Hotel Antico Doge

The Hotel Antico Doge is a restored 18th-century palazzo, the former home of a Venetian Doge, filled with art and antiques that add to the feeling of stepping out of a gondola and back in time. The building’s gorgeous exterior is weathered and authentic, with a picturesque footbridge for crossing the canal out front. Inside, the hotel has taken pains to embrace the building’s origins. There are silks and brocades everywhere, as well as Murano glass chandeliers and sconces, parquet floors, gilded mirrors, hanging tapestries, painted furniture, and carved wooden doors. Oil paintings depict historic Venice and famous Venetians. The breakfast room is done in rich gold brocade, with ornate frescoed ceilings, and white furniture with gold-leaf accents; the room feels like an 18th-century salon. There is a small elegant bar for reading an international paper or watching the gondoliers row past, but otherwise, there are few common areas for socializing. Despite the hotel’s location in the center of Venice’s tourist hubbub, it feels timeless and like a tourist attraction itself.

The Hotel Antico Doge has a central location near the border of the San Marco and Cannaregio neighborhoods. It is facing the Campo SS Apostoli, a five-minute walk from the Rialto Bridge, and a 10-minute walk to the famed Piazza San Marco. The immediate area is filled with shops, bars, and restaurants, but most are tourist-oriented. The nearest water taxi stop is a three-minute walk from the lobby, and the area is convenient for sightseers and guests who like to be in the thick of things. Venice Marco Polo Airport can be reached in under an hour via public transport options (there are boats, buses, and taxis to Piazzale Roma and boats to St. Mark's Square; it is about a 20-minute water taxi ride to Piazzale Roma). 

Rooms at the Hotel Antico Doge are clean and spacious. The decor embraces the building’s centuries of history, with antique furniture, canopy beds, carpets, and Murano chandeliers. Rooms are elaborately designed in pink and gold, with silks and damasks, oil paintings, and painted furniture. Bathrooms are huge, modern, and marble, with deep tubs -- some jetted. Shutters and soundproofing block out much of the street noise, but guests may have to choose between views and quiet. Amenities include air-conditioning, safes, minibars, toiletries, and flat-screen TVs with satellite channels. 

The Hotel Antico Doge offers a free continental buffet breakfast in a beautiful, 18th-century breakfast room. There is a small bar and lounge for guests who want to take a break while seeing the sights, or at the end of a long day. Free Wi-Fi is offered in the guest rooms and most common areas.