What made it work
- The Giudecca rather than a hotel by St Mark's: the quieter side of the water and a pool, with the city one shuttle-boat ride away on the rate.
- The two ends were booked ahead: a private motorboat each way, met on arrival, rather than the cash line at the airport's water-taxi dock or the slower public boat. With the shuttle and the pool on hand, the days between needed no plan.
- The perks in writing before the flight. A week ahead I wrote to the hotel, and it confirmed the welcome amenity and a note in the room. A high, quiet room, early check-in, late check-out and the upgrade depend on what is free that day, so they were asked for, never promised.
A day from the Giudecca
Most of Venice is a city you walk through, bridge after bridge. From the Giudecca it is also one you look at, across the water. Here is the shape an open day can take.
A city day. Take the shuttle boat across to St Mark’s. The square is busy whenever you get there, and quieter streets are a few minutes’ walk away. Phone maps struggle in the narrow lanes, so steer by landmarks, not street names.
Or a lagoon day. Murano for the glassblowing workshops, Burano for the lace and the painted houses, by vaporetto or private boat. The two are often done together.
The afternoon. Summer in Venice is hot and busy, and that is when the pool earns its place. Come back across the water for it.
The evening. Venice is not a late-night city. Most of it has shut by eleven, and even hotel bars close around midnight.
Carry some cash. Venice needs it more than most of Europe, for water taxis, small bars and cicchetti.
