This deserves the number 1 rating. Donatello and Walter both went out of their ways, as did all of the staff. Great rooms, with good climate control. Everything was as advertised, and more. In a great location with wonderful restaurants in area. Felt safe and secure, and well cared for. Free internet was an added touch. All in all, a great hotel, and well deserving of the number 1 rating.

We have just returned from our 5 night stay at this lovely hotel. It is two years since our last stay and I thought perhaps standards could have slipped at little. However, standards are just as high as they were previously. My sister has stayed in the San Marco area on her previous visits and much preferred the area of this hotel.

We stayed in the main part of the hotel, ourselves in the suite and my sister in the red triple room. Both rooms are very spacious with large bathrooms for such a small hotel. Although the hotel now has additional annexe rooms, we never had a problem getting two tables for breakfast in the small courtyard area. We all enjoyed sitting in the courtyard for drinks after a long day out and about and the prices are very reasonable, as are the drinks from the mini bar in the rooms. All the staff were very accomodating and helpful whenever asked any questions. Sandro and Walter are charming hosts.

Travelling is very easy from this hotel, either by vaparetto or on foot and very easy to find from the San Stae stop. We purchased the 7 day travel Venice card and used this on a daily basis and turned out to be very good value. We also used it to travel to Burano and Lido - Burano is stunning!!

We used Chow Venice for choosing places to eat and had some very enjoyable meals. My favourite was La Zucca, the pumpkin flan was very, very tasty. There is a restaurant literally yards from the hotel called Mura which was also very good. For ambience and a real authentic feel, I enjoyed Al Nono Risorto in Campo San Cassiano. There is nothing flash about this restaurant but that is what I liked about it - very cheap too.

If you are considering a trip to Venice and don't want to be in the main tourist area surrounded by tourists, Santa Croce is ideal.

We recently went on a European trip that included France, Venice, and Germany and ultimately stayed in a 4 different hotels. None of them came CLOSE to the Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo in making an American family feel welcome.

Highlights:

Free wireless Internet. It didn't work initially due to room location so they PROVIDED an Ethernet cable and a power outlet converter so I could wire straight in. What a welcome bonus. So many hotels in Europe say they offer High Speed Internet but when you get there you find out it's often not free (closer to $30 per day) and often only in common areas.

The courtyard. Very quaint, clean and quiet. Pigeon free. Don't laugh, in Venice this is an accomplishment. The food is rather pedestrian for breakfast, but the staff is wonderful, friendly and attentive.

The owners. They are happy to converse at length with the guests and give well considered advice on what to see, where to park, and just as important, what NOT to do or where not to get ripped off.

The staff. The entire staff takes their lead from the owners in making every effort allowed to ensure that those who stay feel fully taken care of. This is true of both the day and the night staff. No drop in quality of care.

The temperature. Finally, in Europe, some place willing to cool a room to a crisp refreshing feel. After a day walking venice in 85 degree heat and 80 percent humidity - nothing line a nice chilly room to cool down. Reminded me of home!

The cleanliness. Spotless. Everything. 'Nuff said.

The price. Given the cost of some other spots within Venice, the rate was quite reasonable and we'd gladly pay it again.

The only issue we had with the Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo was that we had four days in Venice and they only had 2 nights available - the cost of being the top dog on TripAdvisor, I suppose. So if you're going to Venice, book well in advance and make sure you contact the hotel even if you don't see availability on the website. That's what we did, and the two nights we got to spend there were worth the disappointment of not being able to make it four.

We arrived in Venice July 21 upon a water taxi and immediately got lost. Seems that the ticket taker on the taxi mixes her left from her right. After asking a clerk in an ice cream store where the Al Ponte Mocenigo hotel was, we were directed to the proper location. Carlito warmly greeted my wife and myself, helped us with the heavy baggage to our beautiful room in the annex and gave us easy directions to a nearby restaurant (Muro) which turned out to be a gem. And it only got better. The next morning we met our daughter at the San Stae dock which is only about 30 seconds from the hotel and the three of us proceeded to have a fabulous time running around Venice enjoying the sights and beauty of this gorgeous city. The breakfast served was perfect with fresh bread, juices, cruissant, cereals, fruit etc. Walter, one of the owners of the hotel was extremely helpful as well and then teamed us up with two other couples to share the water taxi with to the cruise ship port on the 23rd. He did the arranging and bargaining so that we saved some money. One of the couples turned out to be our constant companions for the next 12 days on the cruise - thanks to Walter. In all honesty, this hotel with it's charm, staff and beauty deserves the recognition they receive from Trip Advisor as being a #1 hidden gem hotel in Venice.