The Bauer Hotel, Venice, Italy
Any girl who is earning my kind of salary and is hoping she can one day own a pair of Louboutins is probably looking to save money in other aspects of her life, including travel.
If you have been reading my blog for some time, you know that I am a sample sale junkie. Awhile back, I mentioned Jetsetter, Gilt Groupe’s travel site. To describe it simply, it’s a sample sale site for travelers. Sales last for a limited time (five to seven days) and are available on a first come, first served basis.
My hubby and I knew that Venice would be a definite stop on our honeymoon. We saved big bucks by booking our hotel through Jetsetter. Last October, Jetsetter offered the Bauer Hotel on the Grand Canal in Venice for $250 a night. On other budget travel sites, rooms were going for over $1,000 a night!
Booking the Bauer on Jettsetter was super easy and definitely not as stressful as trying to buy a pair of 7 jeans on Gilt. The dates we wanted were available, we received a prompt confirmation e-mail, and we even received a follow-up e-mail after our stay. Jetsetter also provided a review of the hotel and lists of “What we love,” “What to know,” and “Why to go,” along with what to do and how to get there.
The hotel was perfect. It couldn’t have been in a better location.
We took a water taxi from the train station to the hotel (the streets really are water in Venice), and the walk from the dock to the hotel is any shopper’s paradise: Hermes, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Fendi, and many other high-end designers all have shops right outside the hotel.
In the hotel lobby, a stunning glass sculpture from Murano greeted us.
A complimentary bottle of champagne was brought up to our room moments after we checked in.
We had a charming view of Venice outside our window.
And it was so nice to come into the room after a long day of sightseeing and have our sheets turned down, the lights dimmed, the shades (operated by a switch in the bedroom) closed, and our slippers by the bed.
Maybe it’s because we were there during the low season, but we had trouble finding a place to grab a few drinks at night. The most lively place was our hotel bar. The three-man acoustic band was super talented and played everything from Elvis to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Harry’s Bar was right around the corner, but we only went there once to avoid going broke mid-way through the honeymoon. We stopped there on our last night for the best and most expensive bellini of my life.
Jetsetter tends to repeat hotel sales (just like Gilt tends to repeat the same designers). This means you have the opportunity to stay at the same place on more than one occasion, if you’d like, and become acquainted with the staff.
Last week, a superior room at the Carlton Hotel in New York City was going for $180 a night on Jetsetter. Rooms are $369 and over on the hotel’s Web site. Do you know how hard it is to find a semi-decent hotel in New York City for under $200? It’s not easy! Thanks to Jettesetter, I don’t have to worry about that anymore. They almost always have an NYC hotel up for grabs, along with hotels in other amazing and exotic locations. The St. Lucia hotel where last season’s The Bachelor took place was on Jetsetter. I even saw an African safari on there once!
Jetsetter is invitation-only, so if you would like to check it out, click here for my personal invitation link.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Just stopping by from the “We Love Comments” group on 20sb and I have to say I really enjoyed checking out your blog! The pictures are AMAZING!
This place looks so adorable and quaint! I’d love to go there!
Wow, I totally just signed up for Jetsetter because those are some great deals. And I know I already commented on a bunch of them, but your photos are amazing.