I'm back from my short (five day's) but very sweet trip to Venice, it's my second visit to the city of luurve and being a non car driver, it's actually nice not to feel in the minority for once, as all of life pretty much happens on the water. Being a bit of dreamy person its very easy for me to get lost in the pages of Venice's fairy tale setting, twinkling blue water, bobbing boats and many palaces. If you read my previous post here, you might know I was fortunate enough to book a stay in a small but perfectly formed boutique hotel that is actually an old palace, the Palazzetto Pisani.
It was an amazing experience, I'm a bit geeky when it comes to loving opulent historical buildings and there have been more than a few moments in my life when I have wondered what it must be like to sleep in a four poster bed or to strum the harp in the music room of some VIPs stately home and now I found I really had chance to eat, sleep, bathe and dress in the rooms previously lived in by the seventeenth century 'royalty' of Venice. If I'm honest I was a little dubious if the hotel would live up to what I had read on the website, happily for us it did.
The most exciting part of my short adventure had to be arriving by speed boat to the hotels boat entrance and what followed. Scudding along the water via Venice's main canals in 90 degree heat and clinging to the gleaming white roof while getting sprayed intermittently with water, our taxi driver wearing a tight t-shirt and cheeky smile swerved his boat across the water repeatedly till my legs started to ache and I was eventually forced to sit down and enjoy the plush white leather seats at the back of the boat. I think the driver must have got the hint that he had given us a bit of a rough ride as he switched to purr and glide mode, just in time for us to suck up all the breath taking landmarks that were dotted along the grand canal before reaching our hotel. Arriving at the boat entrance, a very weathered plank was lowered and we were able to cross the water and climb on board Palace Palazzetto Pisani!
Glancing at myself in one of the 18th century gilt antique mirrors adorning the hotel lobby I noticed I had acquired Beyoncé proportion hair, courtesy of the free salt spray during our boat trip! Chiara, the hotel receptionist, took us up to our suite, she led us towards a long mirror on a wall, explaining that the hotel had many secrets, she opened the mirror and then another doorway and asked us both to follow her. We entered an elegant sitting room furnished with original antique sofas and chairs and two double shuttered windows with views over Venice's grand canal, slightly confused I assumed the sitting room must be shared, until she led us to our bedroom which was just next door! I nearly squealed like a baby piglet when Chiara showed us our long hallway which was lined with floor to ceiling walnut antique wardrobes and a bright red carpet, I finally got to walk the red carpet! At the end of the carpet was a vast marble bathroom, painted in peach, deep red and silver tones with silver art deco fixtures and the cherry on our huge sundae - we had our own secret staircase that let out of our suite, just in case we might get 'papped' during our stay!
It was an amazing experience, I'm a bit geeky when it comes to loving opulent historical buildings and there have been more than a few moments in my life when I have wondered what it must be like to sleep in a four poster bed or to strum the harp in the music room of some VIPs stately home and now I found I really had chance to eat, sleep, bathe and dress in the rooms previously lived in by the seventeenth century 'royalty' of Venice. If I'm honest I was a little dubious if the hotel would live up to what I had read on the website, happily for us it did.
The most exciting part of my short adventure had to be arriving by speed boat to the hotels boat entrance and what followed. Scudding along the water via Venice's main canals in 90 degree heat and clinging to the gleaming white roof while getting sprayed intermittently with water, our taxi driver wearing a tight t-shirt and cheeky smile swerved his boat across the water repeatedly till my legs started to ache and I was eventually forced to sit down and enjoy the plush white leather seats at the back of the boat. I think the driver must have got the hint that he had given us a bit of a rough ride as he switched to purr and glide mode, just in time for us to suck up all the breath taking landmarks that were dotted along the grand canal before reaching our hotel. Arriving at the boat entrance, a very weathered plank was lowered and we were able to cross the water and climb on board Palace Palazzetto Pisani!
Glancing at myself in one of the 18th century gilt antique mirrors adorning the hotel lobby I noticed I had acquired Beyoncé proportion hair, courtesy of the free salt spray during our boat trip! Chiara, the hotel receptionist, took us up to our suite, she led us towards a long mirror on a wall, explaining that the hotel had many secrets, she opened the mirror and then another doorway and asked us both to follow her. We entered an elegant sitting room furnished with original antique sofas and chairs and two double shuttered windows with views over Venice's grand canal, slightly confused I assumed the sitting room must be shared, until she led us to our bedroom which was just next door! I nearly squealed like a baby piglet when Chiara showed us our long hallway which was lined with floor to ceiling walnut antique wardrobes and a bright red carpet, I finally got to walk the red carpet! At the end of the carpet was a vast marble bathroom, painted in peach, deep red and silver tones with silver art deco fixtures and the cherry on our huge sundae - we had our own secret staircase that let out of our suite, just in case we might get 'papped' during our stay!
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We took the quick option, a water taxi
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Ten euro ice-creams are so worth it!
Doges Palace
Coffee table book featuring some of the room's from Palazzetto Pisani
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Where we had a special birthday dinner in the red room
Ornate ceiling in the dining room
The large sitting room
Top Travel Tips -
If you need to pack super light for your holiday a capsule wardrobe of black and white and a large brimmed straw hat are easy and you can pack plenty of colour in your makeup bag. I was sent some bright and metallic eye shadow palates from Beauty UK Cosmetics aptly named Carnival and Festival which are a budget beauty brand. My favourite combo, I tried out for a special birthday dinner in our hotel was wearing my tortoiseshell print silk dress with smudged out bright turquoise shadow around my eye line and a metallic copper tone brushed over my eye lids up to my brow line. The colours were true to the tones in the palette and lasted in the 90 degree heat so I was pretty impressed.
If your travelling via easyJet I recommend buying one of their Feel Good snack boxes to keep you going.
Posh nuts, crackers, oat crisps, mixed cherries and cranberries, a tiny jar of vegetable pate and a mini sized bar of green and blacks, plus a raw fruit bar all for just four euros. I was so impressed I bought the company, well actually I just bought a Feel Good snack box on both journeys, playing house with all the cute packets was fun and they tasted pretty good too. I felt virtuous that most of what I had eaten was healthy.
For travel in Venice buy a water bus ticket, it's the best way to see the city both during the day and at night and helps keep you cool when temperatures start to soar, but watch out for the midges. Eat your main meal at lunch and you can save yourself 10 euros, a coke will cost you around 4 euros, 2 scoops of heavenly gelato costs around 3.50 euros, yoghurt is the best flavour with hazelnut and chocolate coming a close second and a hydrating granita costs about 4 euro.
*please note all the images and words are my own, the make palette featured was kindly gifted to me by Beauty UK Cosmetics*
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