part of the expansive grounds of Hotel Cipriani
	a suite in Palazzo Vendramin
	a stateroom on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
	a suite at Hotel Cipriani

Quite simply, Hotel Cipriani is peerless.  In a world of exaggeration, hyperbole still leaves Cipriani short of the praise it deserves. A Venetian legend since it opened its doors in 1958, the hotel's prestige and reputation rightfully increases with each passing year. 

In a city full of luxury hotels, the crown jewel of the Orient-Express group's hotel collection is in a class by itself.  Set in lush grounds on what amounts to a private estate on the island of Giudecca, lucky guests at Cipriani enjoy the rarest of Venetian commodities—a lack of crowds—while being a mere five minutes from St Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace via the hotel's private boat service, thereby having all the convenience of a central location with none of the drawbacks. The intangible air of quality at the Cipriani complements the elegant rooms and suites, the sumptuous public rooms, and the splendid gardens for which Cipriani has always been known. On the other side of the main garden is Palazzo Vendramin, a smaller building with only 16 rooms that serves as a yet more exclusive annex to the main building.

Though grand in an Old World sense, the hotel is not lost in the past, nor does it rest on its laurels as do some other well-known hotels in the city of Venice.  Rooms and suites, and especially bathrooms, are modern and well appointed. The Cipriani offers an array of sizes and floorplans in its accommodation options. Rooms with private terraces are especially wonderful for enjoying the outdoors and the waterfront location. Cipriani's pool at 600sqm is one of the largest hotel pools in Europe; its purified saltwater is soft on the skin and only adds to the sensorial pleasure of a hotel where indulgence is worth every euro. Taking advantage of its waterfront location, the hotel this season has introduced kayaks for guest use to allow for seeing Venice in a totally original way. For those who prefer not to leave the grounds—and who can blame them—the hotel offers a special menu of Academy Award-winning films for in-room entertainment. As the preferred base for the glamorous stars coming to the city each year for the Venice Film Festival, Cipriani has an intimate relationship with the world of film; the hotel offers a film tour of Venice which takes guests to the locations of such movies as The Tourist, The Italian Job, and The Talented Mr Ripley.

Both restaurants at Cipriani, Fortuny and Cip's Club, are exceptional in their settings and culinary offerings.  As would be expected, the menus offer an array of fine dining choices. Pleasure comes even in what is not offered. When a bellini was requested as an apéritif, it was a delight to be denied. Peaches were out of season, you see, and the hotel would never dream of using anything but the freshest of ingredients for its food and beverages. A good excuse to return in peach season.

Needless to say, staff at every level are superb in their jobs. From the pool attendant to the general manager, everyone cares about their place of work and it certainly shows in the pride taken in doing a good job.

As the star of the Orient-Express Collection—itself a statement for a company with a growing portfolio of exquisite properties around the world—Hotel Cipriani today serves also as an apt start or finish to a journey on the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train. Regardless of how one arrives at Hotel Cipriani, the important thing is to get there and stay as long as possible.

Hotel Cipriani & Palazzo Vendramin
Giudecca 10
30133 Venice
tel:  +39 041 240 801
hotelcipriani.com