Best Boutique Hotels in Venice
Introduction
In this labyrinthine city’s warren, it pays to be clear about what you want when booking a room. Venice’s classic hotels cluster around St. Mark’s Square, along the Grand Canal to the west, and on the Riva degli Schiavoni to the east. Elsewhere in the city, you’ll find everything from backpacker hostels to intimate B&Bs to design-forward four-stars and owner-rentals galore. A ‘canal view’ will cost extra but could mean anything from a spectacular Grand Canal vista to an awkward squint down into a mosquito-infested backwater. An inwards-facing room can be far quieter than one that looks out onto a busy thoroughfare—as long as ‘inwards’ means over a courtyard or garden and not onto a dead wall, that is—wondering where to start?
Charming Boutique Hotels in Venice
Ca’ Pisani Boutique Design Hotel
This 29-room, Art Deco–inspired hotel broke the traditional mode in 2000, becoming the city’s first design hotel. Ca’ Pisani, an homage to Art Deco with some beautiful period pieces, presents a stylish change from the chandelier-and-velvet Venetian norm. The 29-room hotel broke the traditional mode in 2000, becoming the city’s first design hotel. With dark polished wood, lots of mirrors, and some original Art Deco pieces, Ca’ Pisani is beautifully designed and maintained. Rooms vary considerably in size; there are also family rooms and a junior suite.
Corte di Gabriela
Corte di Gabriela, a boutique hotel, injects contemporary pizzazz into a 19th-century palazzo with signature design pieces, industrial-chic materials, and splashes of gorgeous color. But this is style without unnecessary attitude: The vibe here is warm, grown-up, and welcoming. Breakfast is simply superb; it’s a genuine draw for many of the hotel’s return guests. The staff will make you feel immediately at home, easing you into restaurants, water taxis, and tours. Did we mention the courtyard? This is a perfect place for quiet contemplation with its smart Paola Navone–designed furniture, antique marble wellhead, and welcome shade from an ancient, colossal wisteria plant. Upstairs, there’s a comfortable reading room with a baby grand piano. And luxurious chocolates at Turndown are a sweet touch.
Hotel Londra Palace
At the luxurious Londra Palace, by the Riva degli Schiavoni, considerable windows in many of the 52 rooms look straight out over the watery expanse of the Venetian lagoon. The hotel has been welcoming guests since 1853 under a succession of names. Tchaikovsky stayed in 1877 and wrote his fourth symphony as he surveyed San Giorgio Maggiore across the water. Part of a small Italian hospitality group, the property is now a Relais & Chateaux association member. If Venetian classic is what you’re after, the Londra Palace is perfect; plus, it comes with a price tag lower than many of the city’s other top-tier hotels.
Cima Rosa
As you track your luggage through the courtyard of this 15th-century palazzo in Santa Croce, you’ll understand the Cima Rosa spirit: Old roses scramble up brick walls, and age-worn marble carvings peek out through fragrant faux jasmine. Inside, an exquisite pastel palette mirrors the colors visible through the front windows, which overlook the Grand Canal. Five suites, personalized service, and great comfort complete the picture. This is a grown-up place for travelers who love Venice and know it sufficiently well.
Belmond Hotel Cipriani
The intimacy of other hotel areas is countered by the spaciousness of Belmond Hotel Cipriani, where every spacious room has a garden or water view. Those who prefer to sleep somewhere at least four centuries old can head to its annex inside a 15th-century palace on Giudecca Island. From its prime position on the island’s eastern tip, it exudes an air of Dolce vita–style glamour. Whether you pull up directly at the private dock or hop on the hotel launch at Piazza San Marco for the journey across the lagoon, the super-attentive service, manicured greenery, and air of sophistication combine into a pampered world. The list of facilities and services is staggering: central Venice’s only pool—and an Olympic-sized one, at that—a sumptuous spa, children’s activities, cooking classes, tailored tours, boat trips, gorgeous gardens, art classes, tennis courts, and more.
There’s an embracing feel to Novecento, a lovely little boutique hotel. No distance from the crowded main artery leading to Piazza San Marco, it’s peaceful and welcoming, and it makes you feel slightly conspiratorial, as if you’re in on some huge secrets. With a beautiful blend of international furniture, warm, earthy colors, rich fabrics, gentle lighting, and an overall cocoon-like feeling, you won’t mind even the slightly small rooms. This is a special place that will make you feel that you’ve spent your money well.
The Gritti Palace
None do it quite like this Grand Canal classic in a city with such a concentration of luxe hotels. Though the 15th-century palazzo—now a member of the Luxury Collection—has been open to guests since 1895, a 15-month, $200 million revamp in 2013 ensured that it’s no creaky museum piece. (Most modern extras are cleverly concealed.) But the sheer grace of the place makes it so appealing. Of course, it’s all uniquely exquisite, with rich Rubelli fabrics and priceless art, but this silky cocoon is also utterly affable. Nothing is too much trouble, from the staff who serve cocktails from the martini trolley to chef Daniele Turco, who creates wonders with castraure—those special Venetian baby artichokes. A refreshing facial in the spa? A spin in the Riva Aquariva boat? Total immersion in local food at the culinary school? Only if you can take your eyes off that watery spectacle outside: This is still one of the most beautiful hotels in one of the most beautiful and most fragile spots in the world.
Aman Venice
The crush of over-tourism has risked muting the magic of La Serenissima. Still, the city’s hotels, many palaces, and villas during the republic’s glory days remain a bastion of Venetian romance. There is slightly more reserve at the graceful Aman Venice in the quieter San Polo district. With its Murano chandeliers and stellar rabbit cappelletti served in a side garden, the hotel mixes the elegantly spare aesthetic of this revered Asian brand with the cultured taste of the Italian count and princess who own the property. In a city awash with much-loved legends—the Cipriani, the Danieli, the Gritti Palace—newcomers take something special to turn heads. But Aman, who splashed down here in 2013, had a trump card: Palazzo Papadopoli. Not only is this 16th-century confection right on the Grand Canal just past the Rialto Bridge—which guests whizz under in the hotel’s glossy Riva to arrive at the palazzo’s jetty flanked by cerulean bricole—but it has also been home for the last two centuries to the Arrivabene family. Proper Venetian aristocracy, the current count and countess (Giberto and Bianca) still live here with their five children in a sprawling apartment at the top of the building. The 24 bedrooms have been slotted into many of the palazzo’s original spaces, so they are all unique. However, the luxury does not compete with Jean-Michel Gathy’s minimalist B&B Italia furniture. This is hands down the most splendid hotel in Venice.
Al Ponte Antico
Once you recover from the surprise that all the super-friendly staff magically know your first name from the moment you arrive, you’ll be bowled over by Ponte Antico’s décor: Venetian plush took to its most playful extreme. Then you get to marvel at the location; there are few more romantic places in the city for sipping an aperitivo than the Ponte Antico’s tiny terrace, which has views over the Rialto. The breakfast at Al Ponte Antico is legendary; guests rave about the things that staff can do with the humble egg. The setting isn’t wrong, either, with quaint plush banquettes inside or a little canal-size balcony.
Generator brought its signature design-savvy backpacker hostel to Venice in 2013, setting up shop in a rather sad old ostello on the Giudecca island, giving it a sharp designer makeover while preserving its historic architectural features. Some folks will love this un-touristed offshoot, which has a view across the water to Piazza San Marco; others will be irritated by the fact that there’s no way to the center other than a (rather expensive) ferry. Rooms range from private singles or doubles with ensuite bathrooms to 16-bed shared dorms, some reserved for women. Compared to the dazzling spaces downstairs, they’re smart but spartan. On sunny days and warm evenings, Generator guests spread across the quiet footpath on Giudecca island, basking in the sun and taking in the view across the water.
Ca Maria Adele
As you’re ushered into Ca Maria Adele’s luxurious reception room, your luggage is whisked away and replaced by a glass of something cool and bubbly before you’ve even checked in. Small but perfectly formed, this sumptuous boutique hotel near the Salute church is serene and sophisticated. You can go for a baroque in one of the elaborate concept suites, such as the Scarlet Sala del Doge or the magnificent, dark Sala Noire. But gold-hued Deluxe rooms share similar comforts, including spacious marble bathrooms, fluffy towels, and goose-down duvets in winter. Ca Maria Adele is in Dorsoduro, Venice’s artsiest district, with the Guggenheim, contemporary works at the Punta della Dogana, and Venetian grandmasters at the Accademia all at your doorstep.
Palazzo Venart
Book one of the rooms at the whimsical Palazzo Venart for the contemporary without compromising the classic. Reached through a hard-to-find courtyard off the Grand Canal, it’s filled with modern statues that underscore Venice’s remarkable history and fabulous art scene. Once you arrive, you’ll feel like you’re in your very own (and very private) palazzo. And though it’s on the back end of the Grand Canal, it’s incredibly peaceful—different from other lodgings in the area. Fellow guests are well-heeled with exquisite taste, and it’s likely not their first time in the city. Such is the insider feel of Venart, so you can rest assured that you’ve chosen well. Rooms are seriously luxurious, with a ‘Casanova’s lair’ vibe: tactile wallpaper, four-poster beds draped in velvet, and modern artwork. The Michelin-starred GLAM restaurant does upscale pasta and salads. The food is note-perfect, but you should only make dinner here one night; go somewhere with more atmosphere for the rest of your time. You can also have tea in the garden and cocktails in the salon. It’s the grandness of the grande dames, with none of the dust.
Charming House DD724
At the seriously stylish DD724, every detail combines into a cool, contemporary look. But the hotel is comfortable, too, with welcoming staff and a warm vibe. Mix this with an enviable location in the Dorsoduro district overlooking the garden of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and you have a perfect Venetian haven for design-savvy travelers. With dark hues and splashes of ochre and earthy colors, the nine good-sized rooms and suites are stylish and luminous. One suite even has a chromotherapy bathroom. DD724 is perfect for art lovers drawn to the ultra-contemporary exhibitions at nearby Punta della Dogana and style-conscious travelers who prefer Dorsoduro to more heavily trafficked districts. But families are catered to, as well.
Escape from the tourist-packed lagoon-side Riva degli Schiavoni into the Metropole’s shadowy salon, and wait for your eyes to adjust: There are burnished mirrors on the ceiling, crimson drapery, potted palms, and plush, deep sofas. Generations of the Beggiato family have run this independent hotel, and their distinctive collections of antique fans, handbags, corkscrews, and nutcrackers are dotted around public spaces. If quirky is your thing, you’ll feel perfectly at home here. Prices are low compared to other five-star hotels in Venice.
