Hotel Paganelli
Hotel Paganelli is a pleasant little hotel on the waterfront in Venice. When I stayed there, some years ago, it offered unusually good-value for a three-star in this expensive town, and offers good service and nice rooms. We spent two nights at the hotel and were pleased with what we found. Do check the latest online reviews when you’re making a booking.
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Italy Heaven Review
We booked a two-night stay at the Hotel Paganelli in November 2006. Making a booking online six weeks in advance we found a room for €85 per night, which seemed cheap for Venice. Bargain prices can be a warning sign, but this hotel sounded much nicer that Italy’s typical budget hotels, so we hoped for the best.
We arrived at the Paganelli early, at 10:30 in the morning, so we didn’t expect our room to be ready. It wasn’t, but a friendly receptionist greeted us in English and offered to have a room ready in half-an-hour. Leaving our cases, we wandered off to see the sights. The location is absolutely excellent for tourists. Situated among much more expensive hotels on the Riva degli Schiavoni, the hotel has a pretty façade and some space to sit alongside the busy pedestrian thoroughfare, which fronts the lagoon and one of Venice’s most famous views. It was just a few paces from the hotel door to superb photo-opportunities: gondolas bobbing up and down in the rising tide, with the church of San Giorgio Maggiore resplendent on its island in the background. St. Mark’s Square is just around the corner, and the nearest waterbus stop, San Zaccaria, is just yards away.
Our double room, number 109, was small but prettily-decorated, and provided with twin mattresses as we’d requested. The decoration was pale gold, and very Venetian in style – reminiscent of the chocolate-box interior of Venice’s famous theatre, La Fenice.
Our room’s furnishings included ornate, painted bedside tables, two pretty chairs and a writing desk/chest of drawers equipped with pen and paper. There was plenty of wardrobe space, a small safe, an air-conditioning unit and a radiator under the window, which looked out onto an internal courtyard. The ensuite bathroom was small but clean and brightly decorated with floral tiles.
Breakfast was taken in a separate building, just around the corner. On offer were the usual hot drinks and a buffet selection which included several cereals, yoghurts, cold meat and cheese, jam croissants, weak sugary fruit ‘juice’ (which we complain about in every single hotel review we write…), bread and the usual selections of dry snacks. The breakfast was reasonably good by Italian standards, and we were rather taken with the retro (or simply dated) wood-panelled breakfast room.
The hotel was very pleasant, our room was quiet, and we would certainly return, should the price be equally good value. Although our room was small, it was comfortable and carefully-decorated. The location was ideal; both scenic and convenient. The hotel staff were polite, friendly and helpful, and were very obliging about preparing our room early as well as keeping luggage on arrival and departure.
Hotel location: the hotel is on Riva degli Schiavoni, very close to Venice’s grandest landmarks. The only real disadvantage is that it is a very touristy area, with expensive restaurants and shops aimed at foreign visitors. The transport links are very good; the nearest vaporetto stop is San Zaccaria, which is yards away from the hotel.
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Hotel Paganelli review by an Italy Heaven editor.