Dorsoduro / Rio Nuovo

Avani Rio Novo Venice

★★★★★

Avani Rio Novo Venice, formerly the NH Venezia Rio Novo and now part of Minor Hotels' Avani brand, is one of the most practical hotels in Venice. It stands in Dorsoduro, beside the Rio Nuovo canal, in the corner of the district closest to Piazzale Roma and the station, so you can arrive by train, bus, car or cruise ship and walk to the hotel with your luggage in about ten to fifteen minutes, a rare luxury in a city where many hotels are a long haul over bridges from any transport. With 144 rooms and suites, it is large by local standards, and its style is contemporary and relaxed rather than antique: clean lines, comfortable beds and good bathrooms, with every room designed to be wheelchair accessible, which is unusual in historic Venice. Categories run from standard rooms through superior rooms with city or canal views and deluxe rooms to junior suites with a separate living area. The restaurant, 8 Millimetri Cicchetti and Wine, is themed on cinema and serves Italian dishes and Venetian-style small plates, with grab-and-go coffee and pastries for early starts, and the hotel's garden is a lovely place for breakfast, a spritz or an evening cocktail. The neighbourhood is a big part of the appeal: Campo Santa Margherita, a few steps away, is the lively heart of student Dorsoduro, full of bars and cafés and the fish stalls of the morning, and the Frari, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco and Ca' Rezzonico are all within a short walk, with the Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim a little further.

Location logic: this is the right hotel if you want easy arrivals and departures and a real neighbourhood around you. Airport transfers can be booked in advance, and drivers leave their cars at the Piazzale Roma garages or the terminal nearby, since there is no hotel parking. From the hotel, San Marco is a pleasant walk of about half an hour through Dorsoduro and over the Accademia Bridge, or a vaporetto ride from Piazzale Roma or San Tomà down the Grand Canal.

Practicalities and room advice: ask for a canal-view superior room if you want a Venetian outlook; city-view rooms are quieter but plainer. Junior suites suit families who need extra space. Check-in is mid-afternoon and check-out at midday, pets are welcome with notice and a fee, and the city's per-night tourist tax is added to the bill. The hotel also hosts art exhibitions from time to time, a nod to Dorsoduro's gallery culture.

Who it suits: travellers who value convenience and a fair price, families and anyone with mobility needs, art lovers who want the Frari and the Accademia nearby, and night owls who like the buzz of Campo Santa Margherita. It is less suited to travellers who want antique Venetian decor or a palace on the Grand Canal. Compared with the Moresco, a few minutes away, it is larger and more modern, with more consistent rooms; compared with the Papadopoli across the canal, it is more casual.