[lacal]

I am looking to bid on something for 2 nights (Oct. 17 and 18) in or near Venice.

I do not really know where to begin. We do want it to be cheap (around $80/night total) but do not want to be in a bad neighborhood or really dirty room either.

Please help me begin my bidding process. thanks!

edit: Usually we would stay in a hostel b/c they are cheaper but I was thinking I might be able to pay similar prices if we bid on something since there are 2 of us.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

What is your maximum bid price (before taxes and fees)? Which PRICELINE zone(s) are you willing to accept? What is your minimum star rating?

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[lacal]

Thanks for the response...

I really only want to pay somewhere total of $80 ish/night for 2 people 1 room.

Star ratings are hard b/c I'm from the states and they are not really the same as in Europe. I don't need anything fancy....a clean bed and room in an area that is not shady/dangerous.

Priceline is only showing 2 different locations-Lido is not an option for these dates I guess. So I would be willing to stay in the other 2 b/c I'm not sure I would have much luck finding something in Venice for my price range.

[thereuare]

lacal, on Oct 5 2009, 07:35 PM, said:

I really only want to pay somewhere total of $80 ish/night for 2 people 1 room.

You'll need to figure out and let us know your maximum bid amount. Go to PRICELINE, enter your zone and a bid amount, and on the next page look at the total. Hit the BACK button on your browser, adjust the bid price up/down and repeat until the total is at your maximum price.

Quote

Star ratings are hard b/c I'm from the states and they are not really the same as in Europe. I don't need anything fancy....a clean bed and room in an area that is not shady/dangerous.

European star ratings are more 'generous' then here in the States, so you need to be conservative in the minimum star rating you're willing to accept. As well, you'll need to be willing to accept a hotel anywhere in the zone, so you'll need to make sure that you're comfortable with the entire region that you select.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[Romelle]

If you look at Hotwire for your dates (using the link top left on this page) you will see a 3* offering for $79 for Mestre. The wizards here can often make a well-educated guess as to exactly what hotel that might be if you report back all the amenities. Even if they aren't sure, it could still work for you. Frankly, I was surprised at the reasonableness of the price, as Venice can be REALLY expensive. Might be a relatively slow tourist time.

You didn't mention if you've been to Venice before, so pardon the geography discussion if you already know it, but Mestre is the mainland city and well connected to Venice by train (about 10 minutes). Some mainland hotels offer a shuttle service to the mainland train station. You can see the orange line of the train route on the Priceline map.

Romelle

[lacal]

thereuare: I would say a maximum bid of $70 including the Mestre area. I would also say that a min. of a 3 star rating.


Romelle-thanks for your help as well. Do you know how much it costs to get to Venice? I would have to guess that we would go there obviously at least 1 time a day so that's 4 trips total/day (there and back for 2 people). Probably more beneficial to stay on the island and include the cost of transportation into my bid strictly for Venice if it's expensive.

Info: Hotwire: 3*, $79, Mestre Area includes: Restaurant, Business Center, High Speed Internet

[Romelle]

www.venice-hotels.redflag.info/mestre-station.htm

says a single one-way ticket is 1 Euro or about $1.40

Romelle

www.venezia.net/venice/useful-informations.htm says the same and has a lot of other useful info too.

Even if the prices have somehow doubled, still a good deal.

You can buy the train tickets right at the station from easy to use machines.

Also, you might find mainland food to be less expensive than that on the island. There is a grocery store on Lido.

www.hihostels.com/dba/hostel031001.en.htm is the hostel, good pasta based evening meals, and even a near-by coin operated laundry.

I did buy lighting fixtures there several years ago. The shipment arrived on time, wired for US, and everything OK.

[thereuare]

I'm assuming that the Venice (island) zone is acceptable as well?

If so, you have no re-bid zones:

Select 3* Venice...
Bid $55, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE
Select 3* Mestre...
Bid $55, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* Venice and Mestre...
Bid $60

Any questions feel free to ask.

If the above is rejected wait 24 hours and try again, increasing each bid above by $10 (so bidding $65 and $70) which will bring you to your maximum bid.

If the above is rejected, note that HOTWIRE has a 3* Mestre property for $79/nite (but it has not yet been identified, may be lesser rated on PRICELINE, and the HOTWIRE zone is much larger than the equivalent PRICELINE zone... so be sure to note these differences should you proceed with that offer)

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[lacal]

Yes, Venice itself is acceptable as well. So I have both Mestre and Venice able to bid on.

Thanks for the info. I'll let you know how it goes!