So this was a bit of a rigamarole of a day. We decided that we wanted to stay in Venice instead of Mestre (which is where our hotel was) and so the night before we asked the receptionist if we would be able to pay for just the one night and then leave the next day. She said that this would be ok and we tried to pay then but she said to pay in the morning. And so we went out to dinner, found an internet cafe (after asking for it, being told if they weren't sure whether there was one, and then noticing it across the road!) and booked accom with the B&B that Sarah had stayed in the first night she got there. The next morning we got our stuff and were going to pay and leave but the receptionist said this was not possible. She rang the hotel manager and we were told that we would have to pay for two nights accom. We didn't want to do this and went through quite a bit of a process. I think in the end it worked and we only paid for the one. But there's possibly a bit more to the story... Ask me if you are interested! It was an interesting way to start the day and certainly a lesson in assertiveness.