Where to stay in or near Venice? ideas please

There will be 4 adults visiting Venice in late September.
I am hearing that staying inside Venice is expensive, its cumbersome (dragging luggage around..), and it is a dead City after dark because most leave the Island anyways.
So I am looking for ideas as to where to stay in the continent, a Regular Hotel, near a taxi boat, with parking for a rental car. Heard of Mestre nearby then Bus of boat to Venice.
Need ideas please. Many thanks.

 

Stay on the Lido (beach), in one of the hotels that host the film festival.

 

It was 20 years ago but we stayed right near Piazza San Marco. Not expensive at that time.

 

You can drive to the hotels on the Lido.

 

#1 ,its not expensive,#2Night time is when the place is most beautiful,#3 stay in the square for dinner,enjoy the food while the bands are playing

 

The only expensive thing is flying to europe.The hotels are cheaper ,along with dining.Its more expensive for hotels and dining when you go to miami,new york etc.

 

If you're going, go all out. IMO. Walking around the city, especially at night when many tourists have departed, is great. Almost any random restaurant down any random side street in Venice will likely have good food. My wife and I enjoyed hanging out canal side on Giudecca, watching the hustle and bustle from the ship and vaporetto traffic. Great city. Unique. If you're going that far, enjoy it for all it's worth...T

 

We like the Casa Nicolò Priuli. Very quiet and the boat can take you right to their door.
Concur with other posts, the city is best after the tourists leave around 4:30. Although it's far from "dead" at night, you just have to know where to go.
Forget the car, you wont need one while you're there, you can pick one up near the train station the day you depart and then drive off the island.

 

I was there with my family (8) in Feb. of 2017 for Carnevale. We stayed at the Bauer Palazzo which is a very short walk to Piazza S. Marco.
Getting there is not difficult and you are NOT dragging luggage if you take a water taxi as opposed to the traghetto (water bus). the taxi drops you right at the Hotel and your bags are taken care of. Venice is anything but dead at night. While we didn't go "clubbing" we never came in before midnight and there was always something going on in a piazza especially during the festival.
Sept. is a great time to fo weather wise. 1st time in Venice I made the mistake of renting a car and having to leave it in Mestre, I should have dropped it off prior to our Venice leg of the trip. On that trip we stayed at the Saturnia Hotel...just prior to getting to the Bauer. But that was before they had a Michelin star restaurant
Lots of places to eat and eat well without going crazy $$$....but if you want some special meals there is a list of places to dine.
Enjoy your trip!

 

Thanks for all suggestions provided so far.
One option I am contemplating is to stay in Verona and go to Venice by train RT.
The folks we will be with don't have the means to pay hundreds for a room in Venice so this is our way to accommodate their limits.
Is this doable? the train will drop us off practically inside Venice and we can enjoy the City all day, and catch a late train back to Verona. Thanks.

 

If you go to Venice you must sleep in Venice.
Venice is a magic town and it is worth spending money for it.
It is expensive but not always. If you use Tripadvisor and Booking.com you can easily find whatever you are looking for.
But stay there, not outside!

 

Train is the best solution to arrive in Venice.
But, trust me, sleeping there is part of the magic!

 

Very doable. Along with cruise ship tourists, that is precisely why the city empties at dusk.

Verona is a lovely city and a great place to stay.
After two days in Venice, you may find you’ve had enough and start exploring Verona more.
If you do, Osteria Ponte Pietra is worth searching out.

 

Verona has concerts in the arena till the end of august.You may want to check and see what is playing while your there.

 

I’ve been to Italy dozens of times. I have family in Toscana and Puglia. I’ve traveled from Genoa to Sicily and from Calabria to Alto Adige. loved every town I visited and have returned to many. I stayed in Venice once and that was enough for me.

 

i've been to venice 4 times and i love the place.Will be going there in the future,i guess everyone has a different take on what they like.To me its like a different world especially at nite walking around the inner core of the city.

 

I have visited VEnice twice in my life and dont mind at all returning. Its mostly for the visual inpact the city offers and to show it to relatives. Venice/Verona will be the final stop of a trip which will start in Paris and go to Strassburg Colmar Lake Como and Bergamo. Thanks all for the suggestions. Arrivederci

 

Update on my trip.
Paris was sensational. I was disappointed with Versailles, long trip, long lines, and nothing special other than the mirrors room.
Pleased with Musee Dorsey. Very Nice museum, well located, art work is sensational.
Highlight of the trip was Strassburg, Colmar and the wine route in Alsace-Loraine. Incredible towns. A must see.
Como still a magic Lake.
Decided to stay in Verona and drove to Venice. Easy. quick.
Verona is nice.
Next trip....Austria and Germany.
Cheers.

 

Sounds like a good trip! The Orsay is one of my very top favorite man-made places on earth. I hang out there for hours each time I go to Paris.

I've never heard of Colmar, but will google it based on your comment, thanks.

 

Colmar is lovely. One of our favourite places. Great food and wine, friendly people, and in autumn it can't be beat. Nice place to spend Xmas week as well.

 

Thats in our future plans Strasburg/Colmar during Xmas time
But untill then, we are planning to return to Paris during the Car show held yearly there around early February
Will be nice and I heard they have lots of automobile memorobilia...