Hotel Al Sole

Once a 15th century palace, the Al Sole is an intimate three-storey hotel with a white-stone façade, sited on the Tolentini Canal, 500 metres from the Piazzale Roma and two kilometres from the Ca' d'Oro. The 69 air- conditioned guestrooms feature painted-wood headboards, Murano chandeliers and antique chairs upholstered in red velvet, and offer views of the canal or the terrace. All include Internet connections, satellite TV, safes, minibars, and tiled bathrooms with bidets and hair dryers. The Hotel al Sole occupies a 15th century palace built upon the foundations of a convent by the aristocratic Marcello family, which still owns and manages the property today. Guests are welcomed into a marble-floored lobby with Oriental rugs, antique columns and an exposed- beam ceiling. The hotel's ground-floor lounge features 600-year-old paving stones, columns, wooden beams, and a stone well. The breakfast room features colourful striped walls and serves a daily buffet breakfast. In summer, guests can enjoy breakfast or drinks in the hidden garden, an inner courtyard with wrought-iron furniture, surrounded by lush foliage. Multilingual staff at the 24- hour front desk can advise on local sights and attractions and arrange dry-cleaning and child-care services. The Lido of Venice, the slender island that lies a 15-minute waterbus ride east of central Venice, is the city's playground, offering beaches, water sports, golf and horseback rides. Waterbuses run to the Lido from Piazza San Marco, two kilometres from the hotel. Marco Polo Airport is 13 kilometres from Piazzale Roma, Venice's land-transport terminus, and can be reached by car in 20 minutes.;
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