Palazzo Stern is a beautiful building, with a terrace overlooking a canal, just near a waterbus stop and walking distance from the Accademia bridge - so, in terms of location, it's well-situated. The immediate surrounding area has some fun shops, restaurants, and a museum, as well.
The hotel itself is nice enough, but there are some definite drawbacks. Our room was fairly small, which isn't a problem in and of itself, but it wasn't well-designed for travelers. Much of it was taken up by an ornate headboard with built-in cabinets that weren't large enough to hold suitcases - so your suitcases will end up using up the very limited floorspace.
The bathroom, on the other hand, is HUGE ... yet equally weirdly laid out. There was a huge jetted tub, but if you're like us and just want to shower and go - well, you're not going to enjoy the tiny shower with no place to put shampoo or soap, and have fun getting the soap off with the too-low water pressure.
On the plus side, the bathroom was pretty, with pink and gold tile, and the room felt looked like something suited to Venetian Royalty. Everything was a feast for the eyes.
The breakfast was very good, but the predefined options were a little annoying I would have preferred a buffet where I could choose what fruits I was going to eat, rather than getting a fruit salad made up of things I wanted and a whole lot I didn't. But, what we were served was very good and there was certainly enough of it.
I loved sitting on the terrace and watching the boats over a croissant and coffee in the morning - I could have stayed there for hours, and one morning, I nearly did! Nobody rushes you here, which is nice.
The staff are nice, and efficient, and were helpful in arranging taxis to the airport or helping us figure out the water buses. +1 for that. read more