First, a confession: We haven't stayed overnight at the Hotel Cipriani, but we did have lunch and toured the premises while visiting the hotel during a Silversea Mediterranean cruise. One of the things that impressed us most was the intimacy of the Cipriani: The main building has just 42 double rooms, 26 junior suites, 16 suites, and four singles, with a layout that feels more like a villa than a hotel.

Rooms come in a variety of decorating styles that range from classic (and formal) Venetian to lighthearted Mediterranean-fantasy rooms where walls are painted to create the illusion of a garden.

One suite, the Meridiana, has a private garden with a tented seating area overlooking the hotel's filtered saltwater pool. An even grander suite, the Palladio, made its debut several years ago, and we were treated to a Lives of the Rich and Famous tour while the suite was being cleaned between guests.

Occupants of the Palladio Suite can make themselves at home with two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a garden with heated Jacuzzi, a dining area with private butler, a hidden computer center, projection TV, a 180-degree panoramic view of the Venetian lagoon, and a garden path leading to a private dock where a launch and captain are available for the occupants' exclusive use six hours a day. (The daily rate for such decadence is more than €8,000 during high season, although guests can economize by renting the suite with one bedroom or visiting during the low-season months of April and October)

The main building of the Hotel Cipriani is open from early April until the end of September; the adjacent Palazzo Vendramin and Palazzetto Nani Barbaro are open year-round.

Next page: Restaurants, bars

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

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