Palace Bonvecchiati ★★★★

The hotel holds court in the city’s most picturesque quarter, a mere 300 metres from St Mark’s Square and five minutes of foot from the Rialto, the city’s financial and commercial core. You would struggle to find a more central, tranquil and charming street than the Calle dei Fabbri. From the soaring windows of your Deluxe room, the view from this archetypal street bathes guests in the city’s poetic atmosphere.

Keen to try the local specialities? The hotel’s restaurant, La Terraza, has on a beguiling canal-side patio overflowing with flowers, where you can tuck into a delicious display of traditional Venetian delights. You will be carried away by savoury smells and tastes from the Rialto market, via the unbelievable savoir-faire of the Italian chefs.

The hotel’s interiors retain a generous helping of Italy’s timeless stylishness. The original works of art and red leather sofas lend the lounge an elegant air, whilst high gloss finishes and astute lighting imbue the whole hotel with a glamour that could only be made in Italy. Your richly hued room, one of just 70 in the exclusive hotel, is surprisingly spacious considering the excellent location, and the large windows make it feel grander still. The bed is a marshmallow dream of murmuring white sheets and deep, plush pillows, whilst the bathroom is all gleaming stone and polished mirrors.

You’d never guess from the outside that this house had such an avant-garde and modern heart. The same goes for the hotel’s hidden treasure, buried away on the fourth floor with a view over the city’s patchwork of red roofs; the spa! There’s nothing archaic about the high-end sauna, Turkish bath, Jacuzzi or tricked-out fitness suite, reserved for the exclusive use of hotel patrons. Massages and beauty treatments are available on request and the hotel’s expansive whirlpool with its sea-green walls is roomy enough for eight.

After losing days in the opulent embrace of the Bonvecchiati’s bedrooms, spa and restaurant, you might come to realise that you’ve only seen the city through the hotel’s elegant windows.