Hotel Cipriani

Hotel Cipriani occupies the eastern tip of the island of Giudecca in Venice, opened in 1958 by Giuseppe Cipriani, the founder of Harry's Bar and the inventor of the Bellini cocktail, who conceived it as a quieter retreat across the lagoon from the crowds of central Venice. Reached from Saint Mark's Square by a short hotel launch, the property is furnished throughout with Murano glass chandeliers, Fortuny fabrics and Venetian artwork, and it later expanded to incorporate the adjoining Palazzo Vendramin, a fifteenth-century palace facing the lagoon. Its gardens and outdoor swimming pool, unusual for central Venice, set it apart from the older palazzo hotels along the Grand Canal. The hotel remains one of the city's best known luxury addresses and a long-standing favorite of visitors during the Venice Film Festival.