This is definitely the best hostel that I have ever stayed in! The place has this quaint little charm to it, and is very clean. I just loved the decor of our room - we felt like Venetians during our four days stay there :) The neighborhood is great, with good shops around - a nearby corner shop selling self-made, cheap wine, a nice restaurant called Osteria Alberto and a breakfast place called Bar Al Campiano are our daily haunts. The location is superb too, just a 10 mins walk to the Doge Palace.

Another thing that makes the stay so enjoyable was the absolutely helpful staff (Alberto). He was extremely patient (with us asking for several recommendations...whether it's a better idea to go to Pisa on the way or from Florence, where to get good squid ink spaghetti, where do locals usually eat, etc) and resourceful. Questions that he doesn't know the answers to, he will take the initiative to find out from the net for us, and that has made all the difference in our stay. Our Venice experience was definitely enhanced by by opting to stay here.

ps: one thing though, try to take the water taxi if you disembark near the main bridge of Venice. We walked from the bus station to the hostel which was not a good idea, since it took us approx 1 1/2 hours due to the uncountable number of small little lanes in Venice.

We were impressed with this hotel. Just 10 minutes walk from the airport vaporetto stop in the Castello area, it was off the main tourist drag but only a short walk from the major sights. David the owner very welcoming & helpful. We think we got the best room, no.1, the only one with a balcony - think it had once been the main living area, now divided into 2 large bedrooms. Very atmospheric. If we left the french doors open, we could listen to all the daily life going on - Venetians talking, laughing, singing, church bells ringing etc. When we needed to sleep, the double glazing kept the noise at bay. Generous continental breakfast served in our room, which was very relaxing. Everyone told us that Venice was expensive. Not so - lots of local restaurants serving good, reasonably priced food. We hope to return, & we would certainly use this hotel again.

My friends and I stayed at the Locanda SS. Giovanni e Paolo on our recent whirlwind journey through Italy and had a wonderful time! I stayed in the four bed dorm, which had lovely high ceilings and large windows overlooking the street. The owner was extremely helpful and was quick to offer us tips on how to get around in Venice. He also brought us the most incredible breakfast every morning (your choice of tea, espresso, or hot chocolate and a selection of bread, jams, and croissants filled with orange marmalade).
The only thing that may be a downside for tourists is the location: the Locanda is in the very local neighborhood of Castello, which is wonderful if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the touristy areas but can be discouraging when you want to do some sightseeing, as you're 20 minutes to half an hour away from most of the major museums. Overall, though, my friends and I agreed that the ambience of the neighborhood and the fact that the locals were so welcome balanced out the travel time.
There is also no Wi-Fi in the area at all, so if you're planning on an extended stay, you will be disconnected.
A friendly tip: take the vaporetto to the Ospedale stop instead of Fondamenta Nuove when you arrive. There are a lot of bridges with steps on the journey from the Fondamenta Nuove stop, but the Ospedale route is mostly back streets. The staff will be happy to clarify this route for you.

Situated in the Castello region of Venice, the guest house was very easy to find with the directions Davide sent us. Our only organisational hitch occurred after we arrived at Marco Polo Airport and went to buy a three day vaparetto pass. We were told that there was a vaparetto strike on. Luckily, the water buses from the airport were still operational, however, it still took us 2 hours of waiting before we were on our way to Venice mainland!

The guesthouse is about a 10 minute walk to San Marco Square, so its not right in the centre of town, but close enough.

My partner and I stayed in a double room with ensuite in the guesthouse on the second floor. It was quiet, spacious enough for the two of us with a cupboard for storage and a table to sit at. The room and bathroom were very clean and we were impressed with the great water pressure in the shower. The bed was comfortable, despite being a little short for my partner (he’s only 6’1). The only criticism we have about the room itself is that it did get a little on the stuffy side with the windows closed at night. Despite having an airconditioner, there was no control with which to operate it. On asking Davide about it, we were told that airconditioning is only in use during the Summer months (starting from June 1st…we were there mid May) so we were not able to use it. Luckily our room had a window facing away from the street (the bathroom window) which we were able to open and still sleep peacefully. The only issue with this, was allowing mosquitoes in, as evinced by the mosquito carcasses on the ceiling.

As there is no dining hall at the guesthouse, breakfast was delivered to our room each morning. It was adequate but very simple- a reheated bread roll and croissant filled with jam, a packet of dry savoury and sweet biscuits, a selection of jams and generous jug of tea, hot chocolate or coffee. By the second morning, I was more inclined to walk to café Levante in San Marco square for an espresso coffee (best we had in Italy!) and ‘fresh’ pastry, although the bed in breakfast is great for those who need a little something to get them going before they head out for the day.

The guesthouse itself doesn’t have any maps of Venice, but we were given directions to the nearest ‘newsagency’ by one of the staff. We found the Italian travel guides at the guesthouse very useful to browse through during our free time.

All in all, not bad for a short stay in Venice….but after paying 140 Euro p/night, we expected as much.