Venice - the locanda Silva

One of the great pleasures of Venice is to see the shock on visitors faces when they roll off the vaporetto and have to find their way to their hotel amongst the maze-like streets of the city.

Finding your hotel while trailing your luggage behind you takes some doing but one of the best has to be the Locanda Silva. Almost identical to a hundred hotels around this one has a reputation so good it is recommended by several guidebooks. In a city where reasonably priced accomodation is at a premium this is a real gem and just dips into the budget range with single rooms for 65,000 lira. Of course it also caters for more wealthy guests with superb double rooms for about 110,000 lira - so a good mixture of wealthy and budget visitors climb up its steps. In short, it has something for everyone.

It's location has to be one of the best in this watery city. As the crow flies it must be 300ft from San Marks Basilica and a short walk to the Rialto and Riva degli Schiavoni. But this being Venice no directions are straight and in reality it will take ten minutes of traversing the canals and narrow streets to reach such locations.

The Locanda is situated on a quiet canal. Housed in an ancient medieval building it has stairs leading up to a reception manned by an affable gnome of a man who bids you a hearty "Boungorno!" each morning. The rooms are on three floors with the most luxurious being on the first two. The rooms themselves are reasonably plain with bed, sink, wardrobe, writing desk and a view over the rooftops of Venice. Free breakfast comes with the price and in the dining room each morning there is a chance to tuck into peach juice, rolls, jam and chocolate while chatting with that Swedish family on the next table.

But the real trick is finding it. Being so close to Piazza San Marco means that you can reach it along Calle Guerra and over the bridge to Campo San Maria Formosa. If you take the bridge in southwest corner of the Campo this will take you to the Locanda Silva. But the nearest vaporetto stop is San Zaccaria on the Riva degli Schiavoni and from there you must take a side alley onto Camp San Zaccaria with its baroque church. Then a left over the canal, if you follow this street and turn right there should be a church. At the church turn left across the square and the alley in the northwest corner takes you onto the canal where the Locanda is situated.

Complicated? Once you have done it a dozen times you won’t notice it. Of course I can’t guarantee you won't get lost in those dozen times. But isn’t getting lost what Venice is all about.