The St. Regis Venice

At The St. Regis Venice, the first impression is hard to argue with. You arrive by boat, step onto a private pontoon, and suddenly Venice has arranged itself very conveniently around your lunch plans. Gondolas pass close enough to become part of the décor, Santa Maria della Salute sits across the Grand Canal, and the terrace has the slightly unfair advantage of making almost everyone look better.

The hotel occupies a group of historic palazzi in San Marco, once known as the Grand Hotel Britannia and later as the Europa & Regina. Claude Monet stayed here in 1908, during his only visit to Venice, painting the city’s light as it shifted over water and stone. You understand the choice. Even now, the view changes by the minute, from pale morning glare to that late afternoon shimmer Venice seems to keep for people who have ordered wine.

Inside, the hotel is less old world fantasy than polished contemporary grand hotel. Do not come expecting peeling romance, brocade melancholy or the faint smell of aristocratic decline. The rooms and public spaces are bright, curated and art conscious, sometimes almost too immaculate for a city built on beautiful imperfection. Gio’s, the waterside restaurant, makes the strongest case for staying in: Italian cooking, crisp service, white tablecloths, varnished boats sliding past, and the feeling that the Grand Canal has been booked as entertainment. Arts Bar continues the art theme with cocktails inspired by paintings, a risky idea that lands better than expected.