After a long exciting day at the Venice Biennale, I boarded the Vaporetto, a water bus from Arsenale to Sant’Angelo Vaporetto Water bus stop, which is literally outside the NH Collection Venezia Palazzo Barocci hotel.
The hotel has its own private dock, from where you can be picked up to explore Venice and taken to Marco Polo airport after your stay. The hotel overlooks Venice’s Canal Grande and Rialto Bridge. The easy access to the transport links was one of the reasons I choose this cool establishment.
The NH Collection Venezia Palazzo Barocci hotel, a one-time palace, built in 1890, re-opened last year after a 6-month refurbishment. As a result, I hoped the hotel will be fresh and inviting. I was not disappointed.
Arrival
I arrived about 9pm and as the double doors parted and I entered the hotel, it was nice and cool, with the air conditioning at the right temperature. I found this very welcoming and refreshing as it was over 25°C outside and very humid. I glanced above at the ceiling and I was captivated by the draped chandelier, which added to the contemporary design of the foyer area.
I loved the way they combined leather and red velvet cushions in the interior design theme. On first impressions, I was wowed.
Check In
Check In was straight forward with no hassles and no delays. The receptionist at the reception desk spoke perfect English and was very welcoming. She addressed me by name and even pronounced my last name correctly, it’s not one of the easiest to pronounce.
The hotel porter helped me with my bag and we went up a luxurious carpeted flight of stairs and hallway. The velvet theme continued with this very comfortable high back sofa outside my room and even on the bedroom door.
Room
We arrived at room 605 were I will be spending the night.The porter opened the door and came in with my bag. It was a compact sized room with a luxurious bed and sufficient storage space. The brown and gold colour scheme was calming and the bed inviting.
There was a Nespresso coffee machine, a well stocked Minibar and free water in the room, which I really appreciated. The hotel had Satellite TV and free Wi-FI with very good signals.
I loved the contemporary décor in the room and the TV looked like a framed piece of art.
Bathroom
The bathroom and amenities continued with the contemporary and gorgeous colour theme. I liked the deep bath and the chrome full shower head and telephone shower. I noticed in Venice, the hotels have both a bidet and toilet. Very hygienic!
Dinner
After I settled in, I was feeling a little bit hungry, so I made my way downstairs to go to the restaurant, but I could not find it. I proceeded to the reception desk and I was told they did not have a restaurant that served dinner, which I found surprising, but they were willing to call a highly recommended restaurant within the area to make I booking for me. I decided to go for a walk instead. I left the hotel via the garden area outside with a little fountain. This is the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail or Venice’s famous spritz.
As I walked along, I found a few restaurants, Cafés and a little supermarket, where I bought some drinks and a slice of Pizza. I meandered the tiny streets with no destination in mind. There were shops near by, where I got to experience a little bit of the Venetian Shopping area. I enjoyed walking around with no planned destination, leaving myself open to surprises. After about an hour, I headed back to the hotel for a good night sleep.
Breakfast and Check Out
In the morning. I had a long lie in. I took full advantage of the 12 noon checkout time and got myself ready to check out. I decided to have breakfast before leaving. Actually, it was more like an early lunch, as it was almost noon and they were clearing up breakast, when I arrived. Breakfast is served from 7am – 12pm, which I thought was really good, for people like me that like a lie in. They had a generous buffet with a wide array of cereal, pastries, fruit, juice, hot and cold food.
I scoffed down my food quickly, not ladylike, I know:) They were clearing up and I had to catch the rest of Biennale at the Giardini. I had only a few hours to spend in Venice before my departure. I asked the waitress for my bill and she told me not to worry that it was on the house! That was music to my ears. Breakfast normally cost €24, on that note, I gleefully checked out.
Final Thoughts….
I will definitely recommend this hotel for both business or leisure travellers and I will definitely visit again. The hotel has 59 luxurious guest rooms. Visitors can choose from different room types, each with their own advantages. Executive rooms, some Junior Suites have superlative views of the Grand Canal and others have beautiful terraces, while some Suites have a bath in the middle of the room.
A night in a Superior Double Room cost approximately £250, based on the exchange rates at the time of booking. Please visit the NH Collection Venezia Palazzo Barocci hotel for current rates.
I leave you with some gorgeous sceneries, as I left the NH Collection Venezia Palazzo Barocci hotel on the Vaporetto heading towards Gairdini. Bye for now:)
