Metropole Hotel, Venice, Italy

This charming hotel has a lot of history – Vivaldi composed his Four Seasons in the breakfast room (he was choirmaster in a neighbouring church), and babies were changed on the breakfast room table, as the place was once an orphanage. A hotel for many years now, they have recently applied a thick veneer of chic, with glossy black brochures and a staff dressed like undertakers. The atmosphere of the real Venice, however, has been preserved, and the hotel has a lot more character than, say, the neighbouring Londra Palace. In particular, the public rooms make you pleased to come back here after a hard slog against the tide of tourists, and there is a delightful garden out back – in fact rooms overlooking this may be preferred by some for their peace and quiet: while the views of San Giorgio across the lagoon are worth a lot, the windows are less well sound proofed than, say, the Danieli’s. Rooms on the garden and side canal sides are also larger – the nine lagoon view doubles are small. Suites have no lagoon views. However, if you do opt for views, choose the second floor rooms with the bigger windows.