Where to begin. Venice probably rates very high on everyone’s must visit cities list and rightfully so. Yes, it’s crowded and expensive, but don’t let that put you off, Venice has to be seen to be believed. Everyone knows it’s all canals but actually seeing it for the first time, is amazing.
Research is essential when booking a trip to Venice as there are numerous attractions to visit, dining and accommodation options. Where you stay and the level of luxury you want will greatly influence the price.
Like a lot of the world’s great cities, Venice is worth a return trip and this was our second visit, however on this occasion, we arrived in style.
For this trip, we opted for a B&B of sorts…….. We had been eyeing up one of the better hotels, but we took a chance as we wanted something a little more private for this trip. We stayed at the Liassidi wellness suites less than a 10 minute walk to Piazza San Marco. Liassidi has just five rooms, all suites, we went with the King suite which is their largest suite. As well as a large living area with two flat screen TVs, it comes with your own bar, which had Prosecco and a fruit bowl waiting on arrival. Add to this a sensory shower with all manner of massage options, a Turkish bath and your own private sauna. It offers canal views and did I mention the 24 hour butler service :-). As there are no restaurants, the only meal provided is breakfast in the very pleasant courtyard.
Our first evening was spent wandering around, taking in the atmosphere around Piazza San Marco and along by the Grand Canal. If you fancy a coffee around the square, it’ll cost a lot more than most other parts of the city. As we fancied a coffee, we took a trip across the canal to Salut and grabbed a coffee and a nibble in one of the bars. As we were here, we visited the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salut which is one of the most noticeable churches along the Grand Canal. The interior was very impressive and the place was very quiet and almost void of visitors as it was late in the evening.
For our evening meal we dined at Osteria Olive Nera Venezia as recommended by our butler, Marco. It was very tasty, all done tapas style and mostly seafood. After we grabbed a late night tipple in a small bar and headed back for a good night’s rest.
The following morning after our breakfast in the courtyard, we decided to take a trip out to the island of Murano, famous the world over for artisan glass products. Top tip, the trip out is free, your hotel concierge, or in this case, Marco, will arrange a pick-up time, the catch is you get a tour of the glass factory, watch something been made which is also free, however there is a very prominent “tip” jar. There’s also a bit of a hard sell going on so unless your genuinely interested in buying, just walk away and enjoy a walk around the island.
There’s a few sites to see and it is nice to walk around as it’s not as busy as the mainland. There are severals places to have a bite to eat and a drink, so we grabbed some lunch and after a little more walking, hopped on the regular ferry service back.
Later that evening we had arranged to meet up with a friend of ours who by chance was visiting Venice at the same time. We felt the best place to have a welcome drink, was the famous Harry’s Bar and the drink of choice, the Bellini, of course, which was invented here. It’s probably unfair to say it’s a tourist trap, after all, you don’t have to pay the hefty price for the Bellini, around €20, served by a snooty waiter, you could just have water, but where’s the fun in that :-).
Later that evening, we had dinner at the famous Hotel Danieli, we’re not too sure what it’s famous for, but it has appeared in numerous movies and has been around for hundreds of years. The food was tasty, the service pretty good but the outdoor seating looking out at the Adriatic Sea with the occasional cruise ship sailing by, was fantastic.
The following day we went into full swing, checking out as many of the sites as we could, albeit at a relaxed pace. We started with a visit to the Basilica di San Marco, soon after this was followed by a trip to the top of the Campanile di San Marco which had fantastic views, you could see for miles.
After a mid-morning coffee stop we took a trip out to San Giorgio Maggiore Island to check out the church and again, not too many visitors. For lunch we hopped back on the ferry towards Accademia San Vio which is a stop just after Salut. There’s plenty of options but we kept it simple and found a small trattoria which had nice outdoor seating. The food was pretty good, despite it being a busy tourist spot.
After lunch we visited the Peggy Guggenheim collection, followed by a visit to the Doge’s Palace and finally, the Teatro la Fenice (Venice Opera House) which was impressive. We enquired about tickets for a performance that evening but it was sold out.
For our evening meal, we kept it simple, a few small plates at a random bar, just some pasta, meatballs and the like.
The following morning it was time to leave this fascinating city but we both agreed to return again. There really is so much to see in Venice, but the most enjoyable part, is just wandering the small streets and laneways wondering what’s around the next corner.
For us all that was left to do was catch a train as we’d a short two night stay in Bologna ahead of us, before catching our flight home.
As always hope you enjoyed reading this little travel story.
Bye for now.
C&J
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