Locanda Ovidius

We stayed at this hotel in September 2005. It was absolutely fabulous! My friends and I had a junior suite with a jacuzzi tub (Room 203). It was very large by European standards. Johnny at the front desk was wonderful, polite and helpful! I wanted to take him home with me, he was just so sweet. There is a beautiful view of the canal from the first floor balcony. We took some great shots of Venice from that balcony. The breakfast was your typical European breakfast but it was one of the better ones we had while touring Italy. Most Americans might be disappointed with the breakfast, but I was not. You will not be disappointed with this hotel. I would definitely stay there again.

What a wonderful place to stay! Gondola's right outside our window. A beautiful view of the Rialto Bridge. Definately not for those seeking quiet. Our room overlooked the canal. Comfy bed, clean, and very fine service. Thanks Rick Steves....

First of all, great location about 50 metres from the Rialto bridge. 10 minute easy stroll to San Marco Piazza. Easy to find, straight off the water bus. Excellent value for money, nice sized rooms, great bathroom with spa bath. Very clean rooms and hotel, very frindly and helpful staff who all spoke English well. Wonderful balcony at the front of the building where you can watch the gondolas go up and down the Grand Canal. Breakfast was above average and fresh made coffee from an espresso machine was a plus. Would definitely stay there again. Better than the other three star hotels we stayed in Paris, Rome and miles better than Athens.

Just returned from a week in Italy and the Locanda Ovidius in Venice was one of the pleasant stops along the way. Venice was hot and sticky, but the Ovidius' air conditioned rooms and comfortable accommodations were a great comfort to the tired traveler (elevator too!). Murano glass light fixtures and brocade wall coverings add to the charm of this hotel. Breakfast overlooking the bustling Grand Canal is a great way to start the day. Nice, helpful staff at the hotel which is an easy walk from the vaparetto stops and the Rialto Bridge. Some great dining venues along the Grand Canal in front of the hotel as well. It's a small hotel, so book well in advance.

This hotel is a gem - we'd definately stay there again and recommend it. Stay a few nights in Venice if you can, it is wonderful! And it is best when the tourist go to sleep and you can wander around the streets in the peace of venice. Location: Right next to the Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal. Housed in an old palace. Helpful Surroundings: Right next to the 'water bus' station. A 5 minute walk (if you follow the signs and don't get lost) to St. Mark's Square. Room: Large room, large bathroom, tiny shower but hey, you are in Venice - other things overshadow the shower. Beautiful touches like photographs and hand painted furniture. Very clean and quiet. On both floors, there is a public balcony overlooking the grand canal with chairs and tables, open all night. The breakfast room overlooks the canal -- you can't get a better view than this, even if your room does not overlook the canal. It is a small enough hotel that the balcony feels like your private space. Service: Very nice hotel staff - both at the dest and in the breakfast room. Very clean and quiet. Tips: Don't eat at the restaurant downstairs (not affiliated with hotel) -- quite a rip off and poor food. We got in very late and had no other choices at that time. DO -- get lost in Venice - because you can't really "get lost". Wander around, take as many turns as you want and you'll find your way back. Take #1 Water bus for 1 euro to get the entire tour of the grand canal. Take a gondola ride in the day, prices go up to 100 Euro for 1/2 hour at night. If you like more for breakfast: bring instant oatmeal, you can always get hot water. And a tupperware full of peanut or almont butter to put on the breads. Our small container lasted 16 days and hit the spot.

We arrived to find out that our room had plumbing problems and they didn't have any more rooms, so they needed to move us to another hotel. We were, of course, suspicious, but the woman at the front desk seemed sincere and apologetic, and she put us in a pretty nice alternate hotel (although in a slightly less convenient location than this one). All in all, I'd give them another shot.

Excellent value for the price. Perfect location and great view from public areas. Our room was larger than we expected, had excellent air conditioning, and a bathtub with jets (no shower curtain, though). The hotel is the first three floors of the building (another hotel is on the top floor -- this seems pretty common in Venice), and our room was on the 1st floor. (The reception area was the ground floor.) From the floor plan, it is clear that there are different room sizes. The hotel used to be the house that the current owners used to occupy. On the 1st floor, there is a balcony that overlooks the Grand Canal. Spectacular view of the Ponto Rialto. Breakfast was mediocre but adequate. Only 18 rooms, so you get personalized service. Got excellent help from the staff in arranging for a private car service in Milan. All of the staff speaks adequate English.

The Locanda Ovidius was a quaint b&b right by the Rialto Bridge. The staff was friendly and always helpful, and the room was big, clean and comfortable Overall we thought it was charming. Breakfast was fine - the same as in the other hotels we stayed at during this trip. I'd recommend this hotel to anyone who is a romantic at heart.

We visited venice this March and stayed in Ovidius for a night. We booked through Hotels.com and payed a 150$ per night including tax. Since it was a weekend we had to pay 20$ more than the usual rate. It was a wonderful experience. As mentioned be all the reviewer, the location is very good, I would say even better than staying in St. Mark's Sq. You can walk to Fresh Fish Market and the Rialto Market anytime you want. Also there are couple of fabulous restaurant down the road. If you are taking the waterbus make sure you take number 1, instead of number 82. Number 82, though it takes shorter to reach the station, stops at the other side of the canal and hence you have to drag your bags over the Rialto Bridge which surprisignly only have stairs and no flat path. The free trip to Murano with a private water taxi was an excellent experience. The Mazega Glass Factory people were very professional and even though we had no intention to buy from the begining they showed all the courtesy they would show to a avid buyer. Make sure you spend some time in the common room, from where you can take a long look at the rialto and Grand Canal. Our room was smallish but with every facilty. The bathroom was very modern and well equiped. We had a window next to a venetian alley. I enjoyed the morning crowd and the fisherman and restaurant people walking by. The front stuff was very kind to give us all the tips to venice and also provided us with a handbook with useful Italian phrases which my wife made good use of. All in all a very nice experience in Venice.

My husband and I visited Venice in July 2004 and were pleased with the location of the hotel. Our room was small and the air conditioning didn't work. The breakfast was gross - uncooked oatmeal passed as granola and not much else. Our friends also stayed there and had a fantastic room with a view of the canal. They spent more (+120 Euro more), but their air conditioning worked. Overall, a perfect location, but nothing to brag about.