Al Ponte Antico — Hotel in Venice

To summarize, the hotel is one of the best I've had the privilege to enjoy. The staff was exceptional, room was beautiful and clean, breakfast was perfect with the best canal view you will find, and the location couldn't be better.

The staff at Hotel Al Ponte Antico made very good contact prior to arrival and made sure we would have an easy time getting to the hotel, which really couldn't have been simpler given their detailed instructions. From the train station, we hired a water taxi right on the dock that took us directly to the hotel (the hotel had it's own dock, trip was 60 euros). You can prearrange the ride but it's not necessary as there were plenty of water taxis available.

On arrival, they greeted us by name and really could not have been more pleasant or helpful. It is a small boutique hotel with 9 rooms total and every staff member recognized us by name. They provided a great introduction to the hotel, as well as some history.

We stayed in the Junior Suite with patio and the room was absolutely incredible. The private patio is right on the grand canal with a table and seating for two where you can relax while enjoying an incredible view of the Rialto Bridge. There's a TV with sky in the room but we never turned it on - the view outside is so much better. The patio door has excellent sound proofing as well if you need some quiet. The furnishings and decor were fit for royalty with very effective lighting including whole room indirect lighting in the crown moulding. The bathroom was clean and nice, the water pressure in the shower was very good.

Even if your room does not have the patio, they have a beautiful terrace accessible only to hotel guests at all hours, for an amazing breakfast in the morning (seriously, the food was phenomenal, order the pancake with Nutella!), to drinks throughout the night. This terrace is also right on the grand canal and provides a great overview of the action below and of the Rialto Bridge. There is always a staff member available to help and they are all very, very friendly and passionate about the city and hotel. It also helps feel more secure that way, but that really shouldn't be a concern in Venice as the city feels very safe.

The hotel is in a very nice part of town near many shops and restaurants. The Rialto bridge is just a couple minutes walk and you can get to St. Mark's square in about 10. The staff can provide some very good recommendations for slightly more hidden spots.

On our departure, they effortlessly arranged a water taxi directly to the airport from their own dock (120 Euro trip). They brought our luggage and saw us off, and we will definitely be back. I wouldn't even bother looking at any other...

If you’re ever lucky enough to stay in Venice, please check in at the Hotel Al Ponte Antico which is right by the Rialto Bridge. Its location is perfect but the hotel is by far the best hotel I have ever stayed in which is totally due to the wonderful people who own it, manage it and work there. To quote the TV show “Cheers” everybody does know your name and the names of every guest. To risk missing out names I want to thank Mateo the owner and Barbara his wife, Oliver, Alex and Gigi. They were all amazing. Some weeks before arriving I contacted the hotel to ask if they could help me organise a wheelchair for my wife who had become much less mobile since we had booked the holiday on the Orient Express. They arranged for this to be at the hotel for our arrival and took all the stress away from me. I also realised they had a webcam which means I could look at live pictures of the Grand Canal and the Rialto before arriving (and since leaving). They actually used the webcam to inform the police that someone was vandalising the ancient bridge who caught the criminals. We were due to check in at about 19.30 – 20.00 but we were delayed by the dreadful bus crash which killed so many people. We checked in at 23.45 and they were there to greet us, help us out of the water taxi, quite tricky if you have mobility issues, and carry our luggage. The next morning Mateo and Barbara served us a beautiful breakfast on the ancient stone terrace with the breath-taking view of the Rialto. Barbara makes all the bread, croissants, cakes and pastries herself every day and Mateo will cook with eggs from his Grandma’s farm. It is just magical. We were desperate for a shower after our long train journey and they quickly organised a non-slip mat foe the shower. Because of my wife’s mobility issues they helped us identify the best route to take to the modern art gallery. When we arrived back that evening Oliver took care of us and made dinner reservations for us on both nights we were there at very nearby restaurants. We had to leave on a very early water taxi, 07.00, and they had prepared a full breakfast for us there, before their usual time. The Hotel Al Ponte Antico is a relaxing, comfortable, stress free haven. I could have spent my time in Venice sitting on their terrace watching...

There are few words worthy of capturing the experience we had at Al Ponte Antico. From the very moment you place eyes on it and see its location and position on the Grand Canal, you know that this is something special. Stepping off of the water taxi you are instantly greeted by the wonderful employees of the hotel who immediately know you name, including the owner of the hotel, Matteo. In all of my years of extensive travel, I have never been met with the level of personalization and friendliness that we experienced at this hotel. Matteo and his staff are second to none in their desire to offer you the most personalized service you could imagine. For three days we felt like we were the only ones in the hotel. His staff is incredible. Matteo the owner gave us a personal tour and history of the hotel making us feel so welcome. He was so appreciative to have us as guests. I must mention the incredible team that he has employed for so long. They are each wonderful in their own way. Each friendly, attentive, and always greeted each member of my family by name. They were always at our full disposal and made us feel like Venetian royalty. In addition to Matteo, Alex, Oliver, John Paolo, and GiGi made our stay so so special. When we first planned on visiting Venice, we figured we would visit, see it, and check it off the list. Now, we can't wait to return if for no other reason than to stay at Matteo's wonderful Venetianm palace. We had the ground floor canal view room which may have been the best room I have ever stayed in. The location of the veranda where breakfast is served and you can have a nice aperitivo in the afternoon is spectacular. With a perfect view of the Rialto Bridge. It is one of a kind in every way. Matteo and his wife prepare a magnificent breakfast every morning with home made breads, pastries and eggs to order. Again, I could go on and on and on about this place. Perfection. Thank. you Matteo and your wonderful staff for an absolutely incredible and memorable visit to your wonderful hotel and city. We can't wait to...