Hotel Santo Stefano 

The location is perfect, conveniently between San Marco and the Academia Bridge, in a large open square that, while active, has nowhere near the crowds of the high tourist areas. The hotel itself is a little polished jewel that makes excellent use of every inch of its spaces. Our room was decorated beautifully with padded wall coverings in blues. Storage areas were creative: A little cubby tucked in under the window, hanging bar with hangars and lower shelves in the bar area, a small decorative bar with hooks on the wall. A large ottoman in one corner had room for my husband’s to keep his oversized suitcase open. He was also enraptured by the rain shower head. The AC worked perfectly. And no street noise- we slept like babies. Breakfast is a buffet off the lobby, and very complete. All kinds of pastries, meats and cheeses, fruit, cereals, yogurt, eggs to order. Seating is outside under umbrella-with tablecloths! And in the evening, we could have cocktails there, or just sit and enjoy the Italian air. The staff couldn’t be more helpful, arranging transportation to and from the airport, suggesting local restaurants, directions to a bank, and even escorting us to the water taxi that would take us back to the airport.