Baglioni Hotel Luna

Character and identity

Set in a former 12th-century convent steps from St Mark's Square, this 91-room property leans hard into Venetian grandeur: stucco work, silk-lined walls, Murano chandeliers, antique furniture, and Rococo ceiling frescoes painted by Tiepolo's pupils. Arrival is via the hotel's private canal dock, which sets the register for what follows. The Salone Marco Polo, entirely frescoed, hosts breakfast; Canova handles Venetian cooking with seasonal produce; Caffè Baglioni overlooks the Giardini Reali. Rooms are marble-bathed and dressed in Italian and French silks, with wool carpeting underfoot. Service is warm and old-school attentive.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The pull here is location and provenance: nowhere else puts you this close to St Mark's inside a frescoed former convent with its own canal entrance. Book a lagoon-view room or suite (standard categories miss the best of the setting) and lock in a breakfast-inclusive rate up front so you can take the meal under the Tiepolo-school frescoes without a surcharge sting.