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The Gritti Palace, Venice

Venice's Gritti Palace makes Kat McAthley feel beguilingly at home despite its 'breathtaking beauty'

The credentials

‘There are few things in life more pleasant than to sit on the terrace of the Gritti when the sun about to set bathes in lovely colour the Salute… and when you seat down to dinner… when you see that your bottle of Soave is in the ice pail, waiting for you, as it has been year after year, you cannot but feel very much at home.’ So said Somerset Maugham of his many stays at this first class establishment.

I shall attempt to elaborate, of course, but I doubt to do it justice; the Gritti, it should be noted, isn’t just first class in Venice but first class throughout the world. Maugham was neither the first nor the only luminary to call it home; Hemingway was such a regular he has a whole presidential suite named in his honour, the Peggy Guggenheim suite similarly so, and the list of subsequent celebrities ranges from ministers (Churchill and De Gaulle) to movie stars (Elizabeth Taylor, Orson Welles, Kate Winslet, Brangelina). In fact the list of famous folk who haven’t stayed here would be easier to quote.

Originally built by the aristocratic Pisani family in 1475, the Gritti acquired its name (and fame) after it was bought by Andrea Gritti, doge of Venice between 1523 and 1538, and it remained a private residence for the following 350 years. Having opened as a hotel in 1948, it has benefited from a recent and beautiful refurbishment.

Dine

The Club del Doge restaurant of the Gritti has two distinctly different, but equally appealing faces. The first, the inside dining room, is all crimson silk walls and dark romanticism. The dinner menu tends to stick to the Venetian classics, but with all the elegance you’d expect; the seafood linguine was among the best my (pasta addict) partner has ever eaten, and the panna cotta was so utterly perfect we reordered it the following day for lunch.

The breakfast buffet was a banquet of tasty treats; even the fried eggs I somewhat shamefacedly ordered (they weren’t on the menu) were served up with a smile and the runniest, richest yolk imaginable.

The outside terrace, newly enclosed on one side with a state-of-the-art heat-retaining barrier, is a breathtaking delight. Even with the temperature hovering around one degree we sat comfortably, with possibly the most beautiful view in Venice—the Santa Maria della Salute—just across the Canale.

By contrast the Bar Longhi, for whiling away the evening with a cocktail, was the sole place the Gritti felt anything less than ‘home’ during our stay. Certainly it would be hard to imagine a more glittering place to see and be seen, but the cocktail prices are eye-watering and the service slightly brusque.

Sleep

On entering our suite I may have danced with delight (or dropped my duty free—less romantic but true); it was the most stunning room I’ve ever stayed in. Original works of art festooned every wall and surface, with a cool grey palette that effortlessly married sleek modernity with old-world elegance.

In a city famous for its lack of space, especially in more downmarket hotels, it was clear right away that guests at the Gritti are spoiled; our suite’s living room alone was larger than my London flat, with a breathtaking view of the Canale Grande, plus small private balcony.

The bed was huge and deliriously soft; easily the most comfortable sleep away from home I can remember. And the bathroom—in wall to floor grey Venetian marble (one of only ten marbles used throughout the hotel)—not only had a deep, relaxing bath but a walk-in waterfall shower and a plentiful supply of bath products by Acqua Di Parma Blu (provided exclusively by the hotel’s spa facility).

Overall the Palace has 82 rooms, plus a collection of 21 suites, and each one is unique, so individually decorated that every room feels less a hotel, more your own private palazzo.

Who goes there?

Anyone who’s anyone it seems, alive or dead, from the last 60 years. But for us mere mortals the clientele does appear to lean towards the couples market, both young and old—and why not? The Gritti exudes romance from every gloriously opulent corner.

Out & about

When it comes to location no other hotel can hold a candle to the Gritti’s setting on the Canale Grande. St Mark’s, with its wealth of shopping and tourist attractions, is a mere hop, skip and a stroll away (or ride by gondola if you’re feeling decadent—the hotel boasts a private mooring station plus vaporetto stop). The Guggenheim museum, the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute and the backstreet charms of Dorsoduro are all also just across the canal.

But where the Gritti really scores is that despite being in the heart of everything, it is magically completely hidden from the bustle.

The worst thing

The price tag! All this near-perfection does not come cheap; rooms (per night) start at the average monthly price of a London flat and suites go all the way up to a small mortgage.

The best thing

Maugham said it better than me, but the Gritti’s uncanny ability to not intimidate, despite its breathtaking beauty, is one of its most charming aspects. From the very moment we arrived in hotel heaven, we were greeted not as guests but as long-lost friends. From our good-humoured sommelier to our excellent hostess Roberta (who deserves a name check), the staff at the Gritti were effortlessly warm. The Gritti really did, if only for a night, make us feel profoundly and beguilingly at home.

The details

Rooms from €430 per night, suites from €1,275 per night.

The Gritti Palace, Campo Santa Maria del Giglio, Venice, 30124, Italy;  +39 041 794611; www.thegrittipalace.com; grittipalace@luxurycollection.com