We stayed at the Ruzzini Palace Hotel in September last year. The accommodation was superb. Upon arrival we were advised that our accommodation was upgraded. The suite was huge, with very, very high and ornate ceilings. We genuinely thought we were staying in a palace. The hotel was in an excellent location in Venice although a little challenging to find. The water taxi initially dropped us off about 150 metres from the hotel and we spent the next half hour trying to locate it. The breakfasts were modest and did not compare well with other hotels we had stayed at in Italy. The staff of the hotel were immensely hospitable and helpful. If I visited Venice again, Hotel Ruzzini would be on the itinerary.

The flight and hotel was booked through Easyjet - the room worked out at around £100 per night. I booked the hotel after reading TripAdvisor reviews. This is a genuine 4 star hotel and there isn't really anything I would criticise it for. The staff are genuinely friendly, the room (a standard superior) was clean, comfortable and a good size and there is a very spacious and pretty sitting area on the first floor. The breakfast was adequate for a 4* hotel - this is the only thing for me that wasn't quite 4* standard - no fresh juice and the scrambled egg and bacon looked a bit sad after a while - on the other hand you can help yourself to a glass of Prosecco ! The hotel is about a 5 minute walk from the Rialto Bridge.

I would have no hesitation in staying at this hotel again.

A couple of points on the trip:

1. We travelled direct from the airport to the Rialto Bridge stop by boat (called the Alilaguna) - 25 Euros each return - takes about 50 mins - a very nice way to enter Venice.
2. We ate a few times at an osteria called Alpergo (behind Olandaise Volante) which was a good place for cicheti (tapas) and a trattoria called Sandro about 5 mins from the Rialto bridge who do a lovely spaghetti carbonara

The location of the hotel is fantastic - a convenient walk to many famous landmarks and in a pretty square. The room that we stayed in was nicely decorated with good quality fixtures and fittings and was clean. The mattress in the room was extremely firm. The breakfast buffet was decent. Front desk staff were formal and helpful, and could speak good English. You have to hand over your room key each time you leave the hotel.

There were a few things that could be better:
- no kettle/tea making facilities in the room.
- the room doors need soft closers, they slammed really loudly so we were woken up by other guests/staff on a couple of occasions.

These two points meant that for me it was pretty good rather than very good.

We went to this hotel for 4 days Bed and Breakfast and were absolutely delighted with the location as only few minutes from the Rialto Bridge and the hotek was set in a picturesque square with fabulous restuarants close by. The attention at reception made us feel welcome at once and the staff on duty spoke many languages so not speaking a lot of Italian was not a problem. This is and old building which retains a lot of the old characteristics, with modern feel to the bar, reception and the bedrooms. Our room was on fourth floor ( with lift so no problem for those with mobility issues) and have wonderful old beams incorporated into the modern style of the room. The bed is the most comfortable i have ever slept in, in any hotel, and the sheets were spotless, crisp, white sheets changed every day, as were the towels.The bathroom was well appointed with tissues, cotton wool, shower caps, shampoo etc so no complaints there and had a fabulous shower, jacuzzi bath and oodles of hot water. Breakfast in the morning was superb, with yoghurts,fresh fruit, cold meat, cheese, juice,water, prosecco, croissants, scrambled eggs,bread, pastries and tea,coffee, hot chocolate etc in pots to your table. We will definitely come back here again when next in Venice!!!! Do not hesitate to come here it is one of the best i have ever stayed in for value, location and quality.