Lunch with a View -- Visiting the Cipriani Hotel

Directly across the water from the Piazza San Marco in Venice on Isola della Giudecca, the Cipriani sits in its all its contrapuntal splendor of old and new. Contemporary amenities, including spa, red-clay tennis court, outdoor heated pool and modern accommodations have been seamlessly integrated into the remnants of a 16th century cloister. Reading the reviews of the hotel from recent visitors provide a schizophrenic picture...




Some complaint about the price, of course, in today's value conscious world, some have issues with a few rooms needing remodeling, but, then there are the raves about the service, the peace and tranquility, and, of course, the views. We didn't stay the night, but the afternoon was lovely, though expensive. Worth it, yes. But I went particularly to see the view and to experience the world the owner of Harry's Bar was trying to create...an oasis of peace and privacy within minutes and site of perhaps the most famous, photographed and beloved squares in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.


I never tire of arriving anywhere by boat, it always seems special. But arriving on an island in the Hotel Cipriani's launch is more than special, it is to enter for a moment the world of the privledged. It is also to enter the place that Harry created....and remarkably just as he envisioned, the first thing that is evident especially after leaving the hustle and bustle of St. Mark's Square is the quiet serernity.





After a morning of museums and shopping in Venice, wandering through Cipriani's garden and along the waterfront near the hotel was indescribably pleasant. And sipping prosecco on the flower-adorned terrace of the Cipriani's lovely restaurant, sheer bliss.