The Private Traveller

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Hotel Review: Baglioni Hotel Luna, Venice, Italy.

The Private Traveller

Overview

As I say in pretty much every review, my first port of call when sourcing hotels is the Leading Hotels of the World website. When we stayed here there was the choice of the Baglioni Luna, the Kempinski San Clemente Palace and the Bauer Palazzo which I had actually stayed at probably more than 20 years ago. This was well before I had even considered writing a travel blog, if they even existed back then! Since our stay, a new hotel has been added to the Venice portfolio - the Palazzo Venant Luxury Hotel. Venice is such an incredible place to visit and I know we will have the opportunity to try out the other options at some point in the future. I’m an avid Donna Leon fan (the writer of Commissario Guido Brunetti novels, among others) so Venice always has a natural draw for me.


Hotel website: https://www.baglionihotels.com/branches/baglioni-hotel-luna-venice/

Would I stay here again?   In a heartbeat. We went back to Venice after this trip and wanted a different experience, staying at another LHW property on an island in the lagoon (Kempinski San Clemente Palace). This was wonderful too and a nice change, but the Baglioni Luna is so well positioned for a short city stay that I would definitely return.

Location

The location here is just exceptional - we got a direct water taxi from the airport right to the hotel doorstep (this transfer option isn’t cheap, but it’s an amazing way to arrive into Venice). The Baglioni Hotel Luna is apparently the oldest hotel in Venice, being housed in a 12th-Century Palazzo. Stepping out from the hotel you can be in St. Mark’s Square literally within seconds. It’s so easy to get around on foot (or there are nearby water bus stops) and you are never short of things to go and see in this magical city. One of the great things we did this time was to visit the Peggy Guggenheim Collection - this personal collection is displayed in her former home, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, on the Grand Canal. It was so easy to get here, less than a mile from the hotel and about a 15 minute walk.

Accommodation

We had booked a Junior Suite with a king-size bed, with Leading Hotels of the World giving a complimentary room upgrade (which I think offered us a much better view) and free breakfast. There are 68 rooms in all, with a further 36 suites; but the hotel has a very intimate feel and you wouldn’t think that it was as big as this. 

The suite was ornately decorated and supremely well appointed with antique furniture. There was a separate seating area with windows overlooking the hotel entrance towards the lagoon in one direction and St. Mark’s to the other; through into a separate bedroom area (although the two spaces could not be divided). Off the bedroom there was a luxurious marble bathroom with twin sinks (a personal favourite). The suite and bathroom were spotlessly clean, had two large TV’s and a huge king-size bed.

Food & Drink

Being so close to a fabulous choice of restaurants, cafés and bars just a stone’s throw from the hotel, other than breakfast we didn’t eat within the hotel. Breakfast was served in the utterly jaw-dropping Marco Polo Ballroom each morning, where 18th-Century frescoes adorn the walls, under the ornate ceilings from which multiple crystal-glass chandeliers hang.

As well as breakfast being served in one of the hotel’s event venues Marco Polo (the largest), there were also another two smaller event spaces, Arazzo and Murano. The hotel had a fine dining restaurant (Canova) serving both lunch and dinner daily and Caffe Baglioni looking out onto the side canal and across to the Royal Gardens in St. Mark’s Square. This is open daily as well, from late morning through to the early hours.

Facilities & Service

To welcome us there was a bottle of chilled champagne on ice and an array of macarons. With everything you could possibly need within a short walk of the property, we didn’t have a need for anything the hotel did not provide, like a swimming pool or gym. 

We had contacted the hotel in advance to help with us airport transfers and some local restaurant reservations, everything worked out perfectly.

ThePrivateTraveller’s top tips (any areas for improvement?):

  • It was such a wonderful stay, the only thing that I picked up on my TripAdvisor review at the time was that there were a couple of issues needing addressed in the bathroom (the shower head was beginning to become loose and a ceiling light had fallen out of the ceiling).

ThePrivateTraveller’s absolute highlights:

  • Location, location, location - step outside and in seconds you’re in St, Mark’s Square

  • An amazing welcome, being dropped off right at the hotel door (they have a small landing deck on the side canal).

  • Breakfasts - not only an amazing buffet arrangement but served in the most incredible room.

Useful website links:

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