Hotel Universo

This review is for a school trip that I chaperoned. As a leader of a group of 40 pre-teens, I was very impressed with how this hotel went above and beyond to accommodate us. Not only are the hotel grounds beautiful, but the owner welcomed us gladly and never complained about our presence. Apparently the hotel had not had groups in years and had just opened for the season, so we were so pleased that they were willing to take us on. Apparently since our trip, they are now willing to take groups again. Location - Hotel Universo is located in Lido di Jesolo, part of the peninsula surrounding the lagoon of Venice. There are primarily big hotels in this area that serve large groups on buses. Despite that, the area itself is calm and hugs the large sandy beach. Each hotel has their own part of the beach with chairs to rent. There is a beautiful beach promenade that continues for kilometers and reaches up to the lighthouse on the point. Leaving the hotel, within a few minutes walk you will find small grocery stores and souvenir shops. Locals do not live where all the hotels are.The harbor/car park that has boats going to Venice is about a 15 minute ride from the hotel. Staff - extremely friendly family. The older woman is the primary owner and spoke many languages. She and her staff were very personable. Dining - we ate all our dinners in the main large dining room where we were given usually a 4-course menu every night. There was always a decent salad buffet ready on top of the other courses. Food was plentiful and delicious. The waitstaff was unbelievably patient and kind working with our large group of students. For lunches, we mostly had pick-nicks to-go which were equally too filling (think 2-3 sandwiches per bag stuffed with meats, plus snacks and water). Breakfast was another buffet - all food was prepared to a high standard, especially considering our large group. Rooms - small. Single beds were narrow and quite hard, not the most comfortable. Rooms had some Italian charm, despite the slightly dated look. There is an elevator in the hotel. Grounds - there are beautiful gardens exiting the back side of the hotel as well as a small pool with chairs to lay on. You can cross over the promenade and go to the beach with umbrellas/chairs. Bikes are available to use free of charge, just talk to the reception to get the key to your bike. Or you can sit at the tranquil bar area/tables having a drink overlooking both the pool and beach area. I highly, highly recommend this hotel, either for a group or a family holiday. It is so peaceful, with friendly people, delicious food, easy access to pool and beach, and plenty of excursions near by.