|

Hotel Review: St Regis Venice San Clemente Palace Part I

a room with a couch and chairs
Please note that I receive compensation for many links on this blog. American Express and other banks are advertising partners of this site. Read my Advertiser Disclosure policy to learn more.

St Regis has a beautiful new property, just a few minutes away from St. Mark’s Square. I love the romantic waterways of Venice, but don’t enjoy the crowds. I first wrote about the opening of the St Regis Venice San Clemente Palace a few weeks ago here, and I was looking forward to checking out the hotel in person.

There are 146 rooms, 14 acres of gardens, two bars, three restaurants, a 15th century church, fitness center, tennis court, swimming pool, and a 3 hole golf pitch & putt.

The resort offers complimentary boat transfer to the private island of San Clemente from St Mark’s square, so I made my way there from Venice’s Marco Polo airport.

DSC05030

I finally reached the front of Hotel Danieli which is the embarkation point, but there was no boat. Typically it leaves every 40 minutes, but the hotel boat was broken. It was a hot day, so I relaxed inside the lobby of the Hotel Danieli while waiting for a regular boat taxi to take me over to the hotel.

DSC05058

The taxi arrived. The luggage was taken first and I was given a helping hand down into my comfortable ride.

DSC05067

DSC05068

What an enjoyable way to travel, rather than crammed into the big boats.

DSC05060

One other couple got in the boat, and then we were off.

I loved the short, scenic 10 minute journey and then the island came into view.

DSC05054

DSC05225

As the boat rounded the corner I saw the pale 15th century church, next to the patio seating for the Acquarello Restaurant.

DSC05216

We were almost there!

DSC05214

The hotel’s boat holds up to 35 people, and as we pulled up alongside the dock I was glad to have had just the four of us in the taxi.

DSC05212

Multiple flags and the hotel’s sign welcomed me to the island.

DSC05211

My bags were taken care of, and I followed the tree dotted path to reception.

DSC05069

DSC05073

Stepping in the entryway, my eyes adjusted to the building interior.

DSC05086

The foyer and lobby were stately and had soaring ceilings, large windows, artwork and fancily framed mirrors.

DSC05088

I turned to the right towards reception.

DSC05087

Because we were there during the hotel’s soft opening, there was no line for check-in. Although I had redeemed points for a basic Superior room they were able to upgrade us in advance to a Jr Suite because of our SPG Platinum status. I was also given free wifi, though guests without status are charged 15 EUR per day.

DSC05080

After check-in, the hostess guided me to the elevator and through the palatial resort.

DSC05079

Along the way we passed a window with a view of the interior courtyard.

DSC05084

The hallways were huge but every few feet there was a window that provided plenty of natural light.

DSC05208

Entering the room, I saw that the walls were covered with a beautiful golden fabric, and the windows were outlined by heavy drapes. The furniture actually looked the same as when the property had been known as the San Clemente Palace right down to the same cloth table coverings, and while it didn’t have the “wow” factor for me, everything was clean and comfortable.

DSC05104

I was disappointed to find that there were two beds, since my husband and I prefer one. The hostess apologized that there were no King beds available at the time except in a standard room so I chose to keep the Jr suite, but I would have preferred to have received the bed type that I had booked.

DSC05107

There was lots of light, and the room was large. Thickly padded benches sat at the end of the beds, and there were bedside tables with softly lit lamps by each.

DSC05106

A couch and table were across from the bed.

DSC05109

DSC05113

A new flat screen TV was positioned on a table in between the windows.

DSC05110

The desk’s lamp was intricately detailed, with a artisan designed light cover and carved base.

DSC05114

The solid carved koi were intertwined.

DSC05115

Light streamed through the window, so I went to peer out.

DSC05105

The view from the room was pretty cool. Having stayed in St Marks square many times I’d always had the same view out to the water. This time it was from the opposite side so it offered a different perspective.

DSC05090

In the middle of the buildings on the island was a courtyard, with what looked like a wishing well in the middle.

DSC05091

I would have liked not to have had buildings in front, but that couldn’t be helped.

DSC05092

The table by the couch was set by the butler with champagne, two bottles of water, and a large fruit plate.

DSC05117

There was also a minibar and some snacks.

DSC05102

Since there were no other restaurants or food shops on the island that those belonging to the hotel I was curious to see what offerings there were.

DSC05103

Snacks consisted of a bag of M&M’s, a container of Pringles, and a jar of nuts.

DSC05100

The closet had plenty of clothes hangers, and a bathrobe on either side.

DSC05099

There was a safe, neatly folded laundry bag, and even some pullout drawers.

DSC05101

The bathroom was large, with double sinks and a well sized mirror.

DSC05093

Decorative orchids were placed on a table under a picture, and the walls were a soothing buttery color.

DSC05097

There was a deep soaking tub with plenty of towels, and a pouch of bath salts.

DSC05094

The amenities were by Remede.

DSC05096

The separate large walk-in shower was an unexpected luxury, as many hotels in Italy have a tub/shower combination.

DSC05098

Settling in, the feeling was serene. Back in the 17th century the grounds and courtyards were part of the Camaldolesi Monastery, and the island retains that historical charm. 

DSC05116

I enjoyed some of the fruit, which I found was replenished whenever I left the room during my stay.

DSC05118

There weren’t many rooms on each floor, so even if the hotel was fully booked in the future I figured the rooms would still be quiet.

The phone rang, and it was the hostess on the other end. She said she was just outside the door, asked if I would come for a walk with her, and I obliged. She walked just a few doors down, and said that she had found a different suite where the guests hadn’t shown up, and she wanted to give me that one instead since it had a King bed. She said even though both my husband and I had been ok with the other room, she could tell we were disappointed and she wanted us to have a wonderful experience. We agreed to move, and she showed us around the room.

DSC05120

The St Regis lagoon view suite felt huge. It was 893 square feet, and with the open floorplan it felt larger. Oddly enough, looking at their website afterwards I found that the Presidential Suite is actually smaller than the suite I had, and the going rate for the lagoon view suite I had was 3,930 EUR. Wow.

The carpet was thick and soft, and when first stepping inside there was a small foyer.

DSC05119

To the right, a sliding door revealed a closet that was larger than the size of some bathrooms!

DSC05134

There were padded hangers, lined drawers, a large safe, shelves, and even a full sized mirror.

DSC05135

The bathroom was identical to the one in the first room except that there was a single sink instead of a double.

Stepping into the room I saw lots of gorgeous little details.

DSC05122

An elegant brick colored vase was topped with a gold dog figurine.

DSC05123

The sitting room was absolutely silent and had extremely comfortable seating. There were the same gold silk wall coverings, and a gorgeous Murano glass chandelier.

DSC05108

DSC05121

The butler brought in the fruit and champagne trays from next door, along with the luggage.

DSC05124

This certainly felt far removed from all the hustle and bustle in Venice.

 

Some paintings were carefully hung on the walls, and the place was spotless.

DSC05131

A desk in one corner had a gilded lamp.

DSC05130

A flat screen TV sat on top of the minibar in the other corner, and the bedroom was accessible via french doors.

DSC05125

The bed was wonderfully comfortable, the sheets were incredibly soft, and I was very happy  to see a King sized bed.

DSC05127

The bedroom had a separate TV in the corner, on a table similar to the one in the earlier room.

DSC05128

Instead of watching TV I decided to take a quick nap before dinner so I closed the curtains and french doors and climbed under the soft sheets.

Thanks for following along on Part I. I hope you’ll join me soon for Part II, which includes dinner, swimming pool, breakfast, etc.

I’d be grateful if you’d follow me on Twitter!

Editorial Note: The opinions expressed here are mine and not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any bank, card issuer, or other company including (but not limited to) American Express unless otherwise stated. Comments made in response to posts are not provided or commissioned, and they have not been reviewed or endorsed by any bank. It is not the responsibility of any advertiser to make sure that questions are answered. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material on this site without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

4 Comments

  1. inam staying at this property next July as Platinum on a standard award stay. Were you able to confirm the upgrade in advance? (That first room you were assigned didn’t look that great…). Was that complimentary champagne??!

    1. Hi Mark, the champagne was complimentary as a Platinum welcome gift. I actually didn’t use an upgrade instrument at all, just redeemed for a basic Superior room. About a week in advance of my arrival I looked online and saw that I had been allocated a Jr Suite. I’m figuring it was in part because I was there during the soft opening with few guests. Since they are closing for a while to revamp, I’ll be curious to hear what changes are made. Hope you have a great stay!

  2. Hi, Melinda! Great review! Where can I find Part II with review of breakfast, the restaurants, etc.? Thank you!

Leave a Reply to Mark Freeman Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *