I would stay in no other place than the Gritti Palace in Venice. Total discretion, immaculate service and great courtesy. This hotel has also recently been refurbished to its former glory. We arrived and were fortunate enough to shown up to the most beautiful suite on the top floor with a spectacular view of the Grand Canal. Our rooms were stunning with several reception rooms including a lovely drawing room where we sat and enjoyed a glass of red wine before embarking on our exploration of Venice. We hardly wanted to leave our apartment it was so lovely! The bathrooms were all splendid and laden with Aqua di Parma products and a spa downstairs to compliment this. We had Lucy with us who having studied in Padua for this year was very familiar with Venice as it is only a 20 minute train ride from Padua so pretty much her weekend haunt especially if she had guests to stay.

The restaurant was exceptional and we enjoyed aperitivi in the bar when we returned from a busy day out followed by a fantastic dinner in the main dining room. There is also a cookery school which I would love to attend and there is a large table towards the end of the dining room behind glass doors where obviously the course are held.The Gritti Palace

We had a more leisurely weekend and a great visit to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum which is relatively close to the Gritti Palace. I had not been here for some time and remains a great museum. The Peggy Guggenheim Museum