Drama is in the DNA of this 1908-built grande dame on the Venice Lido beachfront, from the Moorish domes that crown the roof to the double-height lobby lined with palms and Adriatic Sea-facing windows. The first Venice Film Festival was held here in 1932, and the event still remains deeply connected to the hotel, with the industry’s who’s who flocking here each September. In summer the adjoining sands take centre stage as French, German and Italian guests book up spacious cabanas by the day, week or month, and clink cocktails by the pool overlooking a retro pier. The historic sights of Venice are a 15-minute boat ride away. With nostalgic pastel palettes, suited waiters and polished service too, no wonder locals consider the Excelsior a Venetian icon.
Overall score 9/10
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Rooms and suites
Score 9/10
The 198 rooms and suites are bold, fun and maximalist, with Moorish arches, lattice detailing, geometric prints and candy colours. Recently renovated fifth-floor rooms are typically mint and bubble-gum pink with splashes of palm print fabric, gold accents and plush curved headboards. Yet-to-be-renovated rooms on other floors have a moodier, darker tone and wicker furniture, but are still perfectly lovely and tend to come at a slightly cheaper price.
All rooms are spacious, but top suites on the sixth and seventh floors particularly so; some suites come with terraces overlooking the sea, while lead-in categories typically face towards a lush inner garden. Bathrooms come with marble basins and Moorish tiling, lending a hammam-like vibe.
Food and drink
Score 9/10
The Adriatico Terrace restaurant oozes seaside Italian glamour, with white tablecloths, waistcoated waiters and exceptional seafood dishes — including seafood risotto with red scorpionfish, and tagliolini with lobster and chardonnay emulsion — as well as ultra-polished yet friendly service. Right next door, the indoor-outdoor Blue Bar keeps things more casual with pizzas, spritzes and late-night cocktails; true to the location, the bar top is made from Murano glass.
Breakfast is a vibrant, rambling buffet of meats, cheeses and fruits at the beachside Elimar restaurant. Punchy drinks and nibbles can also be served poolside or direct to the beachfront cabanas on request.
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What else is there?
Score 9/10
The summer facilities are as good as it gets in Venice: a large 28C pool circled by loungers, and a private beach with spacious safari tent-style cabanas and loungers for hire. Indoors, a boutique arcade is stocked with designer swimwear and swish accessories, while from June to September a free kids’ club welcomes children ages four to 12 (babysitting is available too, for an extra charge). There’s no spa but massages are offered in-room, while a compact gym comes with free personal training guidance. The hotel also has grand ballrooms, including Sala Stucchi, a Versailles-esque chandeliered space that appeared in the film Once Upon a Time in America.
Where is it?
Score 8/10
You’re out of the Venetian tourist core here on the Lido, and though it feels like another planet you’re in fact only a 15-minute boat ride from San Marco’s thronging rush. A free shuttle boat will whisk you into the centre or, if you prefer, to Murano for a free tour of a local glass factory. The main attraction in the seven-mile long lido is the sandy beach, which explains why the hotel chooses to close every year between November and March — there’s not too much to do here otherwise.
Price B&B doubles from £383
Restaurant mains from £28
Family-friendly Y
Accessible N
Alicia Miller was a guest of Hotel Excelsior (hotelexcelsiorvenezia.com)
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