Aman Venice is the floating city’s most coveted stay!
I’m a bit of a hotel connoisseur, and from properties around the world, Aman Venice has been at the top of my wish list for more than a decade. Last fall, the stars aligned to make a stay a reality.
My husband and I arrived by water taxi, and it was surreal to ascend the same steps where, just months before, the world watched as celebrity guests for the Jeff Bezos / Lauren Sanchez wedding were photographed by paparazzi. The hotel sits right on the Grand Canal, one of only eight monumental palazzos to occupy such a prime location. The original palazzo was designed around 1580 by Gian Giacomo de Grigi; it was later bought and enlarged in the 1860s by the Papadopoli family. Our spacious room featured a deep freestanding soaking tub, a plush king-size bed, a credenza stocked with local treats and wine, and uninterrupted views overlooking the city, thanks to its perch on the building’s top of five floors.
The first order of business: a guided tour of the grounds. From the ceiling frescoes painted by former resident and famed 18th century painter Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo to the grand staircases, a library stocked with leather-bound books and gilded dining rooms, it’s a feast for the eyes and packed with a dizzying amount of history, stories of which the staff is happy to recount. That afternoon, we boarded Aman’s glamorous 1930s-inspired Art Deco boat for a tour of the watery city, accompanied by a bottle of Prosecco.
Perhaps the only downside to staying somewhere so special is that I found myself wanting to remain at the hotel rather than striking out into one of the world’s most unforgettable cities. Still, the location in the heart of the San Polo district proved to be ideal for our explorations. One afternoon, we took ourselves on a bacaro (small bites) tour, visiting the historic Cantina do Mori, founded in 1462, and the hole-in-the-wall All’Arco wine bar for seafood-forward snacks. We wandered through St. Mark’s Basilica and shopped for hand-blown glass on the island of Murano. One evening, we bought a bottle of Valpolicella from a local wine merchant and sat in the shadow of the Rialto Bridge to toast this unforgettable trip.
No matter where we were or what we were doing, it was a pleasure to head back for dinner at Aman’s jaw-dropping restaurant, Arva. Standouts, each paired with wine from boutique producers, included handmade porcini mushroom ravioli swimming in an umami-rich mushroom broth and creamy risotto topped with black truffles, harvested just days before.
It was hard to capitalize on all of the hotel’s charms, but I managed to have a sublime massage in one of the hotel’s three spa suites, enjoy a cappuccino in the expansive garden overlooking the Grand Canal and peruse the giftshop’s wares, including hand-blown glasses designed by the palazzo’s owner, Giberto Arrivabene.
Throughout the visit, I found myself often reminded of “La Serenissima,” the official nickname of the Republic of Venice (697–1797). The moniker, which means “The Most Serene,” denotes the maritime empire’s prosperity and tranquility. That sentiment became a metaphor for the experience of staying at the Aman. The chaos of a visit to St. Mark’s Square, with its perpetual crush of tourists, or dashing through winding alleyways during an unexpected rain shower, made coming back to the hotel’s serenity that much sweeter. For me, a stay at the Aman Venice proved that, sometimes, reality is better than your wildest dreams.
AMAN VENICE
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