Hotel ai Mori d’Oriente

Opened in late 2003, the hotel maintains the Veneto-Byzantine ambience created over several centuries when the 15th-century palazzo served as home to Turkish traders (mori) bringing goods from the Orient to the merchants of Venice. Travelers seeking lodging away from the crowds near attractions such as St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge find refuge in the hotel and its quiet neighborhood.

Amenity highlights:
A reading room with scarlet plush-fabric seating features a balcony overlooking the canal in front of the hotel. Guests receive a complimentary cold buffet breakfast in a room with pale-green walls, walnut trim, and linen-draped tables or at umbrella tables in a courtyard. Sandwiches and cocktails are available in a bar with mirrored walls, walnut trim, plasma-screen television, and fresh flowers, with canalside tables set up in summer.

Insider tip:
From this district of historical Venice, the island of Murano is a 15-minute waterbus ride away. Visitors can tour Murano’s famed glass-making shops and see examples of glass artistry from the 15th century to the present displayed in the Museum of Glass.

ADDRESS
Fondamenta della Sensa
Venice, 3319
Italy
Nearest major airport:
Venice, Italy (VCE-Marco Polo)

DINING
A complimentary cold buffet breakfast is provided each morning in a breakfast room with pale-green walls, walnut trim, and linen-draped tables. Warm-weather seating in a tile courtyard with outdoor umbrella tables.

Bar – Terrazzo floor, mirror walls, walnut trim, brass light fixtures, fresh flowers. Turkish water pipe in display niche. Scarlet plush-fabric banquettes and chairs. Game tabletops. Plasma-screen TV. Sandwiches, burgers, cheese plates, sweets, espresso, cocktails. Outdoor tables adjacent to canal during warm weather.

The hotel does not have its own restaurant, but there are several dining options within the surrounding area.

Nearby restaurants:
40 Landroni
Anice Stellato
Antica Mola

LOCATION HIGHLIGHTS
In historical district
Water nearby

NEARBY POINTS OF INTEREST
Sant’ Alvise – 100 meters (109 yards)
Jewish Ghetto and Museum – 500 meters (547 yards)
Madonna dell’Orto – 500 meters (547 yards)
Grand Canal – 500 meters (547 yards)
Museum of Natural History – 700 meters (766 yards)
Murano – 15-minute waterbus trip
Rialto Bridge – 20-minute waterbus ride
Gallerie dell’Accademia – 25-minute waterbus ride
Piazza San Marco – 30-minute waterbus trip

Marco Polo Airport (VCE): Approximate driving time to the Piazzale Roma, historical Venice’s land-transportation terminus, is 20 minutes and distance is 13 km (8 miles). Car rentals are available online, and there is public parking at Piazzale Roma and a parking garage at nearby Tronchetto.

Getting there: From the airport, visitors go by water or by land across the lagoon to historical Venice. By water, the fastest and most expensive way is by water taxi directly to the hotel’s landing. Less expensive and slower is a boat that stops 1 km (0.75 miles) from the hotel. From there, guests can take a vaporetto (waterbus) to the Madonna dell’Orto stop and walk to the hotel or take a water taxi directly to the hotel. By land there are taxis and buses that go from the airport to Piazzale Roma, the historical center’s land-transportation terminus near the train station (Stazione Ferroviaria). Waterbuses go from Piazzale Roma and the train station to the Madonna dell’Orto stop.

Directions to hotel: The waterbus stop nearest the hotel is Madonna dell’Orto, 250 meters (273 yards) away. After getting off the waterbus, turn right and then turn left at the first street. Proceed on this street, bearing left and then bearing right until reaching Fondamenta Madonna dell’Orto and turn right. At the first bridge, cross the canal to the left to Fondamenta della Sensa and turn left. The hotel is directly ahead on the left.

Getting around: The vaporetto (waterbus) system circulates throughout Venice’s historical center and connects the historical center to the Venice lagoon’s major islands (the Lido of Venice, Murano, Burano, and Torcello). Water taxis, which the hotel staff arrange on request, operate throughout the city, using major waterways and smaller canals. Gondolas for individual sightseeing tours can be rented throughout the city. Walking around Venice, with its narrow streets and little bridges, is easy, as the historical center is compact. Street maps are readily available.

POLICIES
Extra person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Rollaway beds (surcharges) and complimentary cribs (infant beds) are available and should be requested at the time of booking.
Photo identification and credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in. Special requests made via this Web site cannot be guaranteed and may incur additional charges.

    Small pets only
Check-in time is 2 PM
Check-out time is Noon

PROPERTY AMENITIES
A room off the lobby contains a computer with high-speed Internet access (surcharge). The hotel staff speak English.
See a list of property amenities
Concierge services
Complimentary newspapers in lobby
Bar/lounge
Internet access in public areas – high speed
Audio-visual equipment
Number of rooms: 55
Porter/bellhop
Multilingual staff
Tour assistance
Dry cleaning service
Elevator/lift
Complimentary breakfast
Room service (24 hours)
Meeting rooms (small groups)
Business services
Internet access in public areas – surcharge
24-hour front desk
Safe-deposit box – front desk
Number of floors: 3
Currency exchange
Air-conditioned public areas

RECREATION
The Lido of Venice, the slender, 11.5-km-long (7.25-mile) island facing the Adriatic Sea that lies a 30-minute waterbus ride from the hotel, is the city’s playground, especially in summer when beaches and water sports draw visitors and Venetians. Year-round, visitors rent bicycles to explore the island, play golf, or take horseback rides. Aside from fishing in the canals, the central city offers little in the way of recreational opportunities. Deep-sea fishing is available in the Adriatic Sea.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or near the hotel; fees may apply.

    Golf – driving range nearby
Snorkeling nearby
Swimming nearby
Sailing nearby
Water skiing nearby
Windsurfing nearby
Volleyball nearby
Tennis nearby
Hiking/biking trails nearby
Parasailing nearby
Golfing nearby
Surfing/boogie boarding nearby
Rowing or canoeing nearby
Scuba diving nearby
Jet skiing nearby
Motor boating nearby
Aerobics nearby
Running track/path nearby
Horse riding/rental nearby
Fishing nearby

ROOM AMENITIES
Cable/satellite TV
Air conditioning
Blackout drapes
Minibar
Housekeeping (daily)
Designer toiletries
Slippers
Bathrobes
Hair dryer
Child care (in room, surcharge)
Window opens
Television
Rollaway beds
Hypo-allergenic bedding available
Climate control
Internet access – dial-up
Wake-up calls
Turndown service
Makeup mirror
Shower/tub combination
Complimentary toiletries
Bidet
Desk
In-room safe
Smoking rooms
Cribs (infant beds) available

ROOMS

The hotel offers 55 guestrooms in a three-story building with a pale-brick exterior, Byzantine pointed-arch windows on the second floor, classic Venetian bottle-glass windows on the second floor, brown shutters, and wrought-iron balconies with flower boxes.

Decorated in the Veneto-Byzantine style that flourished as Venice dominated trade with the East, rooms feature high ceilings with stucco moldings, damask wall coverings, floral-paper light shades, gilt-frame mirrors, and Byzantine pointed arches between entryways and bedrooms. Upholstered headboards have pointed arches. Color schemes vary, but all rooms include carpeting and walnut trim.

Contemporary tile bathrooms include heated towel racks, shower/tub combinations, and French toiletries by Etro. Each room contains a desk, a small dining table, and two chairs.