Travel

Venice, Featuring Hotel Excelsior, Venice Lido

Venice, Italy (not the one in Florida!), regularly comes in the top 10 most romantic cities in the world, and tops the polls as being the most romantic in Italy, which says so much when Rome is displaced to number two!

Gondola rides down the narrow waterways, balmy nights sipping wonderful wines, pink-hued skies at sun set, and the wonderful Italian cuisine, all contribute to making Venice number one. But Venice is not just for lovers, it is an all-year-round destination catering for everyone as it is steeped in history and truly unique.

It has been dubbed with many names including, The City of Water, The City of Masks and The Floating City (although unfortunately if the scientists are to be believed it may be more apt to call it the Sinking City), and much of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Venice was also well known for the arts including several important artistic movements, especially during the Renaissance period as well as being the birthplace of the Baroque composer, Antonio Vivaldi.

Venice is to be found in the north-eastern part of Italy and is the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on 118 small islands separated by canals, and boasts over 400 bridges and an eye watering 77 churches. Its location at the mouths of the River Po and the Plave Rivers has made it strategically important for much of its life, and made its rulers, or Doges as they were known, very influential throughout Italy and beyond. The actual origins of Venice are unknown, but the city as we know it started around 421BC, and over the following years it became an important centre of commerce, especially in silk, grain and spices, and from that wealth many of its buildings were born.

My last visit to Venice was 14 years ago with my then girlfriend, now wife, and so this trip had a lot to live up to as our last trip was magical, and I am pleased to say it didn’t disappoint in any way.

Flights from the UK are frequent (albeit a little disrupted at the moment!) and take around 2 hours. The airport is approximately 10km from Venice and you can get there either by land or sea. If you prefer the land route you can take the bus, but in my view, there is only one way to reach the ‘Floating City’ and that is by water. The choices here are either a private water taxi or via the Alilaguna water bus, or vaporetto as it is better known. The Vaporettos do take approximately 1hr 20 mins to reach St Mark’s Square as they stop a number of times on the way, and although slightly pricey I would use a private taxi boat, as what better way to reach Venice than in style. We opted for the private taxi that was organised by our hotel, and as you leave the dock you do feel extra special, and once you have left the slightly ugly initial waterway near to the airport you start to reap the benefit of the water route as you wend your way past a number of the 118 islands, with a grandstand view. One of the islands that you actually drive through is Murano, but more about that island later.

Our destination was Hotel Excelsior, on Venice Lido, which is one of the larger island’s not far from the island housing the main city, and having left the main lagoon and cruised our way down one of the narrow canals we turned a corner and a couple of minutes later saw the magnificent Hotel Excelsior with its large and colourful dock. On leaving the boat we were welcomed by the concierge who whisked away our luggage and directed us down the red carpeted hallway adorned with pictures of famous film stars enjoying Venice, to their reception desk.

Hotel Excelsior is the only purpose-built hotel in Venice and was built in 1908, and quickly became the ultimate destination for the world’s rich and famous, and indeed this remains to this day, as it hosts Venice’s world-famous film festival and welcomes many A list celebrities who appreciate the finer things in life.

Hotel Excelsior is unique in terms of Venice hotels as it is only 15 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Venice town centre (via one of the hotels courtesy boats which run every 30 mins from 10am to 11.30pm), but is also situated on the sandy beach on the sparkling Adriatic sea, so, if you stay here, you get the best of both worlds, as you are close to the sights and sounds of Venice, but can stay in the peace and tranquillity of the Venice Lido right on the beach. The hotel has 196 rooms including 8 junior suites and 15 suites with most overlooking either the Adriatic Sea or Venice. There is a distinct Moorish feel to the rooms and the ceilings are high and the windows large which creates a light and airy feel to every one. Rooms are well appointed with luxurious toiletries and a coffee making machine which produced wonderfully rich coffees.

Having settled in we decided to relax a little before getting ready for dinner and walked down to the pool to enjoy the evening sun. The pool is a good size and is overlooking the beach which affords calming views over the sparkling waters whilst you relax on well-spaced out comfortable sun loungers, enabling you to get over the stresses of the day.

Guests at Hotel Excelsior are spoilt for choice when looking for dining options as you can take the shuttle over to Venice if you so choose, as the last shuttle back is 11.35pm, but why do that when the options at Hotel Excelsior are so good and you have a wonderful view as well? Choices include the Elimar Beach Restaurant, and The Blue Bar for a more casual option, and the Adriatico Terrace for fine dining.

Before dinner we decided to walk in the footsteps of many stars by having a cocktail at the Blue Bar, which has been delighting people for over 100 years. The bar is actually listed, and the décor is a wonderful throw back to the 1930’s with a curved padded bar with mushroom shaped leather bar stools and tiled tables surrounded by large curved leather armchairs. Here they serve probably the best cocktails in Venice with the stand out one being the Cool as a Cucumber. Not only did it look amazing, but the combination of Midori Melon, vodka, pineapple juice, peach liqueur and fresh cucumber made it taste amazing too.

Having finished our cocktails, we left the bar via the double doors onto the large, spacious sun terrace overlooking the sea to eat. The food is casual, but very fresh and full of local dishes. For starters we selected two Venetian specialities, the Baccala Mantecato, Focaccia soffice e pappacella, which was traditional Venetian cod with focaccia and peppers, and a variety of seafood fried in a light batter. The cod was smoky and served on a slice of light focaccia with the peppers providing some soft texture and was delicious, and the assorted fried fish was different from what you would get in the UK as it comprised of squid, silversides and whole small shrimp in their shells all encased in a very light batter giving off a wonderful smell of the sea. For our mains we chose something from the pizza section. Here there are three sections, the classics the Sfiziose (‘the tasty’ is the literal translation) and the Gourmet which are cooked twice as they are first steamed and then put in the oven. Our choices were the margherita and from the Sfiziose selection, the Veneto. The art to a quality pizza must always start with the base and here both were light and doughy, but cooked just long enough so that they were crispy - perfect. The final part is quality and abundance of toppings, and with a margharitta there is nowhere to hide as it is just tomato and cheese and it didn’t disappoint. My Veneto pizza was a mixture of aubergine, sausage, radicchio and Valpolicella wine sauce and lived up to its billing as Sfiziose!

After dinner we retired as we had a busy day ahead of us visiting all that Venice has to offer.

Venice is packed with history and culture and so any excuse will do to wander round its wonders. From Saint Mark’s Square to the Rialto Bridge, from the Doge’s Palace to the evocative Jewish ghetto, you will find magic down the small streets called ‘calli’ and along the picturesque canals of the city. There is truly something for everyone so maybe pay a visit to the Gallerie dell’Accademia, now housing a museum gallery, to enjoy the vast collection of Venetian art dating from the 14th to the 18th century. More works of art, as well as artefacts reflecting the history of Venice, are found at Museo Correr that you can access from the former royal Palace. For lovers of modern art, on the other hand, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is the ideal location to let your imagination fly.

Hotel Excelsior shuttle drops you off just outside St Marks Square dominated at one end by St Mark’s Basilica and adjacent Doge’s Palace and looked down on by The ‘Campanile’ (bell tower) (this was the place for the Venetian aristocracy to see and be seen). Now it is surrounded by fancy restaurants and bars with live music all adding to the feeling that this is the place to be, and everything in Venice revolves around it. The Basilica San Marco is one of the most stunningly beautiful and intricately designed cathedrals in the world; no wonder it is the city’s top attraction. Pure Venetian, the church’s architectural style encompasses Byzantine, Islamic, and Western European influences, and has more than 500 columns and 85,000 square feet of intricate, golden mosaics adorning the main portal and the interiors of its five domes. Adjacent to Saint Mark’s Basilica is the opulent Doges’ Palace (Palazzo Ducale), the erstwhile

headquarters of the Doges, rulers of Venice. The Doge essentially functioned as the King of Venice, and his massive palace functioned almost like a self-contained city. The former assembly halls, apartments, and harrowing prisons are part of the self-guided or guided tours available here.

My one tip in this area is be careful of the seagulls in the square. My wife was eating a baguette whilst walking through the square and was dive bombed by one of these large birds who snatched her baguette from her hand!

On leaving St Marks square we made our way across to another one of Venice’s main sights, namely the Rialto bridge, which is now one of the most famous bridges in Venice, if not the world. Dividing the districts of San Marco and San Polo, this elegant stone bridge is formed of three sets of stairs divided by arcades. The central stairs are lined with shops and vendors and so densely packed that it’s easy to miss the fact that you’re crossing over the Grand Canal, and the two side stairways afford lovely views of the Grand Canal and the hustle and bustle of the gondolas, vaporettos and commercial boats jostling for supremacy on the water, and at sunset, especially, there are few more beautiful and romantic places to be in Venice.

There are so many bridges in Venice it is almost impossible to put a number to them, but another bridge you must visit is the Bridge of Sighs. The bridge was named by the locals as Ponte dei Sospiri and was built in 1600. It was so named as it was the bridge that connects the Doge’s Palace to the historic prison across the canal, and despite this history, it is considered romantic to kiss your loved one as you pass under it in a gondola (although it truly isn’t an intimate moment as everyone else has the same idea!).

There is so much to see in Venice you do need to be strict with yourself and resist the temptation to walk into every church you pass by as otherwise you won’t get very far, but do pop your head into one or two as they are all visually stunning with ornate carvings and wonderful paintings.

Our final destination of the day was the island of Murano. Many visitors only spend their time on the main island, but do take the time to go over to Murano as this is where all glass making, for which Venice is rightfully famous, was moved so as to reduce the fire risk to the main island. Murano’s street are far less crowded and you get a better feel for the Venetian’s way of life. If you come from the airport by water you will pass through Murano’s own version of The Grand Canal, but you don’t get the true experience unless you disembark and walk the narrow streets. Murano glass is famous the world over and it is here in Murano that you can not only shop for wonderful souvenirs you can also see how the pieces are made. Hotel Excelsior has a boat you can request that will take you directly to Murano from the hotel and this includes a visit to a factory where you will see glass being blown as well as being taken around the shop. There is no hard sell if you don’t see a piece you are interested in, so is a great inexpensive way to get to the island. We took the boat and were treated to a demonstration of glass blowing. It is truly amazing to see these skilled craftsmen making intricate pieces from what initially was a glowing blob of molten glass and the skill involved defies belief. We then walked the streets searching for our Murano glass piece to go with the one we bought 14 years and found a wonderfully decorative seal. Murano glass pieces are hand blown and require real skill and time to make, and so prices reflect that. Unfortunately, the market has been infiltrated by replicas from China so when buying a piece please ask about how they can prove it is original Murano and always follow the great adage ‘If the price is too good to be true, it probably is’.

Tired but contented, we got the hotel’s water taxi back from Murano and got ready for our final evening meal. This was at the Adriatico restaurant which is also located on the grand terrace in front of the hotel overlooking the sea. The food here is excellent and my selection of raw Mediterranean fish for starters was a great opener as it was visually stunning and so fresh it felt like the fish had been caught only a few seconds ago. The Italians love food and it isn’t hard to see why when you taste really fresh pasta. The ravioli filled with cod and the fresh and crisp green pea risotto were the stand outs on the pasta course. It is always sensible to order fish in a restaurant near to the sea and my Sea Bass with water melon and beef tomato didn’t disappoint. Our dessert was the wonderfully named Chocolate in various textures and temperatures, pears and chilli peppers and was a fabulous end to the meal. The service was unobtrusive and it was nice to be left a little time between courses to rest and enjoy the lovely live music from the pianist, and allow the last course to be digested.

For our final day in Venice we booked one of the hotel’s beach cabana’s situated at the edge of the beach. These give the best view of the sandy beach and the twinkling sea. These structures date back many years and are also listed by the Italian Government and consist of a place to change, table and two sun chairs along with two sun beds. The sun beds out the front of each cabana are insanely comfortable and staff continually come round to take your food and drink orders.

Venice is a magical place to delight everyone. It is full of history and wonderful buildings, classic art, wonderful music and delicious food, and with Hotel Excelsior you can add to that dazzling list a wonderful sandy beach and tranquil haven. They say on their website it provides the best of both worlds, Venice town and a 5 star beach resort and I have to agree, and to add to that both worlds are pretty special.

Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort, 5 star hotel in Venice, Italy (hotelexcelsiorvenezia.com)