Venice has a couple new hotels you need to know about. In mid-October, The St. Regis Venice made its debut on the Grand Canal, just steps from Piazza San Marco. What’s nice: It touts the largest waterfrontage in all of Venice, and one-third of the 169 rooms have views of the canal. 

The top digs at the hotel — which opened following a two-year renovation of the former Grand Hotel Britannia, dating back to 1895 — are the two-bedroom Presidential Suite and a three-bedroom Penthouse Suite with a wraparound furnished terrace. Good to know: The five Roof Garden Suites also have furnished terraces. These rooms have views of the Santa Maria della Salute Basilica and the Punta della Dogana Museum.

Be sure to grab a Spritz from the hotel’s roaming Spritz Trolley and enjoy it in the garden, the spot to see and be seen. Or, enjoy a Santa Maria — the hotel’s twist on the brand’s signature cocktail, the Bloody Mary — at the Arts Bar inside. 

Contact Paola Toniolo ([email protected]), reservations manager.

Il Palazzo Experimental

Il Palazzo Experimental has 28 rooms and four suites and a spacious back garden letting onto a canal. // Photo by Karel Balas

On the Giudecca Canal, Il Palazzo Experimental (of Paris-based Experimental Group fame) opened in September. The hotel has 28 rooms and four suites and a spacious back garden letting onto a quiet canal. 

Book the Zatterre Junior Suite with Canal View. In addition to the best view at the hotel, it has a king bed and spacious bathroom (with soaking tub). All rooms have a minibar with cocktails by Experimental Cocktail Club. 

Il Palazzo Experimental’s restaurant uses only seasonal, local ingredients, and has an in-house wine bar highlighting regional producers. Tip: Order the Bombetta (deep fried bread from Puglia) with Apulian tomatoes and Burrata and the Arrosticini (grilled lamb skewers from Abruzzo) with cumin and sichuan pepper sauce.

Contact Christian Zingarelli ([email protected]), hotel manager.

Note: Venice voted to enforce a tax for day-trippers, which goes into effect July 1, 2020. Visitors will pay €3 during the low season, €8 during high season and €10 during “critical” periods, such as summer weekends.

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