Venice: Where to Stay: Newcomers: Bauer Palladio Hotel & Spa

Bauer Palladio Hotel & Spa

A palazzo designed by the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio in 1500 houses Venice’s newest hotel, the sister property of the Hotel Bauer, in central Venice. A spa is slated to open in June.

CONTRIBUTOR’S NOTE: I recently stayed at the Bauer Palladio Hotel & Spa, which lately opened on the island of Giudecca. The hotel has a lot going for it, namely the building itself, and the peaceful, picturesque location, near the Cipriani and next door to Elton John’s simple, Gothic-style yellow house. Overall, however, the property was experiencing teething problems when I was there. The rooms need better soundproofing (we could hear the people outside on the quay, in the hallways and in neighboring rooms), and the staff was not on the ball (we received no newspapers during our stay despite repeated requests, and the concierge didn’t know basic information, such as that the Palazzo Grassi was closed in April, which we discovered the hard way). If you book a suite, make sure you ask for one that has windows on the bedroom level; number 127 is well –laid out. Also, the hotel’s shuttle service to the main island doesn’t run all day, which we found to be a major nuisance. Having said all that, if I couldn’t get into the Cipriani, I would opt to stay here because I love the location. Venice can be intense, and it’s nice to escape to this quiet island at the end of the day. ~ELENA BOWES