Hotel Metropole

Description:

• Vivaldi lived here from 1704 to 1738, when it was the chapter house of La Pietà church next door and he was its violin and concert master. The quirky palazzo that has evolved from that church building is now a member of the Romantik hotel association -- and aptly so. The owner has tried to outfit his hotel as a Victorian-style home, packed with quirky collections of curios (fans, purses, bottle openers, crucifixes, cigarette cases), and its public salons are tucked with cozy bars and sitting niches. Personalized service is taken very seriously here; there are 67 staff members for 72 rooms. Accommodations vary widely in true Romantic style; you may find such details as Burano glass lamps and Murano chandeliers, inlaid wood furnishings, Romantic-era watercolors and prints, or even twisting marble columns and frescoed putti behind the bed. Since every room is different, the true choice here is picking a room overlooking the Bacino San Marco, or at least the side canal where water taxis pull up, rather than the courtyard housing the lovely garden restaurant enlivened by nightly keyboard music. To the rates below, you'll have to add 104€ ($135) for that bacino view, but they make it up to you by offering free car parking (to everyone, not just lagoon-side renters) if you let them know you need it before 8pm the day you arrive.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010