Buried in the heart of the sprawling Castello neighborhood is the group of Liassidi properties. For the Venice Marathon we elected to stay at the four room Liassidi Arco due to it’s proximity to the race’s end. The room looked lovely online, but I wasn’t certain they’d live up to the main hotel. Luckily, they exceeded expectations, especially for the 70 EUR price- cheap and cheerful, indeed! The bed was comfortable for Italian standards- read not THAT hard. The shower and hairdryer were excellent. There was a small balcony that opened onto a canal, minifridge, and safe. Most importantly, I was obsessed with the whimsically modern light fixutres.

While the building was partially residential and had a steep staircase to the first floor, it worked well for a couple of small bags. You could still arrive by water taxi to the main hotel and a porter was available to help with he luggage. Daily housekeeping was helpful just as the main hotel, and the room felt very secure with three layers of entry locks and I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again, especially for the price.