JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa

very nice experience: convenient location, close to the main island with frequent shuttle. Very friendly staff. Nice and well designed room. You feel like having your own island!

There are no words for this wonderful hotel. My husband and I stayed here after a horrible stay in Florence. It saved our European trip! The customer service was impeccable. I honestly don’t think I have ever slept so well outside my own home. THIS IS the ONLY place to stay if you visit Italy. I wish I could give this place a 11/10 star rating. It still wouldn’t be enough! You will leave feeling rejuvenated!

I relied on reviews when I booking, so I thought I’d post a few observations if it might help future travelers. With some attention, most of the cons could be fixed. There were just too many for me, that I left feeling annoyed and with frayed nerves rather than rejuvenated. - Parents Traveling with Older Teens/College Aged Pro: Truly best breakfast buffet I’ve ever experienced. Beautiful facility. Modern spacious rooms and stunning bathrooms. Lovely pools*(but so so hot). Amazing roofdeck. Attentive empowered staff down to each waiter and attendant. Cons: Dinner option peak season T-Th only 1 high end restaurant. “Stuck” on the island if other options are needed. Transaction cost of to/from the island in time and/or $. Ultimately was sorry it was so far to Venice, a factor I thought I would like. Inexcusably long and poorly managed check in. Things to know: -SHUTTLE: The free shuttle ride to/from St. Marks Square is about 25 minutes and it is HOT. Once the boat is moving it is slightly better, but you are below deck with slim windows. Much of the cruise is at a “no-wake” pace and the heat builds up. Even a below deck fan to move air would help. -GETTING TO/FROM: If you aren’t coming/going from St. Marks Square, such as arriving and departing on trains/planes/etc. you are in a private taxi for 100Euros+++. It’s a good and bouncy ride too. During our Marriott-booked, custom-arranged trip arriving (150Euros) my daughter had to crawl up on deck of our water taxi to keep her suitcase from sliding into the water out the open side of the boat bc the captain had his mind elsewhere. -POOLS:During our stay both pools were so hot they almost were unbearable. The move was to dunk in, then just sit on the edge. But the pools did not cool you at all. With full sun and a hot pool, it was just hard to stay out there. -DINNER: When you are a 25 min boat ride from anywhere, you need options on the island. Even though the hotel was sold out, for dinner during the week there is 1 option only after 6:30pm. It’s lovely - on the roof deck with a view. But it’s a refined, fancy menu ( a cod ravioli (unusual) a large steak, etc.) and it is a long sit down meal. 250Euros for 4 people without alcohol…In our case, only hot outdoor seating available. There needs to be another option. For 1 night it’s fine. But after a long day in Venice, maybe you want to be indoors. Maybe you want something lighter, quicker, simpler. No option. We did pizza and salad by room service. But we didn’t travel this far to get pizza in our room. Pool has food - closes at 6:30. Roofdeck has a casual menu…closes at 6:30. Bar menu is quite unusual (caviar dishes, etc.). I felt trapped and underserved. -STORE: Being a Marriott I would have expected a small service with options for forgotten items -small toothpaste, a little granola bar, Tylenol? etc. No such store. NO options. There is a cafe with lots of pastries for the first part of the day. But you can’t go off property

This is a hotel to stay in the summer, when you can enjoy your life. In winter, when the weather is rainy and not warm, it is not worth expensive money for the stay. And this is more like family place, not really adult focused. we previously stayed at Kempenski and it was better there.