Savoia Excelsior Palace Trieste – Starhotels Collezione

We love an edgy, bohemian boutique or a glossy style experiment as much as anyone, but there’s something to be said for the pleasures of a classic grand hotel. Especially a classic grand hotel in a beautiful old European capital like Trieste, where the Starhotels Savoia Excelsior Palace stands rather majestically over the waterfront, with half its rooms facing out into the bay.

The facade of the century-old building is as it always was, but the interiors are fresh off a total renovation, the look updated but not quite re-imagined — it’s a very contemporary elegance, but one that’s in keeping with the building’s classic style. Along with the copious hardwood and marble in the guest rooms you’ll find tactile luxuries like feather beds as well as must-have conveniences like LCD televisions and wireless internet.

A fine restaurant and a dramatically styled cocktail bar offer views out to sea from oversized windows. There’s more meeting and events space than you could possibly need, and the central location means most of this compact city is easily accessible. This stunning old city is where Italy meets Eastern Europe, or perhaps vice versa — and for an introduction you could do much worse than the Savoia.