Raising a glass to the Cipriani
When it comes to glamour, it certainly wasn’t my finest hour. And it was all my son’s fault. As we descended from the airport bus in Piazzale Roma at the top of the Grand Canal in Venice ten days ago, I suggested to Nick that we should get a vaporetto – a waterbus – to the stop at St Mark’s Square, at the bottom of the Grand Canal. From there we could stroll across to the Belmond Cipriani Hotel’s private boat stop, summon the gleaming James-Bond-type mahogany motor launch, and wait for the couple of minutes before it appeared to whisk us across the lagoon – and into fairyland.
But no, says the son, sure we’ll walk.
It was midday. It was at least 30 degrees. And it was humid. Very humid. So we got about halfway there before I frogmarched the pair of us to the next vaporetto stop and forced the son onboard.
But the damage was already done.
And so it was that, sometime later, hot and sticky, I stepped off the Cipriani’s motor launch with the assistance of the handsome boatman, and into the elegant surroundings of the legendary hotel. It was only when I caught a glimpse in the mirror in the lift as we rose to take possession of our gorgeous suite on the top floor that I saw the state of myself. Red face glistening with perspiration and my hair damp and flattened to my head. Pretty, it wasn’t.
Cards on the table time. The Belmond Cipriani is one of the best hotels, not just in Europe, but in the world. It’s five-star luxury, but in a way that is different from ‘ordinary’ five-star hotels. And I have been lucky enough over the years to have been invited to stay in this most welcoming hotel – on a couple of occasions with my now-late husband, and then this summer, with my adult son.
There’s an Irish connection which gives it an added appeal for me, a connection that came to pass just over 60 years ago when three of the Earl of Iveagh’s daughters supported Guisseppe Cipriani when he first mooted the idea of building a hotel that was close to St Mark’s, but also at a remove from it. So a business partnership was established between Cipriani and the Guinness sisters, three acres was bought on Giudecca island, just five minutes across the water from St Mark’s, and in 1958 the doors opened on what would go on to become one of the most famous hotels in the world. And now, exactly 60 years on, they are celebrating that anniversary at the Belmond Cipriani. At a hotel that retains a timeless quality, where every guest is made to feel special, where many of the staff have worked for decades, and where the surroundings, from its setting on the water, to the lovely gardens complete with small vineyard, to the beautiful rooms and suites, all Murano glass chandeliers and sumptuous fabrics, all come together to create an atmosphere and an experience that is truly magical.
Yes, it’s expensive, making it special-occasion territory for most mortals. But it’s not at all stuffy or pretentious. It’s the real deal. So while you’ll find the concierge joking with a guest who has returned for the umpteenth time, or one of the staff larking around with a child visitor, you’ll also find yourself staying in a place where perfection is the only permitted standard. From the rooms, to the gracious staircase that rises from the lobby, the art, the beautiful Michelin-starred restaurant, the slightly funky bar, and the more casual Cip’s Club restaurant that sits out on the water on pontoon-style decking,
you couldn’t be anywhere but in the Belmond Cipriani. In a world where one upmarket hotel all too often mirrors one from another ‘chain’, the Cipriani stands out for exactly what it is – unique.
Our suite for the night was exquisite. Located on the top floor it had a profusion of balconies and rooms, but nowhere that Nick loved more than the ‘altana’ – our own private raised roof terrace with 360-degree views of the lagoon and the city. And two gorgeous sunbeds complete with parasol. Talk about staying in a room with a view!
And we loved our breakfast, served in the gardens at this time of year, and with all hot food cooked to order. And we were greatly amused at the practical method by which any pigeons who dare to come looking for pickings are promptly dispatched. How exactly? With one of the waitresses shooting at them with a huge water-gun! Simple, and totally effective.
What, for me, helps make the Cipriani special is its size. For this is not one of those monstrous fivestars with endless rooms off corridors that stretch into oblivion. Here, instead, there are fewer than 100 rooms and suites, all with their own distinctive decor and style.
One winter here, my husband and I stayed in a lovely junior suite with its own private, hedge-screened terrace leading, by way of our own little gate, to the Olympic-sized swimming-pool area. Inside, it was all cream fabrics, silk Fortuny lamps and the most beautiful modern, red, Murano glass chandelier that I have ever seen.
This time Nick and I were at the top of the building, with more soberly decorated rooms, again all gorgeous fabrics and lamps – and with those amazing roof-top views.
This might well be a hotel that regularly plays host to the great and the good of the film world and the celebrity circuit – the walkway leading to the restaurant is lined with signed photographs of those who have stayed here over the years, from the likes of Meryl Streep to Robert de Niro. And George Clooney, of course, who is a regular, and whose wedding party stayed here at the time of his marriage back in September 2014.
But the thing about the Belmond Cipriani is that its staff don’t differentiate – they make all their guests feel special. Even those who arrive red-faced, and hot and sticky on a July afternoon.
All it took to fix that was a few soothing words from the young woman who showed us to our suite, then an iced glass of Prosecco and some chill-out time on that amazing roof terrace, the island-dotted Venetian lagoon slipping into infinity in one direction, and that iconic tableau of St Mark’s Square with its russet-red Campanile my own personal vista when I turned my head the other way.
Heaven on earth...