Arriving to Venice can be an adventure all in itself. While some people arrive by car or train, most arrive by plane into the Marco Polo airport located on the mainland across the lagoon from the island of Venice. Being that there are no cars in the main section of Venice, getting there from the airport is not so simple as hailing a cab outside the terminal and having it drop you at the front entrance of the hotel.
Now don't get me wrong, you can get a cab at the airport, and they can take you along the coastline to the bridge crossing the lagoon into Venice. They can drive by the train station and a short distance along the west side of the island. But then it's the end of the road! From there you will have to schlep your luggage along the canals and over who knows how many bridges until you arrive at your hotel.
A better (and much more fun) way of getting from the airport to your Venice hotel is via water taxi. That's right, it runs directly from the airport to your hotel. After exiting the luggage and customs area, there's a ticket counter just for water taxis. Get your ticket, go up one floor and follow the signs to the dock at the airport (now there is something you don't get to say often). Board your water taxi and enjoy the ride into town which often includes a ride down the Grand Canal. Wow, what a way to make a grand entrance into Venice.