Venice: Palazzo Abadessa (3 Star Hotel)

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Address: Sestiere cannaregio 4011 calle priuli , Venice 30131, Italy
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Lonely Planet review

Get the royal treatment in an opulent Venetian palazzo constructed in 1540. Owner Maria Luisa (sometimes called della (of the) Palazzo Abadessa) adds grace notes, putting fresh flowers in rooms, fluffing pillows, offering cake between meals, and fulfilling wishes like a fairy godmother.

You'll feel enchanted and elegant from the moment you make your grand entrance into the Abadessa's hall lined with stained-glass windows and 16th-century frescoes. Though the billowing staircase scandalised 16th-century Venetians as far too modern (before Palladio approved its construction), it frames the train of your ball gown (or nicest jeans) just so as you sweep up to your quarters. Sumptuous guestrooms boast handmade silk damask walls, floors twinkling with lapis lazuli and mother of pearl, 18th-century vanities and plush beds to soothe away 21st century computer cramps (yes, they have wi-fi). Mingle with landed gentry and tech company execs in the salon amid 18th-century trompe l'œil and 16th-century Tintoretto-school paintings. Enjoy cocktails in the garden, until you're whisked off down the Grand Canal to the opera via the palace's own boat.