We have walked past Hotel Papadopoli literally hundreds of times, (we are not Venice “newbies”). There is no particular reason we haven’t stayed here before, so why this time? It’s simply because a friend stayed here (a friend I trust) and gave it a glowing recommendation. In turn, he thanked me for recommending staying at a hotel that was easy to locate, for his first visit to Venice. There’s only one hotel in Venice that is easier to locate (and get to by various routes) than the Papadopoli; something that is rarely mentioned in TA recommendations.
As soon as we arrived, we knew we were on to a winner. Very warm welcome, lots of info offered, (which after decades of visiting Venice wasn’t really needed). Yet as I was explaining that I knew where the Madonna dell’Orto was (magnificent local church of Tintoretto) and my own favourite church was the tiny jewel of the “Miracoli” – a map was produced, that was helpful (much more so for first time visitors) but it actually supplied me with some new information. They really do go the extra mile regarding guest services.
The hotel itself is part of the Accor group but ignore that fact immediately. This hotel is much more “boutique” than “corporate”. The ambience and fittings are spectacularly tasteful, with luxury fabrics and furnishings and even Fortuny, (or excellent reproductions) light fittings. Our room wasn’t quite ready on arrival but this gave us the opportunity to sample the bar. We really like a comfortable bar, (especially when the evenings are too cold or wet). The Papadopoli bar is very comfortable and has plenty of space. It also offers attractive discounts for those who are members of Club Accor (easy to enroll).
Our room (128) lacked for nothing. Plenty of space, every amenity you would expect (I won’t list them all) and to top it all, a lovely balcony overlooking the canal. Considering that two of the best “cicchetti” bars in Venice were close (very popular with the younger crowd) outside noise was very subdued. There was a little noise from the bells of the church of San Nicola da Tolentino but if church bells are a game changer – perhaps Venice isn’t your best choice for a vacation?
Breakfasts, (taken in the spectacular Giardino d'Inverno), were excellent but in some respects a little odd. The actual breakfast room itself is a most charismatic indoor space – probably the best we have experienced in our years of travelling around Europe. Service, (as you’d expect) was excellent. The contents of the buffet had enough variation to satisfy most tastes but some items were a little…odd? On our first morning, nestled in among the scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon etc. were Brussels sprouts - at breakfast? I thought this could have been the result of the Italians reading about the British obsession with this seasonal vegetable – until morning number two. The sprouts had gone but we now had Cavolo Nero and an impressive selection of other steamed vegetables. Don’t get me wrong, you could take or leave this stuff; it just seemed a bit odd. In short, we both really enjoyed the breakfast selection, from my toasted bacon sandwich (which I rustled up) to my wife’s fresh fruit and pastry selections.
So that’s it then, a complete 10/10 for the Papadopoli? Well it wouldn’t be an honest review if I didn’t mention two things. For most of our visit, “high-water” was about a metre above normal and one of the twice a day peaks was in the wee-small hours. I must add that here was no flooding at the hotel during our stay. On the first morning, my wife noticed that the evening turndown-service had placed the plug in the bathroom sink. She couldn’t figure out why – until we removed the plug on our second night. Obviously the high-water creates some form of “blowback” and the smell from the bathroom sink was rank. We have experienced this phenomenon in other hotels, so it isn’t unique to the Papadopoli. Second, the wifi was either excellent, (really fast speeds for hotel wifi) or totally useless. The problem looked like a “contention” issue (the problems only occurred when the system was under heavy use). For us tourists, it only meant not being able to download the morning newspaper. If you are planning to do some business – it could be a bigger problem.
Those minor quibbles apart, we both thoroughly enjoyed the Papadopoli and in our humble opinion, it represents excellent value for money. We are fortunate enough to have stayed at three very prestigious hotels along the Riva degli Schiavoni, which were good – but didn’t match the overall excellence of the Papadopoli (despite them being over twice the price). It has an unbeatable location, is attractively decorated, has wonderful amenities, terrific staff and should be high (if not top) of the list of anyone who is looking to stay in beautiful Venice.