Hotel Cipriani

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Above: This suite has a private terrace overlooking the hotel's walled gardens and vineyard.

Rooms and suites

First, a confession: We haven't stayed overnight at the Hotel Cipriani, but we did have lunch and toured the premises while visiting the hotel. One of the things that impressed us most was the intimacy of the Cipriani: The main building has just 42 double rooms, 26 junior suites, 16 suites, and four singles, with a layout that feels more like a villa than a hotel.

Rooms come in a variety of decorating styles that range from classic (and formal) Venetian to lighthearted Mediterranean-fantasy rooms where walls are painted to create the illusion of a garden.

One suite, the Meridiana, has a private garden with a tented seating area overlooking the hotel's filtered saltwater pool. An even grander suite, the Palladio, made its debut several years ago, and we were treated to a Lives of the Rich and Famous tour while the suite was being cleaned between guests.

Occupants of the Palladio Suite can make themselves at home with two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a garden with heated Jacuzzi, a dining area with private butler, a hidden computer center, projection TV, a 180-degree panoramic view of the Venetian lagoon, and a garden path leading to a private dock where a launch and captain are available for the occupants' exclusive use six hours a day. (The daily rate for such decadence is more than €8,000 during high season, although guests can economize by renting the suite with one bedroom or visiting during the low-season months of April and October)

The main building of the Hotel Cipriani is open from early April until the end of September; the adjacent Palazzo Vendramin and Palazzetto Nani Barbaro are open year-round.

Next page: Restaurants, bars

About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

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