Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
coed ceilings and parquet floors; ask for marble fireplaces and canal views. Breakfasts se-
duce gourmets with freshly squeezed juices, award-winning local cheeses and cured
meats, fresh pastries, pancakes and eggs.
HOTEL
€
Hotel Flora
(
041 520 58 44;
www.hotelflora.it
; Calle Bergamaschi 2283a; d incl breakfast €100-358;
;
Santa Maria del Giglio)
Down a lane from glitzy Calle Larga XXII Marzo, this ivy-
covered retreat quietly outclasses brash designer neighbours with its delightful tearoom,
breakfasts around the garden fountain, and gym offering shiatsu massage. Guest rooms
feature antique mirrors, fluffy duvets atop hand-carved beds, and tiled en suite baths with
apothecary-style amenities; damask-clad superior rooms overlook the garden. Strollers
and kids' teatime are complimentary; babysitting is available.
Novecento
BOUTIQUE HOTEL
€€
( 041 241 37 65;
www.novecento.biz
; Calle del Dose 2683/84; d €140-300; ; Santa Maria
del Giglio)
World travellers put down roots in nine bohemian-chic rooms plush with Turkish
kilim pillows, Fortuny draperies and 19th-century carved bedsteads piled with duvets.
Linger over breakfasts in the garden under Indian parasols, go for a massage at sister
property Hotel Flora, take a hotel-organised course in Venetian cooking or landscape
drawing, or mingle with creative fellow travellers around the honesty bar.
GRITTI PALACE RESTORATION
www.hotelgrittipalacevenice.com
;
Campo di Santa Maria del Giglio 2467; d €425-700, ste from
€1100; ; Santa Maria del Giglio) on the Grand Canal don't have to leave their balconies to
go sightseeing: this landmark 1525 doge's palace reopened in 2013 after an extensive year-long restor-
ation, from Rubelli silk damask lining top-floor suites to underfloor heating beneath terrazzo marble
floors in the Gritti Epicurean School. Classic Venetian rooms have also been touched up gently, with
restored antique fainting couches, stucco ceilings and bathrooms sheathed in rare marble. Rooms fa-
cing north and west lack Grand Canal views, but the level of luxury is consistent. Starwood manages
operations, and chef Daniele Turco creates inspired Venetian trade-route cuisine for fabulous dockside
meals.
