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Of the two hotels on this Venice block, one might expect that we would prefer the Fifties-style Hotel Bauer; the city does suffer from a bit of antique overkill, and to be fair, the Bauer is a nice change of pace. But the real gem is the Bauer Il Palazzo—which is, as you may guess from the name, another in a long line of opulent Venetian palace hotels.
There are two paths to notoriety in this modern world: you can do something that has never been done before, and get by on novelty—or you can take the road more traveled and do the obvious thing better than anyone else has done it. Novelty seems at present to be the more popular, but that may just be because excellence takes so much more work.
Il Palazzo, then, is nothing new, but is near-perfect in its execution—this hotel is a true labor of love, the creation of Francesca Portolotto Possati, the Italian-born interior designer who inherited the crumbling Bauer annex in 1997. The subsequent renovations have resulted in a stunning hotel, a period piece, in a superior location alongside the Grand Canal, and stuffed with 18th-century antiques and modern boutique amenities.
Though Il Palazzo is tucked away behind the Bauer proper, the views are excellent, with many rooms overlooking the canal or the rooftops of the city, and Settimo Cielo, the breakfast lounge, offering panoramic vistas. Perhaps less common to Venice are such modern touches as a health club with an outdoor Jacuzzi (again, mind the views) and a terrace restaurant that is far more than perfunctory, serving remarkably fine Mediterranean and Venetian dishes.
- 82 Rooms
- Style: Traditional Elegance
- Atmosphere: Lively
- 8 Guest Reviews
- Bauer Il Palazzo
- San Marco 1413 D
- Venice, Italy
Hotel amenities and services
- 100% non-smoking hotel
- 24 hour concierge
- 24 hour front desk
- 24 hour gym
- 24 hour room service
- Babysitting (on request)
- Bar
- Beauty salon
- Central air conditioning
- Golf nearby
- Jacuzzi
- Lounge
- Multi-lingual staff
- No pets allowed
- Restaurant
- Sauna
- Spa treatments (on request)
- Steam rooms
- Turkish bath
- Wi-fi (charges apply)
Other Venice hotels
8 Guest Reviews
All reviews are from Tablet guests with verified stays.
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- James
- Stayed October 2012
- Rating: Fair
What I liked:
An interesting and slightly less frumpy alternative to the more traditional Daneli, Gritti or Cipriani hotels.
What the hotel could do better:
The fact that the breakfast was buffet only was disappointing for such an expensive hotel.
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- rosalind
- Stayed September 2012
- Rating: Poor
What I liked:
The position.
What the hotel could do better:
The initial " Grand canal view suite" we were given at a rate of 2,700 euros per day was tiny, claustrophobic, had only a partial view, restricted on both sides. One side was blocked by a wall of scaffolding & a crane.
On complaining, to be fair, the manager upgraded us to their next tier of canal view suites. However it is a disgrace they thought that anyone paying nearly $3000 a night would stay in that poky room.
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- Andrew
- Stayed July 2011
- Rating: Fair
What I liked:
Central location, impressive lobby, beautiful view from the breakfast terrace.
What the hotel could do better:
It's way, way overpriced, in my opinion. I'm happy to spend $600/night on a room, but they had better nail every detail. The rooms were dated and cheesy (ridiculous cherub paintings on the ceiling, gold everywhere), and the beds weren't very comfortable. The shower was made for a midget - I had to crouch down to get any water.
It's not a bad hotel, by any means, but it's way, way over-priced. 8 euros for an espresso? 50 euros for a luke-warm buffet breakfast? Venice is always expensive, but that's just taking advantage of people as far as I'm concerned.
