Palazzina Grassi Hotel

The room was gorgeous and absolutely spotless, and the service was great. “Jacko,” the front bell man, always greeted us with a smile and helpful information. What a beautiful hotel, I highly recommend it.

I’m a hotel snob when I travel, since the hotel is as much a part of the experience as the places I visit. From booking through departure, everything was top notch. I’ve stayed in plenty of five-star hotels around the world and have never felt so well looked after. The staff are the best in the business. We were greeted warmly, checked in right away, and shown to petite but absolutely luxurious rooms. Every morning they greeted us by name and served a wonderful breakfast. At night we spent hours at the bar with two amazing bartenders, who made some of the best old fashioneds and Aperol Spritzes we’ve ever had. The front desk also booked water taxis that came to the hotel dock and took us where we needed to go with no fuss. I can’t fit into a short review how wonderful our stay was. We’ll be back.

My partner loved the food, especially the red tuna tartare. I wasn’t as keen on my dishes: the spaghetti with anchovy butter was overwhelmed by the anchovy, and the slow-cooked pork short ribs tasted too much like bacon to me. The restaurant itself is comfortable, in a columned courtyard styled throughout in modern Phillippe Stark. Service, atmosphere, and glassware were all excellent. My partner gives it five stars, I’d give it three, so four overall.

We loved our five nights here. The hotel is gorgeous, the staff friendly and attentive, and the food and drinks were amazing. It’s very central for attractions and restaurants, with a private boat dock right beside a main water taxi pickup and drop-off point. If I get back to Venice, I’ll stay here again. The two small things that kept me from giving five stars were the shower temperature, which kept shifting from warm to very hot, and the lack of storage for clothes and luggage.