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My Review

The first thing I noticed about the Hotel Olimpia Venice was the service, and I think it’s one of the best places to stay in Venice for the wonderful staff. As soon as my mom and I walked in the front entrance, we were greeted with an enthusiastic “Buongiorno, ladies!” 

And, when we told the front desk that the airline had lost my mom’s luggage (sigh), they were very compassionate and promised to let us know as soon as they heard word. Then, the porter escorted us to our Superior Queen Room and made sure we had everything we needed for a comfortable stay.

The second thing I noticed about the Hotel Olimpia Venice was the peacefulness of the room. Though facing a side-canal in the Santa Croce sestiere (district), the room is almost entirely silent when the windows are closed. Which, after a 16+ hour travel day, was exactly what we needed. My mom even commented to the front desk just how quiet our room was.

Our room, while completely outfitted with well-working air conditioning, had a more metaphoric warmth to it. The walls are a luxe dark beige material (not painted or wallpaper, but more of a cloth) and real paintings of Venice made it feel welcoming and not stuffy.

The bed was firm but comfy, our room had not one, but two (!!) canal-facing windows. And, the “superior” feature meant that our room had a bedroom with a closet, bed, coffee station, two side tables, and television, AND a sitting area with a chaise (and pull out bed), television, and access to the bathroom.

I really liked the bathroom. The shower pressure was unreal. Like, way stronger than I even have at home. And the water got so hot I couldn’t stand having it on full heat. There is also a bidet (hello, Europe), and a towel warmer (my fave).

About the windows, this might just be me being nitpicky, but I was kind of bummed that the window by the bed didn’t open all the way. You can see in my photos that it’s only half ajar, and that’s because that’s just how far it goes. I was really hoping for some shots of Venice in my photos! The window by the chaise did open all the way though, so I survived.

Also, not that this is a “con” per se, as it’s exactly how the hotel describes itself, but this is definitely a 3-star hotel. There are slippers, but no robes, and the features seem a little too quaint to scream “luxury.” That’s not to say it’s not clean and enjoyable though.

And I can’t forget the garden! One of the main features of Hotel Olimpia is that it has an on-site garden. As you can imagine, green space in Venice is hard to come by, and the seating out there was super cute. We visited in March, so I admit we didn’t make much use of it, but I’d definitely hang out there in slightly warmer weather. 

Another amenity worth mentioning is the breakfast, which I really enjoyed. There was a pretty spread of juice, meat, cheese, cereal, fruits, and pastries (the jam-filled croissant was so good). And of course, because it’s Italy, there is fresh espresso brewed right in the dining room (the coffee in the room was that instant stir-able stuff (blegh) so it’s worth waiting until breakfast for your caffeine fix).

So, despite my little nitpicks, I had a great stay at Hotel Olimpia Venice, and I’d absolutely stay here again. The location in Santa Croce is wonderfully away from the crowds and the staff are lovely.

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Pros & Cons

About the Location

If being close to Piazzale Roma (Venice’s main transport hub) is important to you, then I highly recommend this hotel. The bus station is literally across the street (erm, canal), and Santa Lucia railway station isn’t too far away either. Also, if you rent a car and drive it to Venice, the parking lot is about a 6-minute walk away.

Moreover, there is a vaporetto stop just a 5-minute walk away, so getting to the main sites is a breeze. It took us 15 minutes on the vaporetto to get from the Rialto Bridge to Hotel Olimpia.

Overall, the hotel’s district of Santa Croce is much quieter than the inner areas. It’s a place where locals intermingle with tourists, but there aren’t too many sites to draw in the crowds. There’s a mall-of-sorts nearby, Papadopoli Gardens if you’re looking to relax among the plants, and a restaurant next door called Trattoria Alle Burchielle that serves great pasta.

For this reason, Hotel Olimpia is one of the best places to stay in Venice to be right near transportation, but away from the noise.