Back to all hotels

Monaco & Grand Canal

Selected

Monaco & Grand Canal - Selected hotel in Venice, Italy

Check Availability & Prices

Find the best rates for Monaco & Grand Canal.

Check Availability on Booking.com

View the official listing on the MICHELIN Guide.

Location

Monaco & Grand Canal · Venice, Italy

Key Highlights

  • Service & Staff: The staff are frequently described as "fantastic," "world-class," "polite," "professional," "responsive," and "helpful," going above and beyond to ensure a pleasant stay.
  • The hotel offers a highly-rated dining experience, particularly at its Grand Canal restaurant. Guests consistently praise the "exceptional" and "top-quality Venetian cuisine."

Expert Review: Monaco & Grand Canal

Monaco & Grand Canal, Venice: A Comprehensive Review of a Michelin Key Selected Property

The Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal in Venice, a Michelin Key Selected property, consistently receives high praise from guests for its unparalleled location, exceptional service, and stunning Grand Canal views. Housed within a beautifully restored 17th-century palace, the hotel masterfully blends historic Venetian grandeur with chic modern styling, offering a luxurious and memorable stay.

1. Overall Rating & Sentiment

The overall sentiment for Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal is overwhelmingly positive, with many guests rating it as "superb" or "exceptional." Review scores frequently highlight its prime location (9.7/10), cleanliness (9.2/10), comfort (9.3/10), and staff performance (9.1/10). Many consider it a top choice for a luxurious and romantic stay in Venice, with some even suggesting it deserves more than its current four-star rating.

2. Key Highlights

Guests consistently laud several aspects of the Monaco & Grand Canal:

  • Location: Its position directly on the Grand Canal, just steps from Piazza San Marco and a vaporetto stop, is repeatedly cited as a major highlight.
  • Service & Staff: The staff are frequently described as "fantastic," "world-class," "polite," "professional," "responsive," and "helpful," going above and beyond to ensure a pleasant stay.
  • Dining Terrace: The restaurant's outdoor terrace, offering panoramic views of the Grand Canal, including the Santa Maria della Salute Church, is a beloved feature for breakfast and dinner.
  • Design & Ambiance: The hotel's blend of 17th-century grandeur with contemporary design, featuring Italian stuccoes, Murano chandeliers, and marble, creates a captivating and elegant atmosphere.

3. Room Quality

The 92 guestrooms and suites at Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal are designed with authentic Venetian décor, featuring handcrafted furniture, Murano chandeliers, and sometimes hand-painted gold-leaf details. Rooms are generally described as beautiful, immaculately clean, and comfortable, with some offering stunning canal views or private terraces overlooking the San Marco bell tower and city rooftops. Bathrooms are often marble, spacious, and include features like bathtubs. Standard amenities include air conditioning, minibars, flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, and free WiFi. While some find the rooms beautiful and nicely done, a few reviews mention certain rooms can be small.

4. Dining Experience

The hotel offers a highly-rated dining experience, particularly at its Grand Canal restaurant. Guests consistently praise the "exceptional" and "top-quality Venetian cuisine."

  • Breakfast: The breakfast buffet is frequently described as "superb" and "excellent," with a wide array of hot and cold options. Enjoying breakfast on the terrace overlooking the Grand Canal is highlighted as a "spectacular" and "special experience."
  • Restaurant: The on-site Grand Canal restaurant serves delicious international and local dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a romantic setting and unparalleled views from its outdoor seating.
  • Bar: The hotel also features a vibrant bar where guests can enjoy refreshing drinks, snacks, and sometimes live music.

5. Service & Staff

The service at Monaco & Grand Canal is a consistent strong point. Guests frequently commend the staff for being "fantastic," "helpful," "polite," and "professional." From the booking department to reception, concierges, and restaurant staff, many reviewers highlight their "world-class" hospitality. Specific examples include responsive assistance, friendly greetings, and attentive service in the dining areas. The concierge service is noted for being available around the clock to assist with booking gondola trips, boat tours, restaurant reservations, and transportation.

6. Location & Accessibility

The hotel's location is arguably its most significant asset.

  • Proximity to Attractions: It is situated directly on the Grand Canal, just a few steps or about 100 yards from Piazza San Marco, the heart of Venice, and other major attractions like Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Basilica, and the Campanile di San Marco. Harry's Bar is also just steps away.
  • Transport: The hotel is conveniently located next to a Vaporetto (water bus) station, offering quick access to Santa Lucia Train Station and other parts of the city and nearby islands. It also has a private dock for water taxi drop-off and pick-up. Venice Marco Polo Airport is approximately 11 miles (17 km) away.
  • Neighborhood: It's in the San Marco district, described as one of Venice's most charming and atmospheric areas, yet tucked away on a quiet street.

7. Value & Pricing

While Venice is known for being expensive, many guests feel the Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal offers good value for its prime location and high-quality experience, though some note it comes at a higher cost. The hotel is considered a luxury property. Average nightly room prices have recently been cited around $692 USD, though rates can vary significantly depending on the season and room type, with some finding rates as low as $246 USD. The hotel holds a value for money rating of 8.3/10.

8. Common Complaints

While generally highly rated, some guests have reported recurring issues:

  • Air Conditioning/Heating: A notable complaint is the hotel's policy of turning off air conditioning for the season, even when rooms can become uncomfortably hot, forcing guests to open windows. Similar issues have been reported with towel warmers.
  • Room Size: A few reviewers have found some rooms to be quite small, especially for two people.
  • Reception Staff: While concierge staff are generally praised, there have been isolated complaints about reception staff being unhelpful or rude, particularly concerning billing issues.
  • Bedbugs: One very concerning review mentioned experiencing bedbugs during a honeymoon stay, along with being assigned a "crappy room overlooking a roof" despite the special occasion. This appears to be an isolated but significant complaint.
  • Lack of In-Room Amenities: Some guests, particularly international travelers, noted the absence of an electric kettle or complimentary bottled water in the rooms.

Sources

  1. booking.com
  2. booking.com
  3. agoda.com
  4. preferredhotels.com
  5. fivestaralliance.com
  6. michelin.com
  7. luxurylink.com
  8. tablethotels.com
  9. bownsbest.com
  10. booking.com
  11. trip.com
  12. expedia.com
  13. hotelscombined.com

Points to Consider

  • While generally highly rated, some guests have reported recurring issues:
  • Reception Staff: While concierge staff are generally praised, there have been isolated complaints about reception staff being unhelpful or rude, particularly concerning billing issues.

Google Reviews

View on Google Maps
4.5

1,486 reviews

Recent Guest Reviews

khalid alhefeiti

Local Guide2 weeks ago

I genuinely don’t know how this hotel manages to stay in business. From the moment I arrived, the experience was a complete disaster. Staff: The staff were shockingly unprofessional and rude. The receptionist When I asked basic questions about the facilities, I was met with eye-rolls and vague, dismissive answers. Customer service here is nonexistent. The worst part was the concierge manager’s h...

Response from the owner

Dear Khalid,<br><br>Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are very sorry to read about your experience and to learn that your stay was so disappointing. Please accept our sincere apologies for the i...

Afra Alyassi

Local Guide2 weeks ago

The staff were unprofessional and rude. When I asked basic questions about the facilities, I was met with eye-rolls and vague, dismissive answers. The worst part was the concierge manager’s handling of a serious issue in our room. We had a major problem with the lighting — both the room and the toilet lights were not working properly. The concierge manager came to “fix” it and spent almost 20 min...

Response from the owner

Dear Guest,<br>Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are truly sorry to read about your experience and to learn that your stay did not meet your expectations. Please accept our sinc...

Robert Kembel

Local Guide2 weeks ago

Love this place and location. Staff was great. Junior suite no view but opened windows to alley was great. Could see the grand canal down the alley and saved a few bucks. Great location easy boat taxi to front door of hotel.

Mina Ramezani

Edited a week ago

What a lovely way to start the day! We had breakfast at the hotel restaurant to celebrate my friend’s birthday, and it turned out to be one of the best birthdays she’s ever had. One of the staff members, we don’t know his name, was incredibly kind and funny. He brought a candle to surprise my friend and made us smile with his great energy. And the most touching part? When we received the bill, we...

Response from the owner

Dear Guest,<br>Thank you so much for your heartwarming review. Your kind words about our team — especially the staff member who brought the candle and shared his positive energy — mean a great deal to...

SP SP

Local Guide4 months ago

Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal — where the view makes all the difference You couldn’t ask for a better location — right on the Grand Canal, a few steps from Piazza San Marco, where Venice truly feels alive. The real magic, though, happens at the hotel bar: silver-haired Italian bartenders in crisp white jackets mixing the best Chinàr Spritz on earth. Classic, slightly bitter, perfectly balanced — th...

Response from the owner

Dear Guest,<br><br>Thank you for sharing your thoughtful review. We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed our unbeatable location on the Grand Canal and that our bar and bartenders left such a memorab...

Katie Coffman

5 months ago

best spot in venice ! room had a view of the grand canal- absolutely priceless! loved watching the gondolas take off hourly while sipping a perfect espresso martini at the restaurant bar ! staff was accommodating, views and location were perfect. highly reccomend

Similar Hotels You Might Like

More Hotels in Venice

Frequently Asked Questions