The Grand Tour - Grand Canal to Grand Palace – Venice to Bangkok Day 1 (Venice)

BONZO · 29 Jan 17, 12:44 AM

The Grand Tour - Grand Canal to Grand Palace – Venice to Bangkok January - 2017

Link to trip report index: Here

Day 1 - Saturday 7th January 2017

Well, here we go again on another madcap adventure so hold onto your seats and here we go!

Planning:

This time last year we went to Hawaii which was the most amazing trip – we just loved going away to the warmth when it was cold here at home! We were hoping to go back to Hawaii again this January but couldn’t get a good deal.

However there was a good deal to Bangkok on Qatar Airways , the only downside was that we had to start in Venice! No problem – slight extension to the holiday and we would see Venice as well. We decided to have 2 days in Venice, then fly to Bangkok for 3 nights/4 days, then back to Venice for another day before flying home.

So we’d booked the flights from Venice to Bangkok on Qatar. We then booked BA – Gatwick to Venice (return), and the parking at Gatwick. Finally after some research we decided on the Sofitel in Bangkok, Hotel Montecarlo just off St Mark’s Square in for the first stay in Venice and then a B&B called Alloggi Santa Sofia for our last night in Venice. All booked and we were ready.

Fast forward to Saturday 7th January….

We were up early and left at 5.50am to negotiate the M25 – luckily it was a Saturday so no rush hour to contend with.

We parked up in the long stay car park in the cold and wet and joined the huge queue for the bus to take us to the terminal. Luckily for us the bus came quickly, swallowed everyone and their luggage up in one hit so no hanging about. It’s quite a hike from the drop off point to the terminal but its ok for us as we are going hand luggage only on this leg of the trip. However, we can’t help but compare it with the Heathrow Pods which we love!

Security was slick and efficient (how many lanes and staff!) and we were airside in no time at all, typically Alison gets frisked and bag searched as seems to be the norm these days, she really does look dodgy you know!

We headed straight to the lounge area and we were handed our “special tickets” for access to the Club Rooms (which is the temporary area for BA gold card holders which the terminal swap rebuilding is ongoing).

It was quite small but as there was only about 5 people in the lounge it didn’t matter too much!

The lounge lady apologised that the large TV screens in the privacy booths weren’t working but had someone actioned to come and fix it shortly.

A bit like Mr Benn, a lounge person appeared and asked us what we wanted to drink and gave us the breakfast menu, a nice combination of continental or hot items. We ordered porridge (Alison) and full English (me) and we helped ourselves to hot drinks. The food was small but perfectly formed – our personal preference is for a buffet but this was very tasty.

We kept an eye on the Gatwick website on our phones and as soon as the gate was announced we paid a last visit to the bathrooms, packed up and made a move (just in case we had one of the gates that was far away). Luckily we didn’t but we pottered around the duty free before walking to the gate.

As we boarded (row 1 seats – yay!) we faffed around putting our bags in the overhead lockers which led to Alison having a long chat with the senior cabin crew member Trevor about BA policy, recent changes, boomerang flights etc! He was a really nice guy and very funny – lots of banter! We dropped a well done on the website later so we hope that found its way back to him.

We were served breakfast (full English for Alison together with a warm roll and fruit) and continental for me (cold meats, croissant and muesli). We had champagne (as you do!) and coffee.

And closer to Venice:

We touched down at Venice at 12:00 on the dot, pretty good going I’d say. I noticed a ferry ticket machine before we left the terminal so we bought tickets there (27 euro each). From arrivals we had quite a long walk along a corridor with moving walkways to get to the water ferry terminal.

We took the Alilaguna Blue line, as the Red line express service wasn’t running. We did look at the cost of the water taxi but boy was it expensive (around 120 euros) unless there’s a large group to split the costs. We settled down inside the boat and huddled up as it was freezing and out the boat went with a crash, bang and bump as it left the moorings, they’d never get a job on the Seven Seas Lagoon!

The seating arrangements were such that you couldn’t see outside of the boat unless you stood up and even then the windows were so messy from spray that you couldn’t see much anyway. We did stand up occasionally as we crossed the lagoon.

I was surprised just how shallow the water is away from the main dredged channels.

We had quite a few stops before our destination (San Marco – around 1 hour 25 mins). As we neared our stop at San Marco we caught our first glimpse of the Doges Palace and the Venetian architecture, simply beautiful and breath-taking in equal measure.

We dragged ourselves and luggage off the boat after similar crashes and bangs as we docked and made our way to our hotel for the next couple of days.

It was bright, chilly but not too busy as we made our way through St Mark’s Square to our hotel for the next couple of nights. Eventually we found the Hotel Montecarlo in the labyrinth of back streets. After efficient checking in we dropped our bags in the room (no 411) and marvelled at the overblown chintzy décor, not really my style but I guess it goes with the territory.

We headed out for a quick look around and to get our bearings, after picking a map up at reception. The Gothic architecture was simply stunning; it was really difficult to take everything on board in one go, a real assault on the senses. Everywhere you turned you came across a bridge, stretch of canal or alleyway where even the most casual “snapper” could take a beautiful picture.

Feeling a bit peckish by now we decided to look for a snack bar, just a coffee and pastry but couldn’t find anything nearby, even Starbucks was miles away much to Alison’s annoyance!

We settled on the Hotel Principessa which had an outdoor restaurant area as it was nearby. We settled down and were served by a waiter in white jacket who bought us a toasted sandwich (to share) and 2 coffees – at a total cost of 20 euro! A bit steep although you are really paying for the location and view here.

We lingered a while, as you do, and considered our plans for the rest of the afternoon. Well, as we were right on the spot and there was no queue we thought we’d go to the Doges Palace, cost about 36 Euro’s for the pair of us. Well, what can you say about this large slab of Venetian gothic architecture, it’s simply breath-taking. The self-guided tour is well laid out and guides you through the various rooms and chambers with easy to digest information.

Eventually you take a walk across the Bridge of Sighs and into the New Prisons which must have b been damp and depressing.

This is the view that the prisoners saw as they crossed from the Doges Palace to the Prison – leading to the name Bridge of Sighs (as they sighed at the thought of being imprisoned)

Eventually you are bought back to the start point and the obligatory gift shop.

The sun was starting to go down now (leading to some more photo opportunities!)

We wandered around the city and decided we needed another coffee and sit down but wanted something less expensive than our earlier venue! We saw a sign for McDonalds would you believe!

It was easily found and we grabbed a couple of coffees and used the facilities. I really know how to treat a lady in the city of love!

We left and made our way back via the Rialto bridge

Via some side streets still lit up from Christmas I think (and some more old buildings!)

And the back to our hotel where we unpacked and crashed for a bit. My napping was only disturbed by our proximity to churches and the constant ringing of bells!

We didn’t really have a plan of where to eat tonight, just thought we’d stroll out and find somewhere suitable. Well, we wandered and wandered and wandered until we were out of site of the 5 star hotels and found ourselves near the Arsenale di Venezia in the Castello area and getting hungrier by the minute. We decided that I needed to stop being so fussy (well, Alison decided that anyway!) and went into the Nuevo Galleon restaurant. Most of the tables were reserved but luckily there was a table for two available.

We had a long chat with the proprietor who said that they were in the process of closing up for the next month, and he gave us lots of recommendations for various food items. We had some delicious bread, an anchovy and red chicory amouse bouche, followed by a shared starter of pasta arrabiata.

Then Alison had sea bream and I had steak with green pepper sauce (which tasted nicer than it looked!)

We shared a large bottle of water and a delicious bottle of Valpolicella.

It was a really good meal with pleasant staff, but not cheap at 105 euros (including tip).

We walked back in the fresh crisp night time air and had coffee (and a scotch) in the hotel bar before going to the room.

We showered before crashing out after a long day.

Jesslydevie1 · 29 Jan 17, 01:06 AM

Fabulous city but wowser them prices are making my eyes water !

BONZO · 30 Jan 17, 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by Jesslydevie1

Fabulous city but wowser them prices are making my eyes water !

Yes, probably one of the most expensive places to eat and drink that we've been to so far.

I understand that places near the big tourist attractions will be pricey but with most restaurants charging 20 - 30 Euros for a bottle of house wine is high.

At least the food and drink got considerably cheaper as the holiday went on.

Guest · 1 Feb 17, 12:49 AM

Eating and drinking in Venice has never been cheap particularly in the tourist areas but it has to be done. Looks like you were really lucky with the weather despite the cold. Fabulous meal you had there - I'm salivating. You mentioned the Arsenale which is where they build ships. Many years ago we looked up to see a red funnel with a Mickey silhouette on it. It was the Disney Magic which was built nearby at Marghera and Ancona and then brought into Venice.

disney owl · 4 Feb 17, 11:45 PM

lovely photos

Hannikins · 6 Feb 17, 09:59 AM

Great start! We have a trip to venice planned in August, looks like I had better get saving!

Infinity Red · 18 Feb 17, 11:27 AM

Those photos are breathtaking, literally! Venice is on my bucket list, the food looked good and I thought your bedroom was cute . Great start.

Melbatb · 18 Feb 17, 01:22 PM

What great pictures - but ouch at the prices!

The Hulk · 5 Mar 17, 11:24 PM

Great first day. We are going to Venice in Aug and expecting those prices,can't be any more expensive than New York

29 Jan 17, 12:44 AM	#1
	29 Jan 17, 12:44 AM BONZO Imagineer
BONZO Imagineer Join Date: Mar 02	The Grand Tour - Grand Canal to Grand Palace – Venice to Bangkok Day 1 (Venice) The Grand Tour - Grand Canal to Grand Palace – Venice to Bangkok January - 2017 Link to trip report index: Here Day 1 - Saturday 7th January 2017 Well, here we go again on another madcap adventure so hold onto your seats and here we go! Planning: This time last year we went to Hawaii which was the most amazing trip – we just loved going away to the warmth when it was cold here at home! We were hoping to go back to Hawaii again this January but couldn’t get a good deal. However there was a good deal to Bangkok on Qatar Airways , the only downside was that we had to start in Venice! No problem – slight extension to the holiday and we would see Venice as well. We decided to have 2 days in Venice, then fly to Bangkok for 3 nights/4 days, then back to Venice for another day before flying home. So we’d booked the flights from Venice to Bangkok on Qatar. We then booked BA – Gatwick to Venice (return), and the parking at Gatwick. Finally after some research we decided on the Sofitel in Bangkok, Hotel Montecarlo just off St Mark’s Square in for the first stay in Venice and then a B&B called Alloggi Santa Sofia for our last night in Venice. All booked and we were ready. Fast forward to Saturday 7th January…. We were up early and left at 5.50am to negotiate the M25 – luckily it was a Saturday so no rush hour to contend with. We parked up in the long stay car park in the cold and wet and joined the huge queue for the bus to take us to the terminal. Luckily for us the bus came quickly, swallowed everyone and their luggage up in one hit so no hanging about. It’s quite a hike from the drop off point to the terminal but its ok for us as we are going hand luggage only on this leg of the trip. However, we can’t help but compare it with the Heathrow Pods which we love! Security was slick and efficient (how many lanes and staff!) and we were airside in no time at all, typically Alison gets frisked and bag searched as seems to be the norm these days, she really does look dodgy you know! We headed straight to the lounge area and we were handed our “special tickets” for access to the Club Rooms (which is the temporary area for BA gold card holders which the terminal swap rebuilding is ongoing). It was quite small but as there was only about 5 people in the lounge it didn’t matter too much! The lounge lady apologised that the large TV screens in the privacy booths weren’t working but had someone actioned to come and fix it shortly. A bit like Mr Benn, a lounge person appeared and asked us what we wanted to drink and gave us the breakfast menu, a nice combination of continental or hot items. We ordered porridge (Alison) and full English (me) and we helped ourselves to hot drinks. The food was small but perfectly formed – our personal preference is for a buffet but this was very tasty. We kept an eye on the Gatwick website on our phones and as soon as the gate was announced we paid a last visit to the bathrooms, packed up and made a move (just in case we had one of the gates that was far away). Luckily we didn’t but we pottered around the duty free before walking to the gate. As we boarded (row 1 seats – yay!) we faffed around putting our bags in the overhead lockers which led to Alison having a long chat with the senior cabin crew member Trevor about BA policy, recent changes, boomerang flights etc! He was a really nice guy and very funny – lots of banter! We dropped a well done on the website later so we hope that found its way back to him. We were served breakfast (full English for Alison together with a warm roll and fruit) and continental for me (cold meats, croissant and muesli). We had champagne (as you do!) and coffee. And closer to Venice: We touched down at Venice at 12:00 on the dot, pretty good going I’d say. I noticed a ferry ticket machine before we left the terminal so we bought tickets there (27 euro each). From arrivals we had quite a long walk along a corridor with moving walkways to get to the water ferry terminal. We took the Alilaguna Blue line, as the Red line express service wasn’t running. We did look at the cost of the water taxi but boy was it expensive (around 120 euros) unless there’s a large group to split the costs. We settled down inside the boat and huddled up as it was freezing and out the boat went with a crash, bang and bump as it left the moorings, they’d never get a job on the Seven Seas Lagoon! The seating arrangements were such that you couldn’t see outside of the boat unless you stood up and even then the windows were so messy from spray that you couldn’t see much anyway. We did stand up occasionally as we crossed the lagoon. I was surprised just how shallow the water is away from the main dredged channels. We had quite a few stops before our destination (San Marco – around 1 hour 25 mins). As we neared our stop at San Marco we caught our first glimpse of the Doges Palace and the Venetian architecture, simply beautiful and breath-taking in equal measure. We dragged ourselves and luggage off the boat after similar crashes and bangs as we docked and made our way to our hotel for the next couple of days. It was bright, chilly but not too busy as we made our way through St Mark’s Square to our hotel for the next couple of nights. Eventually we found the Hotel Montecarlo in the labyrinth of back streets. After efficient checking in we dropped our bags in the room (no 411) and marvelled at the overblown chintzy décor, not really my style but I guess it goes with the territory. We headed out for a quick look around and to get our bearings, after picking a map up at reception. The Gothic architecture was simply stunning; it was really difficult to take everything on board in one go, a real assault on the senses. Everywhere you turned you came across a bridge, stretch of canal or alleyway where even the most casual “snapper” could take a beautiful picture. Feeling a bit peckish by now we decided to look for a snack bar, just a coffee and pastry but couldn’t find anything nearby, even Starbucks was miles away much to Alison’s annoyance! We settled on the Hotel Principessa which had an outdoor restaurant area as it was nearby. We settled down and were served by a waiter in white jacket who bought us a toasted sandwich (to share) and 2 coffees – at a total cost of 20 euro! A bit steep although you are really paying for the location and view here. We lingered a while, as you do, and considered our plans for the rest of the afternoon. Well, as we were right on the spot and there was no queue we thought we’d go to the Doges Palace, cost about 36 Euro’s for the pair of us. Well, what can you say about this large slab of Venetian gothic architecture, it’s simply breath-taking. The self-guided tour is well laid out and guides you through the various rooms and chambers with easy to digest information. Eventually you take a walk across the Bridge of Sighs and into the New Prisons which must have b been damp and depressing. This is the view that the prisoners saw as they crossed from the Doges Palace to the Prison – leading to the name Bridge of Sighs (as they sighed at the thought of being imprisoned) Eventually you are bought back to the start point and the obligatory gift shop. The sun was starting to go down now (leading to some more photo opportunities!) We wandered around the city and decided we needed another coffee and sit down but wanted something less expensive than our earlier venue! We saw a sign for McDonalds would you believe! It was easily found and we grabbed a couple of coffees and used the facilities. I really know how to treat a lady in the city of love! We left and made our way back via the Rialto bridge Via some side streets still lit up from Christmas I think (and some more old buildings!) And the back to our hotel where we unpacked and crashed for a bit. My napping was only disturbed by our proximity to churches and the constant ringing of bells! We didn’t really have a plan of where to eat tonight, just thought we’d stroll out and find somewhere suitable. Well, we wandered and wandered and wandered until we were out of site of the 5 star hotels and found ourselves near the Arsenale di Venezia in the Castello area and getting hungrier by the minute. We decided that I needed to stop being so fussy (well, Alison decided that anyway!) and went into the Nuevo Galleon restaurant. Most of the tables were reserved but luckily there was a table for two available. We had a long chat with the proprietor who said that they were in the process of closing up for the next month, and he gave us lots of recommendations for various food items. We had some delicious bread, an anchovy and red chicory amouse bouche, followed by a shared starter of pasta arrabiata. Then Alison had sea bream and I had steak with green pepper sauce (which tasted nicer than it looked!) We shared a large bottle of water and a delicious bottle of Valpolicella. It was a really good meal with pleasant staff, but not cheap at 105 euros (including tip). We walked back in the fresh crisp night time air and had coffee (and a scotch) in the hotel bar before going to the room. We showered before crashing out after a long day. __________________ http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sign...igpic534_1.gif 1988 ~ Contemporary ~ Honeymoon 1989 ~ Off site 1994 ~ EuroDisney ~ Santa Fe 1999 ~ Off site 2001 ~ CBR (Aruba) ~ Poly (Tahiti) 2003 ~ WL & HRH 2004 ~ Pop Century, RPH, CSR, PBH, Contemporary 2006 ~ DLP ~ Newport Bay 2007 ~ POR ~ HRH ~ GF 2008 ~ All star sports, BCV, RPH, Vero Beach, VWL 2010 ~ OKW ~ BCV ~ HRH ~POP Century ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL 2013 ~ AKL ~ HRH ~ BCV ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL Edited at 01:20 AM.

1 Feb 17, 12:49 AM	#4
	1 Feb 17, 12:49 AM Guest Guest
Guest Guest	Eating and drinking in Venice has never been cheap particularly in the tourist areas but it has to be done. Looks like you were really lucky with the weather despite the cold. Fabulous meal you had there - I'm salivating. You mentioned the Arsenale which is where they build ships. Many years ago we looked up to see a red funnel with a Mickey silhouette on it. It was the Disney Magic which was built nearby at Marghera and Ancona and then brought into Venice.