Venice's hidden hotel

The wonderfully homey Hotel Ariel Silva in Venice, Italy

Hotel Ariel Silva

When I first walked into this little hotel, I thought I'd wandered into someone's house by accident. Seriously. If it weren't for the long table that looked like a reception desk and a shelf with dog-eared guidebooks and trashy novels in three languages, I would have quietly snuck out, embarrassed.

It didn't help that the address—ten minutes from the train station and just two blocks from the historic Jewish Ghetto—was well hidden (the street's called Calle della Masena, but the narrow, alley-like entrance is marked only with a sign identifying its parish, "Parrocchia S. Marcuola"). Then again, in over-crowded Venice, being so firmly off the beaten path can be a distinct blessing.

The rooms are teensy, but manage to achieve the effect of "cozy" rather than "cramped," and though the overall look is...let's call it "Venice, circa 1986"—plush velvet headboards, modular furnishings and baths—the homey feel, frosted glass walls in some (great light!), and marble tables on the flower-filled breakfast terrace more than make up for lackluster décor. Well, that and the wonderfully low prices.

Cannaregio 1391a, on Calle della Masena—a.k.a. "Parrocchia S. Marcuola"—off Rio Terrà S. Leonardo

Rates & Availability