Rating
"Great Spot" The Westin is a beautiful hotel located about 20 minutes (by water shuttle) from the center of Venice. That is a good thing. When you pull up to Venice (by boat), you are greeted by the nice staff who kindly takes your luggage to your room while you check in. This is a huge benefit because if you stay on Venice proper, you have to carry your luggage with you through the crowded, small, cobblestone streets - if you are lucky enough to know where you are going. The staff is very helpful in arranging tours. The breakfast is wonderful - it is located outside on the beautiful patio overlooking the beach. Speaking of the beach, it is fantastic. Be sure to ask for a room that overlooks the beach. The rooms were very nice and spacious. The walls are covered in fabric - so if you have allergies, I don't recommend this as one of the rooms in our party smelled a little moldy - aggrevating my mother's allergies. I also recommend closing the windows at night (especially in June) because the mosquitos are just looking for a victim. Overall, this hotel is in a great spot if you don't mind a short ride to Venice and back. It is nice not to be in the thick of it all. I highly recommend this hotel.

Rating
"superb hotel for venice" Superb hotel and location on the lido for cool breezes and swimming. Venice is hot in July and this is the best place to escape after a day of touring. Easy shuttle boat to Venice. Excellent staff service. Pricey but worth it.

Rating
"Wonderful old world ambiance, great staff" We stayed here in April for four nights. We had a party of five in two rooms. They gave the party of three who shared a room an exquisite suite. My boyfriend and I had a lovely room with a balcony overlooking the beach. This hotel is definitely old world, bidets in the bathrooms, big open spaces, cordial staff, etc. It's like taking a page out of history when you walk in the front door. We arrived in the middle of the night, exhausted from a long day of travel. The front desk people couldn't have been more welcoming. As others have pointed out, this location is away from the maddening crowds of Venice and a blissful retreat at the end of the day. The free water taxi that runs between St. Marks Square and the two other Westin properties is frequent enough to make traveling between expedient. The morning breakfast buffet is included in your room rate and was a welcome delight every morning. They made a killer cappucino that even the non-addicted in our group found themselves drinking. Our stay was too early in the season to enjoy swimming but we enjoyed sitting out on the huge patio overlooking the beach and the expanse of cabanas. I am told that Italians rent these by the season - not a bad idea. I wonder what the cost of that is. We made our arrangement through the corporate office and found a dandy rate for the early season, including one "free" night. I have to say that I sincerely recommend April as a great month to tour Venice. It's warm but not too hot nor smelly as it can get in the summertime. It's busy but not excessively so. The nights were cool enough to require a sweater and most important, though we were prepared for rain - we fortunately had very little of it. If you are a Starwood member, use your points!

Rating
"Very special retreat" very special retreat away from the hustle bustle of Venice, especially in the Summer when we went. The complimentary water taxi, to and from the lido is quite a long journey, but is worth it for the views. The rooms are very big and quite moorish in design, although the bathrooms are quite simply designed. We had a balcony overlooking the sea which was pretty, even in the rain. The breakfast buffet, in the open air restaurant (seasonal) was special although some of the waiters and staff seemed quite indifferent. The snacks on the veranda restaurant area, overlooking the sea, are also special. Most of the beach cabanas seemed to be occupied when we visited, mostly by Italians, although that can't be helped. There are various shops in the hotel, although it's probably better if you save your shopping for the rest of Venice. Overall, the Westin Excelsior is one of the nicest hotels in Venice, along with the Des Bains, the Cipriani, the Danieli, the Westin Europa and the Gritti palace.

Rating
"Pool and beach under construction" Stayed there last week; the room was nice, clean and spacious. There was construction work at the pool, which was closed, and the sand on the beach was still being leveled; which is quite a disappointment for a seaside hotel! I don't understand why this has to be done in springtime; or do people swim in the outdoor pool in winter??

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