My wife and I chose the Westin for a romantic getaway in Venice. We made an excellent choice! Location is simply fantastic - right on the Grand Canal, a short walk to San Marco square, great shops and dining nearby. Staff was very professional and helpful. Front desk staff was great with directions and recommendations and also provided a very nice room upgrade at check in. Georgio at the bar was simply fantastic - one of the nicest and most helpful people we met during our one week stay in Italy. Room was large, well kept and relaxing / enjoyable. Bathroom was great as well. The cost was high but we found it worth it for a "splurge" for ourselves.

Had a weekend in between business travels in Europe and no particular place to go (had to be in Milan on Monday) so stopped for the weekend in Venice along the way. First, my wife will kill me for going here without here, but, it was a good 'recon' mission for bringing her another time (or, at least that's how I sold it to her).

The Westin Europa & Regina was simply outstanding. It will cost you (even if the rooms are reasonable -they were for me - everything else is very expensive, more than any other place I've traveled - London, Dublin, Paris, you name it...this was the most expensive. Having said that, this is a bucket list location. Venice was, by far, the most beautiful city I've been to.

The Westin is stunning. You obviously need a water taxi to get there from the airport. It set me back 110 euro so plan accordingly (I believe they have a "water bus" that's considerably cheaper but takes 2 hours or so and will kill the romance if that's what your plan is with the bride/husband). But what a ride. Think of the 110 euro as part of the adventure, if you must.

Rooms are in great condition and well appointed. Internet, etc, will cost you (I believe a beer from the minibar was 10 euro- that's right, $13 for a beer). But it's all there. Hotel bar is stunning, a bit quiet on a January night, but nice to chill and have a beverage or two in.

Fitness center well appointed.

Everything is in walking distance. Get a map and get out on the streets. If you weren't in the infantry you are going to get lost so plan accordingly. If you were, it really isn't that difficult to figure out where you are at. My recommendation is avoid the $50 per person room service breakfast (cappucino, a glass of orange and one croissant) and take a walk. You will find great little places to spend 5 euro and have the equivalent meal. And you will love the walk.

See everything, walk everywhere, eat too much, have pastries every other block. And a wine or six. Just get lost, find a museum, etc. It's a four-day sort of town. And stay here, it's worth the life experience.

The location is about as good as you'll get in Venice. About a 2 min walk to St. Marks square. Right near all of the designer shops and great restaurants. However, for a Westin I have to say Europa & Regina was a bit of a disappointment. I know everything is smaller in Venice, but these rooms were really tiny and looked very dated. Definitely not 5 star as they advertise. If you are looking for 5 star, but don't mind paying for it, I recommend the Luna Baglioni right around the corner. We stayed there on our honeymoon and it blows E&R out the window. The service was also very mediocre. 2 nights in a row they neglected to do any turndown service and the rooms were left a mess. Just really not up to Westin standards and certainly not 5 star.

We typically stay in Starwood properties when traveling in Europe as they are great hotels to begin with and typically in great locations. This hotel was everything we expected for our 4 day long weekend in early October 2011. Yes , the hotel is somewhat difficult to find at first, but there are signs to naivgate your way back to the hotel. Upon arrival early in the morning, as expected the room was not ready, so we dropped of our luggage with a bellman and went to enjoy the morning at a cafe in one of the Campos. The staff was friendly, not over the top, but everything I expect of how to be treated when checking in into a hotel. Upon getting to our room in the early afternoon, we realized were upgraded to a suite overlooking the front entrance to the hotel. (no view). We personnaly didn't care as we are not in the room much. The room was fantastic two rooms, large walk in closet and large bathroom. The rooms was very clean, fresh and modern. We did not eat at the hotel, but did enjoy the bar overlooking the canal several times. Yes, the drinks are pricey, but what do you expect at a high end hotel in Venice overlooking the Grand Canal. Surprisingly, the staff was extremely friendly and attentive as at times we find this not always to be in Europe. We did make a trip to Lido, we asked the conceirge about getting a water taxi, but he said the hotel has reciprocity with a hotel over there and will take you for free. Its about a 20 minute ride over, however it is a short walk to town in lido once you get over there. On our final day, we had the water taxi pick us up at our hotel as we had an early morning flight back to the states. It is expensive for a water taxi ( about $140 one way), but it literally takes about 20 minutes early in the morning and illeviates any stress. You can pre book online with the water taxi company for about $90 each way. We will do this on our next visit to Venice.

This hotel is great, the conceirge is okay for providing maps and general info. But really explore Venice, there are great restaurants off the beaten path. Don't get hung up on what view you have or what type of room, because this hotel has everything to offer for a trip to Venice. However, the only thing that anoyed me at this hotel was the internet, it was expensive and the only wireless was in the lobby. I think I paid $10 for 15 minutes of internet.