This hotel is about trade-offs. For some folks it will be ideal, for others it will have huge flaws. Let’s start with the good.

The location is simply outstanding. You are literally ONE MINUTE’S WALK from Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark’s Square) and less than five minutes from Rialto Brige and Accademia Bridge. But, because you are off to the side of the square, it is very quiet at night. You are also less than five minutes from the San Marco Vaporetto stop, an easy walk with rolling luggage.

The Rooms have charm. Beautiful fabric on the walls with cording everywhere. The furniture is beautiful as well. You will not forget that you are in Venice while you are in these rooms.

The Staff is friendly and helpful.

The Breakfast is light pastries and juice/coffee, but nice.

The Price is quite reasonable for the location.

Now for the negatives.

The Steps. Some folks will be turned off by this. There are two floors of steps and no elevator. Vito offered to carry our luggage up for us, but as a party of seven, I wouldn’t have slept well with that on my conscience. I would assume someone who really needed help would be assisted. Still, if you come back to the room often, you do have the steps to contend with each time.

The Bathrooms. They are clean, but small. You will become intimate with your shower curtain as it tries to wrap around you. Two of the rooms we stayed in had fluctuating water temperature in the showers. We found it to be tolerable, but you might not like it.

The Birds. Ever wonder where the pigeons from Piazza San Marco go each night? They go to Hotel San Gallo! This probably won’t affect you. We stayed in March, and that meant the heat was on, but sometimes we wanted to cool the room. To do this, you had to open the windows. That’s where the birds come in. You wouldn’t know they were there otherwise. But if you need the window open, you’ll know.

Some of the rooms are small. We stayed here in 2002 also. Our room in 2002 was SMALL. We fared better in 2006. For us, room size isn’t critical but if it is for you, then you may want to press the issue and make sure you have a decent sized room.

Overall, this hotel has an OUTSTANDING location, reasonable prices, charm and a few (relatively) small flaws. I’d proudly recommend it to travellers who are looking for a great location in Venice on a budget.