The top-end

The lap of luxury: Gritti Palace “Guests at the Gritti Palace on the Grand Canal don’t have to leave their balconies to go sightseeing: this landmark 1525 doge’s palace sports Landmark Grand Canal rooms with Rubelli silk damask lining, antique fainting couches [and] stucco ceilings.” - Lonely Planet  

Celebrity bolthole: Aman Canal Grande: “The Clooneys opted to spend their wedding night in this 16th-century Grand Canal-side palazzo, which says it all.” - The Telegraph  

Rococo opulence: Belmond Hotel Cipriani: “The hotel is completely over the top visually: surrounded by gardens, its pastel rooms look out over both the lagoon and the greenery.” - Conde Nast Traveller  

Eccentric heritage: Hotel Danieli “One of the finest hotels in Starwood’s luxury collection and just a minute’s walk from Piazza San Marco.” - British Airways  

Villa living: Bauer Villa F: “One of the best-kept secrets in Venice, this extraordinary property on Giudecca is the jewel of the locally owned Bauer hotel group.” - Travel + Leisure

Designer decadence: Palazzina G: “A sultry, saturnine Starck hotel ferreted away behind a 16th-century façade by the Grand Canal, with a champagne bar, decadent atmosphere and terrace-toting suites.” - Mr. & Mrs. Smith