Venice has a couple new hotels you need to know about. In mid-October, The St. Regis Venice made its debut on the Grand Canal, just steps from Piazza San Marco. What’s nice: It touts the largest waterfrontage in all of Venice, and one-third of the 169 rooms have views of the canal.
The top digs at the hotel — which opened following a two-year renovation of the former Grand Hotel Britannia, dating back to 1895 — are the two-bedroom Presidential Suite and a three-bedroom Penthouse Suite with a wraparound furnished terrace. Good to know: The five Roof Garden Suites also have furnished terraces. These rooms have views of the Santa Maria della Salute Basilica and the Punta della Dogana Museum.
Be sure to grab a Spritz from the hotel’s roaming Spritz Trolley and enjoy it in the garden, the spot to see and be seen. Or, enjoy a Santa Maria — the hotel’s twist on the brand’s signature cocktail, the Bloody Mary — at the Arts Bar inside.
Contact Paola Toniolo (stregisvenice@stregis.com), reservations manager.
Il Palazzo Experimental has 28 rooms and four suites and a spacious back garden letting onto a canal. // Photo by Karel Balas
On the Giudecca Canal, Il Palazzo Experimental (of Paris-based Experimental Group fame) opened in September. The hotel has 28 rooms and four suites and a spacious back garden letting onto a quiet canal.
Book the Zatterre Junior Suite with Canal View. In addition to the best view at the hotel, it has a king bed and spacious bathroom (with soaking tub). All rooms have a minibar with cocktails by Experimental Cocktail Club.
Il Palazzo Experimental’s restaurant uses only seasonal, local ingredients, and has an in-house wine bar highlighting regional producers. Tip: Order the Bombetta (deep fried bread from Puglia) with Apulian tomatoes and Burrata and the Arrosticini (grilled lamb skewers from Abruzzo) with cumin and sichuan pepper sauce.
Contact Christian Zingarelli (christian@palazzoexperimental.com), hotel manager.
Note: Venice voted to enforce a tax for day-trippers, which goes into effect July 1, 2020. Visitors will pay €3 during the low season, €8 during high season and €10 during “critical” periods, such as summer weekends.
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