Fantastic new hotel in Venice! Review of Hotel ai Reali

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I usually plan our trips way in advance, but we were headed to Italy to visit our daughter who was studying in Rome and we had to wait until she arrived there and got her complete schedule so we would know exactly when we could visit.  That gave me just about 6 weeks to plan the trip.  I got very lucky though with all of our accommodations and loved the new hotel I found in Venice.  Hotel ai Reali is located in Castello very close to the Rialto Bridge but in a small campo next to an interior canal,  so tucked away and very quiet.  It had just opened in Nov. 2012 but all the reviews on it were excellent.  It was a perfect location easy to walk everywhere and close to the Rialto Bridge stop for the vaporetto.

The lobby as well as the rooms were decorated in the grand Venetian style with fabric wall coverings, chandeliers, and marble bathrooms.

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I had booked a Classic room for my mom and dad and a Deluxe room for Stephen and I and Michael.  When we arrived they said they had upgraded us both to a Junior Suite!!  Our room was very nice and very large with a nice view of the canal.  Probably the largest hotel room we had ever had in Europe.  In addition to our king size bed they had a roll away for Michael and a couch, coffee table and round table.  Unfortunately, the roll away bed was not that large and Michael who is about 5’10” and thin,  found it quite narrow.  Probably best for smaller kids,  not an adult or older teenager.

Junior Suite bedroom Hotel ai Reali

Jr Suite Bedroom Hotel ai Reali

Bathroom Hotel ai Reali

Bathroom Hotel ai Reali

The closet was actually a small room so tons of space for us to keep all of our luggage.

Closet Hotel ai Reali

My parents room even had a fireplace.

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The wifi connection in the room and lobby was excellent and the towels were nice and soft and fluffy – probably due to the fact that the hotel was new.  The hallways and landing areas were also very large and nicely decorated.

Large hallways Hotel ai Reali

Large hallways Hotel ai Reali

They also have a canal entrance if you are arriving/departing by water taxi.

Lobby Hotel ai Reali

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Breakfast was served in the restaurant which was nice and the rooms had a view of the canal.  It was not one large room but several smaller rooms, and we never had a problem finding a table.  A nice breakfast buffet with the usual meats, cheeses, cereals and pastries but also scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and some yogurt that Stephen particularly  liked.  The ladies in the breakfast room were very nice and helpful.

Breakfast room Hotel ai Reali

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Stephen did use the sauna and jacuzzi which is a nice addition to the hotel.  He said they were both nice, however, the jacuzzi was not hot enough and they would not let you turn the jets on because apparently they make too much noise and disturb the rooms below.  Too bad, because this is a welcome amenity to a hotel in Venice, and unfortunate that you can not use it the way it is intended.  They also have a spa which we did not use, but they generally were offering specials each day at breakfast if you made an appointment that day.

We do not usually eat in the hotel restaurant when traveling, but we arrived in the evening and by the time we checked in and got settled,  it was almost 9pm.  I had read good reviews of the hotel’s restaurant, Alle Corone, so we decided to just eat there.  Stephen and I shared a salad and Michael had a fish carpaccio to start.  Stephen and Michael had tagliata which was excellent and cooked a perfect medium rare.  I ordered the spaghetti with scampi.  When it came it did not look all that exciting, but the flavor was delicious and the scampi very sweet.

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The servers here were also very nice and extremely helpful in explaining things on the menu.  These little treats came with our bill.

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On our last night we had determined that our best meal by far was the meal at the hotel so we decided to return there and my parents joined us this time.  (The first night they were exhausted and just went to sleep).   Another wonderful meal – I had ordered the calf liver with apples and a side of creamy polenta.  The dish was quite large and I thought I will never be able to eat that much liver but it was so good that I finished it all!

We had a fantastic stay at Hotel ai Real.  I suspect next year at this time this place will be more popular so I would book further in advance!

 

 

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2 responses to “Rome 2006”

  1. Melanie says:

    Great blog that I discovered today from your link on the Fodors forum! My husband and I are planning a 2 week trip with my girls who will be 7 and 9 at the time and have options between early April, anytime in July or early October. We are planning to fly into Venice and out of Rome, spending time in Lombardy and Abruzzo in between. Do you have a recommendation for the best time of year weather and crowd wise to travel to Italy given our available options above? Thank you!!

    • Judy Gambee says:

      Melanie – glad you found the blog – the Fodors forum is an excellent source of information!! With respect to crowds and weather – I would skip July – it will be very hot and very crowded! We have been to Italy four times – twice in late March and twice in June. Our first trip in late March the weather was really great, the second time was pretty rainy – but that had been a rainy year (my daughter had been studying in Rome that semester and she said it rained a lot that year). Our first trip in June was unbearably hot – particularly in Rome. Our second trip in June was nice but then we also stayed in Northern Italy for that trip. I can only imagine that July would be very hot.

      According to historical weather info (I just looked at Rome) it appears that early Oct might be a little warmer than early April but the days are longer in April. I had always heard that Europe in early Oct was a great time to go so we did that for the first time this past Oct (Brussels, Berlin and Budapest) and I have to say it was unusually cold and rainy so I’m a little hesitant to recommend Oct (though apparently that was an anomaly). I think both early April and early Oct will be good for not super big crowds. I’m not sure if you are planning for 2016 or 2017 – just recommend you check when Easter is the year you are going if plan for April. Our first trip we specifically did not want to be there then but our other time in March we were actually in Sorrento on Easter and really enjoyed the festivities!!

      Sounds like you are planning a wonderful trip!!

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