And child portions are a rarity.
Of course, being British we didn’t complain and got on with It.
The next few days saw us cram in Venice sights such as the Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s Square, a trip to the Lido beach, the Bridge of Sighs and even a gondola ride - while fielding questions from Holly who was becoming a bit of an expert and dabbling in Italian - "Ciao".
Be prepared to haggle with the gondoliers who will charge anything from 60 to 300 Euros. We waited until we found one who would take us for 60 Euros - a half hour ride down the canals including the Grand Canal itself
Sadly, the wrist reigns still in their packaging, all too soon it was time to say Arriverderci to Venice.
But we did so with the knowledge that, from now on, we won’t be limiting our holiday destinations on some preconceived basis that our children might not get it and should be treated like, well, children.
As usual, the kids have taught us a thing or two.