I We stayed at this hotel while on a tour wth Trafalgar. Our room was alright but either the air conditioning didn't work or wasn't turned on. When I complained someone came to the room, fidddled with the thermostat's knobs, said the AC is now working and left. It was no different to before his visit. I understand some hotels don't turn the A.C. on until June 1st. We stayed there at the end of May.
Our room although small, was clean and overlooked the garden. A fellow and his wife with whom we were travelling had a room that previously, in their opinion must have been the attic. It had no window except a sky light and was up 32 stairs and no elevator. These same people also said when they asked for a hand with their luggage and were refused help. Other people on the tour complainde of what they felt was a condesending attitude among the staff. I never experienced it whom ever I spoke with was most helpful.

A great plus for me is the hotel has bicycles free of charge for the use of guests. My wife and I took bikes and went for a very enjoyable bike ride around the Lido. The hotel is located within easy walking distance of the water taxis and good restaurants. I would stay there again but I would want to know the AC was on and where my room was going to situated.

My daughter and I have just stayed for three nights. We had a spacious twin room at the back of the hotel. It was very clean,quiet and the beds comfortable. The reception staff were helpful; particularly the manager. There could have been more choice for breakfast.
The location was ideal for us being a ten minute walk from the ferry. We purchased a 3 day ticket to enable us to visit Venice, Burano and Torchello at leisure.
The Lido is the ideal place to get away from the crowds of Venice and relax. Also the prices are cheaper. We would recommend the hotel and the Lido anytime. When dining in Venice we stayed away from the tourist hot spots where prices are high.

My 4 sisters & I joined a 7-country tour of Europe in May 2010. This was the hotel chosen by Insight Vacations for our 2-night stay in Venice. It is a boat ride away from Venice itself where all the action is. The boat stopped directly across the hotel. The hotel looks like a residence from the outside. Beautiful blue hydrangeas greeted us as we walked the path to the hotel's front entrance. There is a charming parlor to the left and the breakfast room to the right of the foyer is pretty. We had to walk up to our room as there was only a tiny elevator. My 1 sister and I shared a room with 2 cot-like beds; it was tiny and looked like a room in a convent. Very sparse, which was very disappointing considering the charming facade and the pretty parlor and dining room on the main floor. My 3 sisters shared a room that was big but looked like a room on a cabin loft instead of a hotel room. There was a king-size bed and a cot inside a windowless cubicle. The staff was not rude but not friendly either. Some of us even commented about this to our tour director who explained that Italians are really quite friendly "once you get to know them but not when they deal with tourists every single day." (I thought: well, the tourists are their bread & butter, so shouldn't they be trained to be more hospitable?) It took forever to get our suitcases into the rooms, so we got impatient and got them ourselves, as there was only 1 person in charge of all the luggages of our group. The dinner was so-so; however, the breakfast was outstanding. Walking around the surrounding area was very interesting. There is a beach area within a few minutes' walk. We found a restaurant a few blocks away where nobody spoke English and the menu was entirely in Italian, so ordering was at our risk. This was my second trip to Venice. On my first trip to Venice, we stayed at the Hotel Marconi which is just several minutes' walk to the Rialto Bridge. It was not as nice as Villa Mabapa; however, we didn't have to take the boat ride to where all the action was---the market, the shops, the many choices of restaurants, and all the "must-see" sites of Venice, so my friends and I were able to see more and do more in Venice than my sisters & I did because of the location of Villa Mabapa.

This hotel is not near any of the typical sites in Venice people go to see and is almost 100 euros to get to by water taxi. However, the area around the hotel is beautiful and unlike other areas of Venice. There's a great beach a short ten minute walk away, and some excellent little restaurants (English speaking employees are not as easy to find in these places compared to other areas that cater more to the 'typical' tourist), you just need to walk around the area and find them on quiet, unsuspecting streets.

There is also some excellent shopping in the area, with some specialty food stores. The prices also tend to be a little less expensive than in the heart of Venice.