These three are close to perfect, as are many other hotels in “La Serenissima”
Despite working in luxury travel for the past few years, I have always had a soft spot for a certain kind of simpler experience: the small hotel, full of charm, run by a couple or a family who talk to guests at breakfast, where home-baked cakes are often served. An unassuming shop, filled with goods made by locals, whose window grabs your attention when walking past. Or a delicious meal, found in the barest-of-bones places, the proprietor as chef in the kitchen. Unexpected experiences where you can really get to know a destination and its people.
Venice is well-documented as a city overrun with tourists, but as with anywhere in Italy, it’s all depends on where you look. In the middle of the busy San Marco neighborhood, amongst a stretch of elegant designer shops and down a narrow walkway, one finds the Hotel Flora, run by the Romanelli family. A gem hidden in the bustle of it all.
Hotel Flora is a 3-star hotel that may not have certain amenities and the sleek detailing of its 5-star neighbors, but it is a hotel full of charm, hospitality, and local flavor that make all the difference in a visit to a foreign place.
The rooms here are elegantly decorated, with antique furnishings. In the cozy sitting room and bar area, black & white vintage fashion photographs of women adorn the walls, photos taken by the grandfather, artwork discovered decades later as told to me by owner Gioele Romanelli. But it’s the garden that is the delight of the property. A refuge in Venice, bathed in beautiful, shades of gold over the course of a sunny afternoon, where guests can eat breakfast or enjoy an afternoon reading outdoors. All these ingredients together make such a lovely place to rest after a long day of sightseeing.
