Hotel Villa Pannonia

Rooms

Being out of the city is good: you get a lot of room for your money and it’s blissfully quiet. We slept really well in the pared-back, monochrome rooms, which are well-equipped if a little impersonal. It’s a shame that the exciting modern art displays in the main reception and communal areas don’t extend into the bedrooms, too.

There are well-sized Standard Doubles; Superior Doubles, which have extra space and an optional rollaway bed; Attic Rooms, which are a little dingy as they only have small windows at knee height, but a good option for larger groups; Standard Quadruples, which are spacious with a double sofabed, and Suites, which have 2 double bedrooms. Bathrooms are spacious, though a little dull in décor, with power showers.

We slept in one of the ground-floor rooms (which are all very quiet) - a large Superior Double with a desk, a flatscreen TV, small pouffes and a great view of the garden.

Features include:

• Air conditioning
• Central heating
• Coffee / tea making
• Cots available
• Hairdryer
• Minibar
• Toiletries
• TV
• WiFi

Eating

Hotel Villa Pannonia's breakfast is very good. One of the worst things about central Venice hotels is their rubbishy breakfasts - there’s a strange predilection for pre-packaged croissants and anything-but-fresh bread rolls. Here, there’s nothing of the sort. We really enjoyed our big breakfast: several types of fresh pastries, breads, honey, yoghurt, cereal and cake, served with boiled eggs, ham, cheese, fresh fruit, juice and coffee. In the summer, you can breakfast in the garden where modern tables are shaded with umbrellas.

No other meals are served but you can have coffees and drinks from the bar delivered to your room or the garden, and breakfast can be served in your room for a small fee.

As for eating out, Venice is a strange city for food and the Lido is no exception. There are plenty of tourist-friendly restaurants on the Gran Viale, under 5 minutes’ walk away, but they didn’t dazzle us: menus in 5 languages with pizza, pasta and panini of varying quality. It's probably best to seek recommendations from reception. For an expensive treat, we’d recommend Venissa on Mazzorbo Island, a short boat ride away. Otherwise, perhaps have lunch in Venice while sightseeing, and dinner too, if you can, where there’s certainly more atmosphere.

There are snack bars on the beach which are open during the summer season, serving drinks, pizza slices and paninis, and a couple of good delis on the Gran Viale if you want to buy picnic food for a day out cycling round the Lido.

Features include:

• Bar
• Breakfast
• Restaurants nearby
• Room service

Activities

• In the summer, take the vaporetto (waterbus) to St Mark’s Square in the morning and explore the busy streets and galleries. In the afternoon, return to the Lido and flop on the beach
  
• Swim in the sea - it’s fine for children as the beach slopes gently into the water. Just watch out for occasional jellyfish
  
• Play golf. The course on the Lido is renowned as one of Italy’s finest. Or hire bikes, buy a picnic and explore the island's fishing villages
  
• Keen birders might enjoy a trip to Pellestrina Island, which is fantastic for bird watching, especially around Carmona beach where you may see Little Terns, Plovers and Red Falcons. Take the vaporetto there from the very south of the Lido - the island is just off the tip and its candy-coloured houses are pretty in the afternoon sun
  
• Visit during the Venice Film Festival (late August/early September) to experience the glamour of an international art event
  
• Take day trips to the other islands in the Venetian lagoon, including Torcello, Murano, Burano and Mazzorbo
  
• Cruise down the Grand Canal and under the Rialto Bridge. There’s a market beyond the bridge - get there early (8am) to see the fish being unloaded and the barges carrying goods up the canal
  
• Lose yourself in the back streets of Venice, browsing exquisite paper, animal mask and pastry shops, and delicious gelateria
  
• Take an early evening stroll around the Dorsoduro district of central Venice and enjoy a cappuccino as the sun sets and turns the city a beautiful shade of orangey-pink. Eat dinner then hop on the last vaporetto (around 11pm) back to the Lido Island

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Birdwatching
• Boat trips
• Cycling
• Golf
• Historical sites
• Museums / galleries
• Shopping / markets
• Swimming

Kids

Hotel Villa Pannonia is welcoming to children of all ages - we took our baby and they provided a cot and bedding plus a highchair in the morning, and they warmed milk and baby food when necessary through the day.

The Lido is great for little children, with the beach and a distinct lack of bridges to carry your pushchair over; a refreshing change from central Venice, which is actually quite difficult with a toddler. The hotel has extra beds too, for older children.

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Toddlers (1-4 years), Children (4-12 years)

Family friendly accommodation:

All rooms can fit a baby cot for children aged 3 years and under. Superior Rooms have an extra single bed, while the Quadruple rooms and the Suite can sleep up to 4 each.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Hotel Villa Pannonia is on the Lido, an island located 10 minutes by waterbus from St Mark’s Square in Central Venice.

By Air
Fly into Marco Polo (26km) or Treviso (47km), a 40-minute bus ride from the entrance to the city.

From the Airport
From Marco Polo: take the shuttle bus from outside the airport to the docks. To reach the Lido, either take the waterbus (50 minutes) or a water taxi (30 minutes). From Treviso: Take the bus to Piazzale Roma (40 minutes) then take a waterbus on either line 51 or 61 (30 minutes).

By Car
You can take a car to the Lido. Drive towards Venice on the A4 motorway and follow directions for the Tronchetto terminal. From here you can take the car ferry to the Lido. The hotel offers on-site parking for a small fee. We wouldn’t recommend having a car on the island though; you don’t really need it. See our car rental recommendations.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to Venice and getting around