The St Regis Venice offers an exceptionally warm welcome, plenty of personality and knockout views

Words: Jonathan Whiley

A wise man once said – a little-known artist by the name of Claude Monet in fact – that the views from the Grand Hotel Britannia “are the most magnificent in all of Venice”.

Monet’s wife, Alice, wrote to her daughter during their stay and said: “For Monet, that’s all that matters!” Back in 1908, the hotel, now known as The St Regis Venice, was a magnet for intellectuals, socialites and artists including Monet, who used to capture the light across the Grand Canal in his paintings.

The location is undoubtedly knockout – the hotel is a five-minute walk to Piazza San Marco but suitably sheltered from the hustle and bustle, with a sweeping terrace overlooking Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute.

In the morning, enjoy breakfast and a perfectly made cappuccino as gondolas glide past and, as night falls, pause for aperitivo hour with a Santa Maria cocktail, a clear and delicious take on the traditional bloody mary (every St Regis has its own twist) made with clarified tomato juice.

It may be one of the city’s grande dame hotels, with 124 rooms and 39 suites (including a Monet suite and penthouse suite with its own lift), but there isn’t a whiff of stuffiness. We channelled our inner Clooneys and arrived by boat to an exceptionally warm welcome, setting the tone for a hotel experience with plenty of personality – and personalities. Venetian concierge Gigorio’s gelato recommendation (waterside Gelateria Nico) is one for the little black book.

After a major two-year renovation, St Regis (the American luxury hotel brand founded by John Jacob Astor IV in 1904) opened the doors of its Venetian retreat in 2019. In keeping with its artistic heritage, there is a bespoke Murano chandelier in its Grand Salon by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and for this year’s Biennale, there is a continuing contemporary art exhibition with bespoke Murano glass.

If you can tear yourself away from the terrace and the Grand Salon (where at 5pm each day they saber a bottle of champagne), make for Gio’s Restaurant, which overlooks the Grand Canal. Breakfast is excellent and dinner, as the deserted gondolas bob in the ink-black water, is even better.

The food takes inspiration from Venice and Puglia (where chef Giuseppe Ricci was born), with a choice of two tasting menus or an à la carte menu with dishes that range from homemade pappardelle with monk’s beard to raw tuna with tomato extract and lagoon sea bass with anchovy sauce.

While The St Regis Venice isn’t perfect (some of the soft furnishings in our room were starting to look a little tired – surprising at this level), it is unquestionably a Venetian jewel, with a killer view to be treasured. Don’t take my word for it; just ask Monet.