Most Venice hotels are planted deep in the maze of canals... But the Belmond Hotel Cipriani does the exact opposite. Located on the eastern tip of Giudecca Island, the hotel looks back across the lagoon at St Mark's Square, with three acres of fragrant gardens, a working vineyard and the only Olympic-sized swimming pool in central Venice. Opened in 1958 by Giuseppe Cipriani (the man behind Harry's Bar and the Bellini cocktail), it has been a favourite Venetian bolthole of Hollywood, royalty and the Biennale crowd ever since. Many of the staff have been there for decades and it really does show.
Marino's new double-height arrival lobby leads through to the original 1958 reception, which is as untouched and as charming as ever. Beyond, the three landscaped acres, bursting with flower beds, lemon trees and a small vineyard that produces the local Vite Dorona grape, are spectacularly spacious for Venice. For feasting, there are five dining venues spread throughout the hotel, including Michelin-starred Oro under the creative direction of Massimo Bottura and Cip's Club, perched on a floating pontoon opposite St Mark's. At breakfast, the resident falconer regularly makes an appearance, and of course, there's that iconic swimming pool at the heart.
The rooms and suites span three buildings: the original Cipriani, the 15th-century Palazzo Vendramin (with butler service and views of St Mark's), and the more recent Palazzetto Nani Barbaro annex. The thirteen suites refreshed by Peter Marino lead the pack with their hand-picked antiques, contemporary artworks and marble bathrooms with deep soaking tubs. Most rooms come with a balcony or terrace, looking out over the water or the Casanova Gardens. The two-bedroom Palladio Suite, complete with a private dock and sunken plunge pool, is the most extravagant of all.
The hotel's iconic mahogany launches make Venice your playground - and they run almost 24 hours a day. Five minutes on the water and you're at St Mark's, the Doge's Palace, the Accademia or Harry's Bar. Otherwise, set sail on the Edipo Re, Cipriani's stunning 16-metre yacht, or cycle along the sandbars of Lio Piccolo. The concierge can also arrange Murano glassblowing visits, gondola rowing lessons, and trips to the beautiful Veneto wine country. Closer to home, the Casanova Wellness Centre (named after the libertine who wooed his lovers in the gardens) offers a variety of classic wellness treatments, whilst the lawns host morning yoga, alfresco cooking classes, and tennis on the red clay courts.
When the pool was built, the hotelier worked in feet and the architect worked in metres. In a very happy mistake, the mix-up gave Venice its only Olympic-sized swimming pool!
The mahogany launches that ferry guests across the water to St Mark's run round the clock. There's no last boat so stay out as late as you fancy and someone will always be there to bring you home.
Closed for winter, the Cipriani is strictly a March-to-November affair.
A slowly sinking city where gondolas glide along a labyrinth of enchanting canals.
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