We have just returned from a 5-night stay at the Bauer Palladio. It's probably the most unique and one of the loveliest hotels we've ever stayed at. A former convent built in 1500, the hotel has been modernized while keeping much of its Renaissance-era structure intact, and they've done a remarkable job of it. We had reserved the "standard" double room, but when we arrived, we inquired whether we might be upgraded and they ended up putting us in a junior suite at the same rate. Since we were shown several rooms before making a final decision, we can testify that each of the rooms seems to be distinctive in its own way. It's a beautifully decorated place, and the rooms also have all the luxury extras you'd expect (or hope for), including upscale bath/toiletry items. In terms of facilities, there's a breakfast room (breakfast buffet is included) that opens out onto a courtyard; a restaurant/bar; a huge sitting room/lounge area with several groupings of chairs and sofas and a large fireplace; and a spa (which we did not use). I don't know if there's a pool. Bauer Palladio is located on Giudecca Island, across Giudecca Canal from Venice proper. There is a shuttleboat that operates on call between the Palladio and its sister-hotel on the mainland, the Bauer Hotel, so at most you'd have to wait 5-10 minutes for a ride. However, the shuttle does not start until 10 am and ends for the day at midnight. Therefore, to make a walking tour that started at 9:30, we had to use the public-transportation boat, and also twice, after a late night, we had to take the public night-boat (which runs less often, about every 45 minutes) back to Giudecca. The only other alternative is the exorbitantly priced water taxis. In addition, during the day the shuttleboat driver takes two 45-minute breaks, so again, at these times you're on your own for back-and-forth to Giudecca.

Our experience with hotel staff on check-in, as should be clear from the foregoing, was wholly positive. On our first night we also had a very pleasant "happy hour" followed by a delightful, attentively served dinner. Two days later, however, returning to the hotel after a long rainy day of touring, we met the "B Team." First we learned that the hotel does not offer dinner on Tuesdays (something the "A" team failed to tell us), so our only option was the bar's snacks menu or taking the shuttle to eat at the other Bauer hotel or at some other restaurant. Since we literally couldn't get anyone to serve us in the Palladio bar (though there were only 3 other diners), we decided we'd go to the other Bauer, but then realized that the shuttleboat driver was on one of his 45-minute breaks. The person on duty at the front desk was 100% unhelpful and persisted (in a hostile manner) in misunderstanding the problem we were trying to resolve - i.e., where we could get a good, non-rushed dinner without getting drenched again - so we ended up having a very unsatisfactory, expensive snack-as-dinner in the Palladio bar/restaurant. Just to be on the safe side, thereafter we bypassed the Palladio's restaurant and did our drinking and eating "in town.' Unfortunately we were unable to avoid this determinedly unhelpful front desk person and had a similarly difficult experience with him on our last evening in Venice.

So would we stay at the Bauer Palladio again? It would be tempting because it's a special place. The transportation issue together with the uneven quality of service by hotel personnel weigh heavily against it though.