Monaco & Grand Canal

These days no respectable fashion empire would be caught dead without a hotel to call its own. Some are exercises in brand-building, while others are a bit more discreet; a guest at the Hotel Monaco and Grand Canal could hardly be blamed for missing the Benetton connection, dazzled instead by the hotel’s contrasts, between seventeenth-century grandeur and chic modern styling.

Public spaces are sleek and dazzling, while upstairs is a slightly different story: guest rooms are not exactly modern, much less minimalist, but more a sort of up-to-date classic style, still a welcome break from the stuffiness of Venice’s more conservative palace hotels, where historical authenticity is valued above all else. Here you’ll find your share of antiques and classic ornamentation in a conscious homage to the old style, along with the sort of clean lines prized by contemporary decorators.

Hotel Monaco’s location is perhaps its strongest suit: it’s situated, as advertised, at the mouth of the Grand Canal, though relatively few rooms actually face the water. St. Mark’s Square is just a block away, and many of the major tourist attractions are close at hand, as are any number of shops, cafés and restaurants.

The hotel’s own Grand Canal restaurant is an elegant Venetian classic, its outdoor terrace seating providing unparalleled views of the Church of Santa Maria della Salute across the canal. And of particular note to Bellini connoisseurs and Hemingway fetishists is the original Harry’s Bar, just steps from the hotel.