Venissa
What's so special
Escape the tourist crowds with a stay at the Venissa. Located on a small island across the water from the city, this top-class hotel offers guests luxurious accommodation they can retreat to after days spent exploring the sights of Venice.
How they rate it
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"Venissa is about the joy of being in Venice, but not being in Venice," says Cond Nast Traveller. It's hidden on the "speck-in-the-lagoon island of Mazzorbo", just a 35-minute ride by vaporetto (waterbus) away from the sights and sounds of the city, yet even some of the most regular visitors to La Serenissima as Venice is nicknamed haven't discovered this hotel yet. The accommodation itself is "a sensation", with six minimalist, fuss-free, Scandinavian-style bedrooms, set in "bounteous walled grounds, full of the sound of birdsong and the smell of warm earth".
The menu
The Michelin-starred restaurant is run by chef Antonia Klugmann, who serves up dishes including cuttlefish with artichokes and tomatoes, with many of the ingredients sourced from the estate's vegetable garden and orchard.
The cost
Double rooms start from £50. For more information, visit www.venissa.it, or call 00 39 041 52 72 281.
The Gritti Palace
What's so special
If you are looking for a traditional Venetian experience, this hotel is for you. The Gritti offers the formal luxury you want from an old European hotel, plus views of the Grand Canal, looking out across the water to Santa Maria della Salute, one of the city's most impressive churches.
How they rate it
This is Venice's "most beautiful, best-located and most celebrated luxury hotel", says Tim Jepson in The Daily Telegraph. A former palace that dates from 1475, it stands on a "peaceful campo (small square) away from the bustle, but still just moments from Calle Larga XXII Marzo, one of the main thoroughfares in this part of the city". The hotel has recently enjoyed a restoration, during which a small spa was added. "Technology has been thoroughly updated but the palace's intimate and historic character and appearance have been retained." Each room is different from the others, but all are "filled with precious antiques, paintings, frescoes, objets d'art and beautiful fabrics". The only minor complaint is that the "marble-clad bathrooms are relatively small".
The menu
The hotel "has one of the most beautiful dining rooms" in Venice, with views over the Grand Canal. It serves "sublime but unpretentious" traditional Venetian dishes.
The cost
Prices from £425. See www.thegrittipalace.com or call 0800-325 45454.
Three of the best places to eat in Venice
Finding a decent restaurant rather than a mediocre tourist trap in a city as crowded as Venice can be tricky. But stick with this selection and you'll find yourself eating as well as the locals.
At Osteria di Santa Marina (Castello 5911, Campo Santa Marina), "the quality of food and service is reliably high, whether you are a regular or just passing through", says Anne Hanley in The Daily Telegraph. The food sample dishes include sea bass ravioli in mussel and clam broth "might be described as Creative Venetian'". It's "nothing too fancy, but with an edge of refinement that lifts it well above the... norm".
For something more rustic, try Mistra (Calle Michelangelo, 53c Giudecca). "Join Giudecca's boat builders for generous pasta courses, baked fish, pizzas, simple but yummy home- made desserts (rarely a Venetian forte), and a quaffable house wine, served at tables in a walled garden," says Dana Facaros in The Sunday Times. "It's warm and informal, with buckets of atmosphere."
According to legend, Venetian captains refused to sail without a black cat (gatto nero) because they were the best mousers. Trattoria al Gatto Nero"is also the best at its craft preparing the freshest, tastiest seafood in Venice", says Facaros. "Feast on organic produce from the lagoon islands, and a fritto misto so light it almost floats off your plate."
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