Castello Venice, Italy
Renovated
2025
Price
$$$$
Rated for
Heritage Design LuxeOutside the door
The house
StarhotelsRestored literary palazzo
Grand Tour writers once made this waterfront palazzo their home, stepping off the busy promenade into a quiet courtyard garden.
What it’s good at
Remarkable
A fourteenth-century lagoon-facing palazzo where Franz Kafka wrote letters to his fiancée.
Notable
Andrea Auletta framed Gothic quadrifora windows with hundreds of restored Murano glass chandeliers.
Notable
Private water dock arrivals greeted by attendants tailored in archival Valentino-style cream uniforms.
What they say
UK Readers' Choice Awards – Venice
Condé Nast Traveler
2025
Right in the middle
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Piazza San Marco is a ten-minute stroll along the waterfront promenade, while quiet neighborhood bacari hide in the alleys behind.
The rooms
Most rooms look out across the lagoon or side canals, with pointed-arch headboards echoing the palazzo's gothic windows.
The thermal suite
A glass-walled Finnish sauna and sunken hydromassage bath sit within a dark marble suite with cushioned loungers.
The spa and gym
Canaletto walnut panels the Technogym fitness room, and a dedicated treatment suite hosts couples' massages.
Dogs stay too.
At the table
Felice al Gabrielli serves Venetian lagoon seafood, and the sixth-floor rooftop terrace pours drinks facing San Giorgio Maggiore.
How it began
Tyrolean soldier Andreas Perkhofer opened an inn in the courtyard in 1856, founding a hotel his family has owned for five generations.
Good to know
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Venice
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Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.