Best Western Premier Hotel Sant'Elena

Out of the way, but wonderful

Although the room that we had was quite small, we thoroughly enjoyed this hotel. It was on the water taxi route and only a mile and a half walk from San Marco. If one wants a place that is out of the hustle and bustle of Venice and yet is clean and welcoming with a great breakfast, this is the place to stay. Right around the corner from the hotel was a great little bar that had the best pizza we found in 3 weeks in Italy. We travel on a limited budget and this hotel was great find. I would recommend it even to my friends who have more money to spend on accomodations than we do.

Best 4 star hotel in Venice

This was the second time we stayed in the Sant’Elena. The hotel is away from the madding crowds in the Piazza San Marco but only 100 yards from a vaporetto stop. The hotel is a carefully converted monastery complete with cloisters. It is modern, spotlessly clean, has helpful English-speaking staff and the restaurant is first class. We will stay there again.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Forget about the Rialto and Piazza San Marco. Plunge into the back streets and be rewarded by hidden squares (campo’s), little restaurants with entertaining menus, beautiful old churches and more.

Satisfied, but....

it was a very nice hotel, clean and friendly. modern look and feel. the best way to get there since it is so far from everything is to use the water shuttle. when we checked out 2 hours before our train departed, we went to the dock and waited for the shuttle, but it never came and we found out that the shuttle service for the whole area was shut down for some gondola parade on the water. it would have been really nice if the staff would have told us this important information before we wasted time waiting for a shuttle that never came. we had to book it as fast as possible with our luggage to another port about 1.5 miles. very stressful. i have to think that the staff would have had some information about the event or how it affected the shuttle service.

Reasonably priced hotel in less crowded area

This hotel was in a peaceful less crowded location in Venice. Once you arrive at Saint Mark’s Square it is about a 15-20 minute walk to the hotel. Keep in mind if you have luggage with you that there are several bridges to cross along this walk. The room was nice and the size was reasonable for a European hotel, and the complimentary breakfast was great.

I would suggest that families arriving in Venice buy tickets for the water bus line 1 and ride the entire length of the route. It will give you a great perspective on the city and lots of opportunities to take pictures.

Quiet setting

Completely removed from the city, but easily accessible by water taxi or a healthy 20 minute walk. Great breakfast buffet (you must ask for cappuchino or espresso.) Save yourself money and disappointment by skipping the restaurant for dinner. Very expensive and not very good. Very friendly and helpful staff. This was the last lap of our visit to Italy and we really enjoyed the quiet location and neighborhood.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

Purchase the 24/36/48 hr. water taxi ticket and avoid paying $6.50 per person per trip. It’s fun to be able to hop on and off at will. Our tickets were never checked so it’s pretty much on the honor system. Great little market around the corner from the hotel. Avoid any cafe that offers "tourist specials."

Very good hotel in Venice

The location of the hotel is perfect for who doesnt want to be in the crowd of Venice. Its a 20 minute walk from Piazza San Marco, but beautiful view and it is like a typical italian village!Its worthy! The rooms are beautiful and comfortable and the breakfast is amazing. I strongly recommend this hotel.

Lovely Hotel

A beautiful very quiet hotel far from the center of town. Well kept, nice breakfast. One thing-- it is on a side streetin the St. Elena district-- just one stop from the Lido and right next to the sports staduim. The neighborhood is beautiful, but the location makes it difficult to transport the baggage we had brought with us. Next time we’ll pack lighter and would stay there again, especially now that we know how to find the place!

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

A nice quiet place. Really worth the extra steps to get there.

Quiet area - Short ride to St. Marks

High quality hotel only a short trip to St. Marks. Peaceful, convenient, and top quality.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

Not really much activity on Sant Elena Island.

very nice

rooms are nicer than the lobby which could use a face lift. hotel is not a 15 minute walk to San Marco Square like the other reviews said but a 25-30 minute walk which makes it a little of the way especially after a long day of shopping/site seeing when you want to go back to the hotel refreshen up then have to do the same walk again for dinner.

Fantastic hotel

Really fantastic, stylish hotel... and inexpensive by Venice standards. Refreshingly far from the touristy center of things in a lovely, quiet neighborhood. A great location if you are attending events at the Biennale Gardens. Beautiful clean white rooms with nice beds and a flat screen TV.

Very nice hotel in a quiet part of Venice

If you like to stay in a nice, clean, friendly hotel with a very nice breakfast included, all at a reasonable rate, try this hotel. It’s very much like staying in a small Italian village.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

About 100 to 150 yards from the boat dock WITH NO BRIDGES TO CROSS.

Take advantage of being away from the crowds at this wonderful hotel

We were in Europe for two weeks, and this hotel was the nicest and best value we experienced. I found the positive reviews of this hotel on Expedia were accurate. Nicely furnished, good breakfast, generous-sized rooms, staff was friendly, quiet neighborhood next to a beautiful waterfront park. The one comment I found wasn’t so accurate was that this hotel is a short walk to the sites. It’s about 25 minutes walk to San Marco (other reviewers had written 15 mins). The water bus is a one-minute walk from the hotel, so as long as you use that you won’t have any problems. The water bus comes by every few minutes from early morning until midnight. If you plan to stay out past midnight, you might want to choose a hotel that’s a shorter walk to Rialto or San Marco. Also, restaurants within walking distance of this hotel were nothing special (at least, we didn’t find any).

Traveler's tip on local attractions

Venice has a wonderful beach area on Lido de Venice (I was surprised). This hotel is only one water bus stop from the beach. Each day my family and I would sightsee from after breakfast until about 3:30 in the afternoon. Then, we rode the water bus to our hotel, made a quick change, and rode one more stop to the beach for some rest. Two hours at the beach and we were ready to enjoy our evening in Venice. Beach area has great gelato too.

Beautiful Area Peaceful Hotel

This hotel is away from the bustle of the other islands of Venice. The area around the hotel was quiet and peaceful where the locals do their daily routine. Easy to get to the other islands via walking or waterway. Rooms were nice and breakfast was served in an elegant manner.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Visited Lido Beach but did not fiqure to use the beach area. . I would make this part of the stay

Quiet Neighborhood Hotel in Venice

If you are looking for a quiet hotel walking distance from St. Mark’s Square, this one is for you. It is easily reached from the airport via the public water taxi system. You can walk along the water to the tourist areas and find charming little places to grab a slice of pizza or a beverage.

The restaurant in this hotel is really geared to fine dining, expensive, and not kid friendly.

Lovely and peaceful

This hotel is a 15 minute walk from St. Mark’s Square. The staff was very helpful, and the hotel itself wsa quite pleasant. After spending the day in ’tourist mode’, it was nice to relax in the hotel’s lovely garden. Breakfast, which is included, offered a large selection. Convenient, yet off the beaten path.

Very nice hotel!!!

We stayed here for 10 nights and were very impressed with the hotel and our room! The breakfast everyday was wonderful and offered a wide assortment of foods. The staff were very helpful. Had access to free internet. We loved being further away from the touristy area, but yet could hop on the water bus right near the hotel to go wherever we needed to go. Perfect fit for us!!

There is a nearby park with playground for families with kids. Easy access to ride the water bus, or can walk to San Marco in 15 to 20 minutes.

Things to consider

Although this hotel was excellent for hotel service, maintenance of the hotel, cleanliness of the room, comfort....you must consider it is far from all the main attractions. Its secluded behind a park, not very much action going on around the hotel its all residential and VERY quiet. I liked the hotel but not the location. I was only there for 2 days and I felt like I spent most of my time on the boat to & from the hotel.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

The vapooreto (metro system on water) is close by for pick up and drop off to your location of choice however, we bought the 48 hr pass and no one ever checked to see if we had paid or not. So I would buy as needed.

Great hotel

Me, my husband and two other couples staid in this hotel form 05/21/08 to 05/23/08. Rooms were nice, clean and very modern. Plasma TV in every room. Breakfast was very good comparing to other hotels in Italy we staid in. About 20 minutes walk form the center, which we did not mind. The only strange thing was that for the same price we all got completely different category rooms from very small to a suite.

Wonderful Staff---Storybook location!

Make sure you take the Water Bus stop named Sant’Elena! The hotel is located at the east end of the water bus stops. Go directly north from the water bus stop. There are lovely parks and a walkway that leads directly to it.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

There is a quaint little pizza shop right by the hotel. Try their 4 cheese pizza! Make sure to see the Doge’s Palace and Bridge of Sighs. The gondola rides are expensive, but worth it!!!

Nice hotel, but don’t expect not to smell smoke!

We enjoyed our stay at this hotel while in Venice, however, we were quite disappointed by the cigarette smell/noise that filtered into our room late into the night during one of our nights there. My husband called the front desk 3 times to ask them to please tell the guests that were below us to please be a bit quieter and smoke elsewhere, but the front desk did not do much to help us. Since the windows are not exactly airtight, smoke filtered in even with the windows closed. And since there is no fan or air conditioning in the room, it was quite unpleasant having the window closed with no airflow. I understand that people smoke, but since we were in a non-smoking room, it was pretty gross to be smelling smoke all night long. Perhaps the non-smoking rooms should be on the higher levels. Our other night there was perfect, no noisy/smoky guests below us. The breakfast was ok, and the front desk tried to be helpful in all other areas.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Venice is truly a city to get lost in! So beautiful and we can’t wait to go back!

Wonderful Contemporary Decor

Newly renovated, contemporary decor. Great breakfast. Location 20 minutewalk, or 10 minute vaporetto ride, to central Venice.

Peaceful, quiet setting yet convenient to everything

We found the Best Western Premier Sant’Elena to be a lovely, quiet spot away from the center of Venice, yet easily accessible via water bus. The hotel itself was formerly a convent but there are only hints and traces of its prior life in the modern hotel. Our room was very spacious and nicely appointed with very large windows looking out on a courtyard. The restaurant served some outstanding dishes. The hotel staff was pleasant and efficient and most helpful with suggestions on how to best get around the city.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Use Expedia’s trip add-on feature to book a private boat from the Venice airport directly to the hotel in advance of your trip. The dock is on a canal directly behind the hotel making the transfer super-convenient. Be sure to book the boat in advance as they can be very pricey for walk-ups.

Wonderful hotel and great location

This hotel is located on the Eastern end of Venice and is in a very quiet, residential area. We rode the waterbus to the Sant’Elena stop and had a short walk to the hotel. The staff at the front desk were very friendly, checked us in promptly and even recommended a restaurant around the corner for dinner. After a long flight, we quickly freshened up, and met the rest of our party in the downstairs bar. We enjoyed a few drinks in the lovely, quaint bar which is connected to the dining area, before heading out to dinner. Our room was on the 5th floor and overlooked a beautiful courtyard. We were there in Nov. and it was quite chilly, but I imagine it is really beautiful in the summertime, with outdoor dining. Our room was very comfortable and roomy with a nice-sized bathroom. I loved this hotel and would highly recommend it to others.

Great stay in Venice!

Great stay in Venice! This hotel is in the Sant’Elena neighborhood of Venice which is where a lot of the locals live. Very quiet and safe but just a few vaporetto stops down from San Marco. Staying here lets you be in Venice but also lets you get away from all the commotion when you want to. Also - fantastic breakfast!

Great location.

Only a short 20 minute walk from St Marks Square, this hotel is in a quiet, mostly residential, area. A large park is a block away and we found the area very suitable for children. There is a municiple water taxi very close by which will take you to all the tourist hot spots. Hotel arranged for free transportation (one way) and tour of a glass factory and provided some excellent choices for nearby dining.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

The municipal water transportation rarely asks for your ticket - right or wrong, we traveled mostly for free.