Reviews of Guest House Bella Venexia

10 May 2012 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: 1. At least bed, shower and toilet was clean. 2. Location from central train station is not far and it is good.

Disliked: 1. The point indicated on map is different, so we looked for 2976/C (15 minutes) and found it two blocks upper in the very corner of the area. 2. Cleanness is rather true, it was necessary to air the room because of mold smell and humidity, and when tried to open the window it was fragile and sticky with dirt, so didn't take risk to open, as it was ready to be broken. Bed was OK, but room temperature was lower and humidity level was higher in the room than outside. 3. Nice kitchen furniture was also hardly fixed, if opened without caution, can easily be broken. 4. Waited the girl who handed over us the keys for 30 minutes instead of 5 as said. 5. And one of the most important thing is that the oven was not working, one of things for which we preferred this place. The girl went out and we checked the oven, called the owner and said that it is not working, he answered that she will come and see, they we waited for 1 hour, nobody appeared, we called again the owner and he said I called the electrician, but it will not be fixed today, as it is late after 08.00 pm. I looked to the oven cable and found out that plug part was cut away. So, couldn't use the kitchen, and I am sure that the owner knew the problem with oven, but didn't fixed it before.

05 December 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: It is a two room apartment with kitchen and a small living room. We rented both rooms and no one disturbed us during the stay. Considering the prices, it was excellent.

Disliked: The walls were a bit moldy and we had to keep the windows open for a long time, otherwise it smelled bad.

16 November 2011

Liked: Cheap

Disliked: Did not work gheat (in the middle of November!) Even they told us to do . When we tried to turn onwather, the water boiler started making excessive noise. The neighbors came and asked to take something to the building would not have gone into the air!!! (in Italian, because nobody speaks English). We called the owners, but they did not come within the agreed time, and neighbors did not want to leave until we resolve the situation themselves. At the end we were without heating and hot water without. Nobody even apologise us

14 October 2011

Liked: only the location

Disliked: nothing seemed to be working in this apartment. the smell of mold is bad but I guess this is quite normal for Venice given the humidity.

14 October 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Location and silence.

Disliked: The kitchen wasn't working.

29 September 2011

Liked: nothing

Disliked: everything

24 September 2011

Liked: The view onto the lagoon was nice and being on the edge of the city meant you could escape from the tourist rabble. The supermarket, once we found it, was cheap and saved us money on snacks.

Disliked: Where to begin? Firstly, I would like to set the tone by saying that this so called hostel is very, very disappointing. So much so in fact, that both me and my partner believe that the reviews for this 'hostel' that are in the 90%s are fake and are in all likelyhood written by the owner. Guest House Bella Venexia is effectively a run down, abandoned apartment on the very edge of Venice. We are not picky when it comes to accomodation and have stayed in hostels all over Italy and indeed Europe. However, the 'Guest House Bella Venexia' is the worst we have ever come across. Firstly, after arriving in Venice and calling the owner as instructed, we found him very rude, abrupt and unhelpful. This was a sign of things to come and gave me a bad feeling which was almost as bad as the smell of the place (more on that later). We EVENTUALLY found the place, after spending an hour deciphering the cryptic and mysterious 'directions'. Put simply, they are misleading and WRONG, which in itself is quite an achievement. Well done. It is not 8 mins away from the station as described, but more like 20. And as for 8 mins from the Rialto and 15 from San Marco - dream on! The Rialto alone was a good hour's walk away and even on the waterbus, San Marco is over 30 mins away. We arrived at the 'guest house' with not enough cash. I expected to be able to leave our bags and return shortly with the cash. This was very far from the reality. The young girl who met us to hand over the keys FROGMARCHED us to the nearest ATM - a good 15 min walk away, all the while not saying a word and leaving us feeling very awkward. Upon getting the cash, she then wanted us to hand it over, in the middle of a busy Venetian street. Nice idea! Now the real fun begins. The apartment itself is a wreck. The ceiling is covered in damp patches and the walls are bare and equally damp. In our room there was a hilarious attempt to cover up a giant damp patch with a - and I kid you not - giant bamboo beach mat. Really guys? Really? The whole apartment stunk. Like the inside of a wet boot. And even opening all the windows does nothing to help. While on the topic of windows, they do not lock properly, leaving the whole apartment unsafe. Say goodbye to your belongings! My favourite pet-hate of all was the cold water/broken boiler. We had to rely on our fellow unfortunates to work the boiler and even once we did, it was unreliable and nearly always coughing up cold water. Other utilites were also broken or damaged; the fridge leaked water due to a broken door and the hob does not spark at all, which meant we could not cook as we had no matches with which to light the ring. Phew. In conclusion, we are disappointed to have to say these things. Really. Venice is a great place but unfortunately it is marred by rip-off merchants such as the owner of Guest House Bella Venexia. A review previous to this one, by 'Matthew Drinkwater' is hilariously accurate and we wish we had heeded it before booking.

20 September 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: that it was in a great location only a few minutes walk to the shops, was in venice but away from all the tourist spots in a nice area

Disliked: nothing

02 September 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: The guesthouse is located in a quiet part of Venice but it's only a 15 minute walk to get to where things are happening.

Disliked: The hot water would come and go. We were not informed at check in that the refrigerator was broken. We only found out after we bought 20 euros worth of groceries.

27 August 2011

Liked: nothing...

Disliked: It is old and dirty (and there was mold on the ceiling). In the evening when the sun has gone we didn't feel very secure. The fan was broken and there was no net against the mosquitoes... I think I would rather pay a little more and get a room with breakfast, left luggage and more friendly staff !

16 August 2011

Liked: Quiet area. It was a cheap room for Venice but I definitely think it would be worth paying slightly more for something better.

Disliked: The kitchen cabinets falling apart, the sound of boats pulling up to the gas station right outside the window all night, the damp in the walls and the peeling wallpaper (covered by a poster on the wall), the unfriendly and pretty much rude staff, the marathon walk from any land marks, the cold shower

14 August 2011

Liked: The location was good, it was close to the train station, but that is the only thing.

Disliked: This was without doubt the worst place I have ever stayed in. It actually ruined my trip to Venice. First they kept us waiting for over an hour for someone to come and let us in, we arrived well after the check in time so I see no need at all for that length of wait and in the baking sun when you have been on a train all day it is not a good start to your stay. Then when the lady did finally show up she announced we would have to wait a further half an hour in the kitchen because I room hadn't been cleaned and wasn't ready. We were only in Venice for one night so them wasting almost 2 hours of our time there was not good. When we did finally get into our room the walls were all flacking off and it was damp, it didnt feel safe as there were only delicate shutters on the window and we were on the bottom floor. I then went to have a shower and the water was ice cold. I like a cold shower, especially when it is hot outside but I couldnt get in that water. We decided to not let it get us down and just go out and get some dinner to cook, but then found that the cooker had lots of bits missing and so was impossible to use. We had to go out for dinner which was very expensive. When we got up the next morning I though I could have a shower as the hot water would perhaps of refilled. But no, again ice cold. Half of the lights didnt work and the bathroom was dirty. All in all it was just disgraceful and I cant believe we paid 54 euors for it, totally appalling.

14 August 2011

Liked: Absolutely nothing positive!!!!!

Disliked: In a nut-shell. I have travelled most of South - East Asia and South America among other places in the world and I have NEVER seen any place as filthy as this one!!! And it's all for 50 euros a night. I stayed in much better ridiculously cheap places in Thailand or even Cambodia. These people have NO SHAME! Hope this warning will make these people go out of their business.

20 July 2011

Liked: Not much

Disliked: The refrigerator was broken so we had no place to keep our food, the washing machine was broken, the clothes line was broken so when we washed clothes by hand we had no place to hang our clothes but in our room. the fan was broken so the clothes did not dry in 3 days - and it was sooooo hot. The room is on the ground floor so you can open a window but no screen, so flies came in, and absolutely no security to leave it open to help dry clothes or cool the room at night. No phone, no way to contact the property managers.

19 July 2011

Liked: Nothing!

Disliked: There was a leakage in the ceiling of the appartment, which caused mold. Because of that the room was very moist and smelly. Next to that the sink and toilet were broken. Moreover, there was something wrong with the hot water.

17 July 2011 tatiana would recommend this property

Liked: the cleanliness and staff

Disliked: the window !! and location

15 July 2011

Liked: Quiet location on the north side of Venice, but within easy reach of the bus and train station, and a good base to see the other main attractions. Nearby waterbus stops if you have a lot of luggage. Nearby convenience store. Kitchen facilities available.

Disliked: No hot water, including the shower, which it appears to be a known fault with the heating boiler - Venice is around 32C in July, but cold showers are still a bit of a shock, and not what we expected. Fridge in kitchen, but not working, and gas cooker is available but has most dials missing, which does limit the usefulness of the kitchen facilities provided. Our room was generally clean, but the plaster was badly damaged in several places, and the wardrobe doors were barely on the hinges. Bathroom was dirty, and there was no hot water. Overall a good location, and a friendly welcome, but we were disappointed with the condition of the accommodation and didn't consider it good or even fair value at the price.

14 July 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Great location. By the water and just outside of the more populated streets. Cheaper grocery stores by this guest house. And a nice kitchen in the house as well. I would definitely go back.

Disliked: Extremely difficult to find. It took me hours to find the place. In fact, the person who was supposed to give us our keys left. She was tired of waiting for us and we had to call her again. They really need to update their directions. FYI "tree arches" is actually "tre arches." "Tre" being Italian for "three." There is a bridge there with three big arches called "Tre Arches." I would recommend, if you intend on staying here, that you find out exactly where it is beforehand.

12 July 2011

Liked: It wasn't too far from the main station and the sights, but it was far enough away to be quiet and peaceful. The room was very large, and the kitchen was nice to have the use of.

Disliked: This guesthouse is simply an apartment with two bedrooms. There are no staff on-site, and so it felt a little unsecure at times. Also, the boiler kept breaking down during our stay. It wasn't too problematic to get going again, but guests really shouldn't have to mess about with a gas boiler just to get hot water!

10 July 2011

Liked: NOTHING

Disliked: NO PROVISION FOR HOT WATER. DOOR LOCK WAS NOT PRESENT AND NO SAFETY AS ANYBODY COULD WALK IN. VERY FAR FROM STATION. AND OWNER WAS ON LUNCH WHEN WE CALLED AT 1PM AND TOLD US TO WAIT OUTSIDE TILL 4PM

07 July 2011

Liked: Nothing.

Disliked: Having been very excited to arrive in Venice I could not disguise the crushing disappointment on arriving at the Bella Venexia. For a start the proceedure on arrival was poorly executed and thought out. The directions were unclear and incorrect and communication was made difficult with the staff, giving us the wrong location to wait and the wrong times. After the frustration of walking back and forth to meet the woman she was pleasant enough but as we were led away for the canal (which had numerous loud building works) the homes became shabbier and the whole area was shrouded in dilapidation. We arrived at the front of the building thoroughly unimpressed to find that the outside door was broken and stood ajar (and remained so throughout of journey). As the door opened to the shared living area we then proceeded to our room. Immediately we were hit by the overpowering stench of mould, the air was rank with it and the woman was obviosly aware seeing as she darted straight to the window and thrust them open, it did little to help. The furniture was a mishmash of what appeared to be second hand rubbish all in various states of disrepare giving the room a "Frankensteins Monster" air. The ceiling was grey with damp, the wardrobe awkwardly placed in an attempt to cover something but even this facade did not give us the luxury of hiding the tile and cement concontion behind as the wardrobe had a large hole in the back. All around were attempts to cover the dereliction (even a sheet of bamboo tacked to the wall the hide the crumbling plaster) but they were unsucessful. When discussing the terms of the house we were then informed that most of the amenities were broken (washing machine & fridge included) and after some directions roughtly drawn on the back of a google printout we were left alone to consider our plight. As the days crept by we survived by avoiding being in the appartment at all costs. The time we were forced to be there only led us to discover more horrors. Our belongings constantly felt damp and began to smell, the boiler failed regularly forcing us to take cold showers and even the small consolation of safety in the apartment was shattered when we had strangers banging on the door in the middle of the night, ringing the house bell and the buzzers outside, the thin gauzy curtains making us feel like fish in a bowl. All in all I can not think of a single redeeming factor for the Bella Venexia and would recommend spending a little more if possible. I now realise you can't put a price on cleanliness, customer service and above all security. The owners of the place have used the words "sumptuous elegance" to describe the place but if you choose to stay here your experience couldn't be any further from it. Do not be misled and have your trip be sullied with such a heinous start in the Bella Venexia.

18 June 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: nice washroom. helpful staff

Disliked: nothing

15 June 2011 Ecem would recommend this property

Liked: Susanna was very friendly to us :) She helped to plan our trip.. The house was very tidy and clean. The location was not bad easy to go eith your luggage but we had a waterbus rather than walking:) Hardly recommended for 4 people groups to reserve the whole house :) Had a very full equiped kichen :)

Disliked: It was rainimg when we arrive and it was hard to find the house!

31 May 2011 Grant would recommend this property

Liked: Right on the water.

Disliked: Nothing.

14 May 2011

Liked: the bed was comfortable

Disliked: The two owners Petra and George gave VERY BAD service. We called prior to arrival but nobody was there and we had to wait while my mother was sick as there is nobody to open the door and no payphones anywhere nearby. (no exaggeration) Also, George told us the WRONG BUS STOP to arrive at the hotel, even after I explained my 61 year mother couldn't walk far with her luggage. This mistake made her have to walk an extra kilometer while she was sick (no exaggeration) Petra told us the only ATM was back at central station which is a 30 minute return trip. She should know that there are 2 ATM's just around the corner near all the restaurants. Their BAD service of the owners will waste a couple of hours and effort for the guests. Also there is MOULD on the roof on the BEDROOM. My mother has allergies which made her more sick. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE