Bauer Palladio Hotel & Spa

Sure, Venice is a popular place, but the thing about it, at least when it comes to hotels, is that it’s quite possible to go there in order to get away. It sounds paradoxical, but often it’s the busiest destinations that, of necessity, have the quietest hotels. That’s true to one degree or another of all our Venetian selections, but it’s doubly true of the Bauer Palladio Hotel & Spa.

For while its sister hotel, the Bauer Il Palazzo, stands right on St. Mark’s Square, smack in the middle of town, the Palladio is made from a former convent which looks back towards St. Mark’s from the island of Giudecca, a short launch away — a view which, at its best, also takes in the spectacle of the Doge’s Palace, another detail that’ll remind you of why Venice is worth it in the first place.

The rooms and suites are classic in style, though designed with a spare forcefulness that’s almost theatrical — though they’re of a piece with classic Venetian interiors, there’s none of the clutter or fussiness. A separate building, the Conventino, presents a more contemporary face, inheriting the soft pastel colors but combining them with light hardwoods and modern furnishings.

And though the guest quarters are justifiably well-regarded, it’s the Palladio’s common spaces that truly set it apart. The restaurant, on the patio opening into the gardens, is a window into a rarely seen pastoral side of Venice. And the spa, equally, makes the most of the old convent’s plenitude of space — it spans eight rooms over two floors, and reserves some of the best views of St. Mark’s all for itself.

Please note: Bauer Palladio is open seasonally, mid-March through mid-November.

• 50 Rooms
• Style: Contemporary Classic
• Atmosphere: Quiet
• 1 Guest Review

Tweet