Exclusive First Review: Venice Venice Hotel
Italy holds a very special place in our hearts. There is no other place on earth that does things just as right as the home of La Dolce Vita. From food, fashion, cars to interior design. The latter relates perfectly to one of Europe‘s hottest hotel openings in 2023. We had the unique opportunity to exclusively review the brand new The Venice Venice Hotel in the heart of - you guess right - Venice. As the only five-star luxury hotel overlooking Rialto Bridge, this one-of-a-kind hotel is housed in one of the city’s oldest Palazzi. Originally built in the thirteenth century, Palazzo Ca‘ da Mosto is the only right place to open up such a sexy design hotel that quickly became one of Europe‘s most talked about hotel openings. Our journey began before boarding the water taxi en route to The Venice Venice Hotel, at the moment a staff member reached out via phone to inform us of the pick-up and the check-in. Once we arrived at the hotel‘s private dock, we were already welcomed by two staff members - one bellman and a lady accompanying us to the front desk on the first floor. Speaking of arriving, make sure to book a water taxi for your arrival since the entrance to Canal Grande is simply stunning and the views of fellow travellers will do the rest.
Already upon entering the water entrance, we were blown away by the design. A truly elegant sliding door opened and we were welcomed by a candle-lit staircase leading towards the first floor. Check-in was mostly done via email, so they only needed a signature before moving another floor up to our room. We have booked an entry-level Postvenetian room and were allocated room number 26. Dedicated to the spirit of New York‘s legendary Chelsea Hotel, our Postvenetian room came with US-inspired art and books - a lovely touch to theme each room individually but still, keep the same interior style. While only 25 square meters large, our room felt quite airy and spacious which may have been thanks to an open layout bathroom. Even though I am normally not a big fan of open bathrooms, at the Venice Venice, they did a great job separating the toilet and bidet area as well as the spacious walk-in shower from the rest of the room. Moving up a little stair, there was a heavenly queen bed with a top-quality mattress and soft pillows as well as an armchair along with a coffee table that had a selection of interesting art books. The stunning Bang & Olufsen TV blended in perfectly just like the marble vanity desk with a single sink next to the bed.
Across the vanity desk was the complimentary minibar with soft drinks and beer, a selection of snacks and a few books to complete the perfect look. Interestingly there were coffee cups however there was no coffee machine nor a coffee-making facility inside the room which seemed a bit odd. Moving down the hallway, there was another window overlooking the roof of the neighbouring palazzo and the toilet with a bidet next to it. At the far end of the room was the shower with stylish brass finishings. The toiletries smelled amazing and were by in-house brand Erose. While the shower gel and shampoo came in cans, the conditioner was provided in a tube. What I love most about brand-new hotels is how soft and gorgeous the bathrobes, towels and linen feel - the Venice Venice was no exception to that. Therefore I had an amazing sleep and housekeeping did a great job changing towels and keeping the spaces extremely tidy at all times - even though we never saw a single housekeeping member rushing around.
After having settled in the room, we explored the property a bit. Needless to say that the array of amenities is quite limited in an eight-century-old palazzo. So we ended up enjoying the hotel‘s terrace right on Canal Grande and sipping Espresso Martini and Americano until sunset. The Venice Venice Hotel’s public spaces are divided into a shop and a restaurant with a bar called the Venice Mart. While breakfast and dinner are truly posh setups with white tablecloths, the lunch and bar concept is quite casual with very affordable drinks and snacks. We found the transition from casual to elegant extremely interesting to watch, especially when the guest crowd changed. While it was mostly tourists in shorts and shirts sipping Aperol Spritz in the early afternoon, a very posh local crowd took over from 8 pm onwards. Of course, the whole vibe changed: suddenly the music became more elegant and the drinks more sophisticated. Gosh, I wish I could have stayed for another night just to glimpse this exciting restaurant concept and keep watching people and their behaviour. Lastly, let‘s not forget about the view of Venice one has from The Venice Venice: the Rialto bridge to the left and the Rialto fish market right in front of the hotel.
I remember that one sunset we enjoyed on the terrace, when the sky turned as orange as my Americano. The air still being a bit dusty due to the water and the hot temperatures that day. What a unique moment I wish could have stayed forever. We tried really hard in finding and testing unique restaurants in Venice but honestly, when we were halfway through our tasting dishes at Trattoria Al Bomba, we couldn‘t wait to be back at Venice Mart for a post-dinner drink and seafood pasta to contemplate the spectacular setting of the night setting at The Venice Venice Hotel. To be honest, I normally do not spend much time in a city hotel, but this time I did (even though there was no pool or spa) - and this is definitely a sign that they did an incredible job creating Venice Mart. It‘s various concepts at different times of the day - and I also have to admit I never thought it would work out. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Breakfast on the next morning was not less spectacular. Firstly you are seated on what I would call the most wonderful terrace over Canal Grande. There is a trolley with the most essential breakfast essentials that are being brought to your table upon arrival. Additionally, you have a selection of egg dishes and other a la carte options with no extra charge. We both went for the Lobster Egg Benedict and it was the first time I was offered this at a hotel. Since it is a great combination, I think more and more properties should serve Egg Benedict with Lobster. A mouth-watering experience and what a glamorous way to start our last day in Venice. Service was attentive and very kind - plus the uniform matched the atmosphere and location very well. Overall we had an amazing stay at what I think is one of Italy‘s chicest new hotels. Once again my expectations were not just met but exceeded. For half the price of other five-star hotels in Venice, the Venice Venice Hotel is still a steal and you should definitely get one of their rooms overlooking Canal Grande just for the wow-effect.
Disclaimer: We were guests of the hotel for editorial purposes. However the above written has not been influenced and represents the author’s own opinion.
