As delightful as the Cipriani may be, it has one shortcoming: It's open only from mid-April until the beginning of November. Fortunately, guests with deep pockets and a penchant for privacy can still enjoy the Cipriani's location and service by staying at the hotel's year-round annexes: the Palazzo Vendramin and the Palazzetto Nani Barbaro.

The Palazzo Vendramin is a 15th Century palace and is linked to the Hotel Cipriani via the hotel courtyard and a flowered loggia. It connects to the more recently acquired Palazzetto, which served as Venice's Accademia di filosofia (Academy of Philosophy) before falling into ruins in the 1600s.

The Palazzo Vendramin offers three double rooms with whirlpool bath, two junior suites, and five suites--some with private terraces or gardens. The suites have kitchenettes and bars.

Next door, the Palazzetto has four junior suites and one mansard-style junior suite with views of San Marco. It also houses Cip's pizzeria and grill.

All suites include butler service, and guests can congregate in a private living room when they feel like socializing. The Cipriani's decorator, Gérard Gallet of Paris, has created an atmosphere of what the hotel calls "relaxed elegance and refined simplicity," which translates into the generous use of pastel colors, traditional furniture, and fabrics by the Fortuny and Rubelli.

View from Palazzo Vendramin Suggestion: If you decide to stay in the Palazzo Vendramin or the Palazzetto Nani Barbaro, insist on a suite with a waterfront view (See inset photo). The suite that we visited faced a courtyard, and--though it was pleasant enough--the view of the gardens wasn't nearly as dramatic as a view of the Campanile di San Marco, the Doge's Palace, and water traffic (including the occasional cruise ship) in St.Mark's Basin.

Next page: Celebrity guests

About the Hotel Cipriani:
Introduction	Palazzo, Palazzetto
History, description	Celebrity guests
Rooms, suites	Getting to the hotel
Restaurants, bars	Web links, reservations

Also see:

Where to Sleep in Venice

Photos: Hotel Cipriani.

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