Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice

The hotel is currently closed and will reopen in April 2024. Stay tuned for news about an incredible new suite that will be unveiled then.

The glam factor is high at the Cipriani, which dates back to 1958, when Harry’s Bar founder (and creator of the Bellini) Giuseppe Cipriani opened this hotel on the tip of Giudecca Island, subsequently welcoming icons like Sophia Loren and Yves Saint Laurent, who imbued the place with star quality. Today’s guests continue to appreciate the sizable grounds, a rarity in Venice. Overlooking garden, pool or lagoon, the 94 rooms and suites are light and spacious, featuring fabrics by Fortuny and Rubelli, handmade stuccos and Murano glass lamps and chandeliers. After touring Venice’s dizzying mazes, what a pleasure to unwind in this hideaway. (Thanks to 24-hour shuttle-boat service and the hotel’s own sailing boat Edipo Re, guests can come and go across the lagoon, including to its lesser-visited corners, as they please.) Dinner at Cip’s Club, with views of Piazza San Marco, is also a must.

The Standout: The Olympic-size pool (and the private garden suites that surround it)—a singular amenity thanks to a mistake made during construction, in which meters and feet were swapped Don’t Miss: Breakfast atop San Marco’s Scala Contarini del Bovolo, for quintessential Venice views

• The Dogaressa Suite, with four Gothic-style windows that frame Piazza San Marco
• The Michelin-starred Oro restaurant, whose innovative dishes, inspired by Venice, are as beautiful as the canal-side setting
• Sailing across the lagoon aboard the hotel’s Edipo Re (the name translates as “Oedipus Rex”)
• The Casanova Gardens with wisteria-woven pergolas

The hotel is currently closed and will reopen in April 2024. Stay tuned for news about an incredible new suite that will be unveiled then.

The world-famous Cipriani offers a resort-like experience in Venice, which is often crowded with tourists during peak season. The 96-room property is set on Giudecca Island , a five-minute boat ride from San Marco, on a lush plot of land with gardens and a pool, the ideal escape after a day of sightseeing.

Light and spacious, the 94 rooms and suites at the Cipriani feature interiors with fabrics by Fortuny & Rubelli, hand-made stuccos and Murano glass lamps and chandeliers. The rooms have views of the garden, lagoon or pool, and many have balconies or terraces. The Cipriani has long been known for its one-of-a-kind suites, most notably the two-room Dogeressa, with four Gothic-style windows that perfectly frame perspectives of St. Mark’s Cathedral.

The sumptuous Palladio Suite, which can be booked as a one- or two-bedroom, faces the lagoon and has a private heated plunge pool overlooking the water. When you’re relaxing in the living room, gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows, you feel as if you were floating on your own Venetian ship. Families might consider the hotel’s 16-room Palazzo Vendramin, a 15th-century building facing the gardens whose suites come with kitchenettes.

With lavishly appointed interiors, a spa offering La Prairie treatments, lushly planted gardens and an Olympic-size swimming pool, the Cipriani is one of the most amenity-laden properties in Venice. It’s also one of the city’s most family-friendly options, with a Smile Club providing supervised playtime for children to come and enjoy some time together. (Note that during the siesta time, typically from 2:00-4:00 p.m., parents are asked not to take their children to the swimming pool.)

After a day touring the city’s dizzying streets, guests of the Cipriani can retreat to the relaxing hideaway to unwind away from the crowds. And thanks to 24-hour shuttle service, guests can come and go as they please.

Visitors who appreciate the resort-like grounds and amenities, with expansive gardens and pool, and those who like the tucked-away location on Giudecca Island