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VENICE HOTEL DANIELI
I was in the middle palazzo of the three palazzi which comprise The Danieli. This is the one which was built at the end of the 14 th century for the Dandolo family. Evidently, the Dandolos were people of taste and discernment. And wealth. This profusion of carved stone and this forest of marble columns must have cost a prince’s ransom, even in those far off days. You will search long and hard before you find another hotel entrance lobby of such refined splendour. I looked about – at the round arches, the carved gilt wood and the abundance of glistening Murano glass – and knew that I would be happy here. The Danieli is the Venice of which everyone dreams.
Still, even if I arrived at The Danieli in a grumpy frame of mind, a few moments later I was happy and relaxed. For I was in my room – in the right-hand palazzo. It has struck me many times in my travels that the ideal dimensions for an hotel bedroom are 15 feet by 18 feet, the area thus contained affording the feelings of both intimacy and spaciousness. Room 203 was exactly this size. Reached through its own proper hallway, this chamber had an 18 th century air, the cream silk which covered the walls and the five chairs being patterned with small, pale flowers. I found that I could dim the bedside lamps, which pleased me. I was even more taken with what could be seen through the two windows: the water of the Lagoon and, as if floating on its surface in the distance, Palladio’s serene façade on the church of San Giorgio Maggiore. In a city of beautiful views, this is one of the best. I was thrilled.
I used this particular brush to freshen up the Savile Row chalk stripe, before setting off for dinner in the hotel dining room. The Ristorante La Terrazza is on the top floor and therefore offers a vista which includes not only San Giorgio Maggiore, but also the swirling Baroque of Santa Maria della Salute and the sumptuous mixture of brick and stone which is the hotel’s next-door neighbour, the Doge’s Palace. With such a visual feast all around, I feared the actual food might be a disappointment. Not a bit of it. Chef Lucio Carlon provided me with a most enjoyable repast.
About 150 wines are offered on the list, a respectable number in a town without cellars. Most are Italian, ranging in price from 27 euros for a local pinot grigio to 210 euros for the 2002 Sassicaia. (1999 Solaia is 185 euros and 2001 Tignanello is 175 euros.) The mark-ups are not excessive and there are one or two bargains. Among these I spotted, and decided to have, a stunning champagne. 1985 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires (135 euros) was yeasty, with an attractive balance of creaminess and acidity. I returned to La Terrazza each morning for breakfast. The waiters at this time of day were in green jackets, but they remained as attentive as ever, bringing me copious supplies of hot coffee and carefully ensuring that I had a new cup for each new pot. From the buffet I secured a proper breaking of the fast: a bowl of cornflakes, a dish of pineapple, a plate of prosciutto and melon, a plate of bacon and tomatoes and two croissants. Each course was of high quality, and each was consumed as I gazed out at a panorama of surpassing beauty. Truly, Venice is one of the wonders of the world. And, right at its heart, with an address second only to its illustrious neighbour, is an hotel worthy of the city. Delightful, debonair and decorous – The Danieli.
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HOTEL DANIELI
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© Francis Bown 2003
In the most beautiful city ever created by man, the best address has always been the same: The Doge’s Palace. Unable to occupy that particular piece of Venetian real estate, I opted for the next best address: next door. My decision involved no hardship. For The Danieli is a place of superlatives. It is arguably the most famous hotel on the planet. And its fame depends not only upon its astonishingly wonderful location. I walked in through its modest front entrance and found myself confronted by one of the most impressive hotel spaces in the world.
But even so remarkable a building does not of itself make a great hotel. A friendly and efficient staff is also required. This, I am pleased to report, The Danieli has. After a rather tiresome journey from London (with a delayed aeroplane), my spirits were lifted by the smiles and good humour of the ladies on the Reception desk. Later in my visit, I noted also the helpfulness of the concierge, the competence of the chambermaids and the professionalism of the waiting staff. I was well looked after here. Mr Giuseppe Dal Niel opened this establishment in 1840, and gave to it his nickname, Danieli. I venture that he would be pleased with those who are now taking care of the hotel he founded.
I do wish I had allowed these good folk to arrange for my transfer from the airport to the hotel. The much enlarged Marco Polo Airport is certainly stylish – yet somehow the authorities have neglected to provide any easy way of getting from the Arrivals area to the landing stage (for the water taxis and the public ferries to St Mark’s Square). A twenty-minute walk (most of it without benefit of cover) with my heavy suitcases was not what I wanted after a tiring flight. My return journey was a complete contrast. Thanks to the efficient arrangements made by the concierge at The Danieli, my water taxi was met by a kindly gentleman who whisked me by motor car to Departures and even carried my bags to the check-in desk.
Such a ‘Double deluxe Lagoon view’ costs 925-1024 euros a night, bed and breakfast for two. For this sort of figure, I expected a decent bathroom – and I got one. With white and grey marble all around, it boasted two wash basins, a tub of reasonable size, a bidet and a separate shower. The fluffy white towels were soft enough even for my sensitive skin, an important detail. There were many more such details in these excellent lodgings, but let me choose just one – the decent clothes brush I found in the wardrobe. For some reason, I never carry my own clothes brush, and I put a large tick in my notes when I find one in my hotel bedroom.
First came lobster, well-cooked and tender, with tasty tomatoes and salad greens. Its glass dome was lifted by a waiter in black tie. He and all his colleagues, under the supervision of the charming maitre d’ Giorgio Maniero, served me exceptionally well throughout the evening. Then it was cannelloni, stuffed with spinach and with a ricotta cheese sauce – delicately delicious. Unusually, I scored the main course highest – an outstanding beef fillet, with carrots and courgettes of wonderful flavour. I concluded with a tip-top tiramisu. (136 euros for these four courses from the carte.)
Its nose hinted of liquorice and, after a time, yielded some treacle. Magnificent drinking. And equally good was a brilliant barolo. Perfumed, tannic, tightly structured, but giving out an intensity of blackberries in the mouth and leaving a delightful suggestion of ripe black cherries in the aftertaste, this made an ideal partner for the beef (Bricco Rocche ‘Brunate’, Fratelli Ceretto, 1999 – 95 euros).