Ca' della Corte, Venice, Italy

If you think that staying in Venice was all about being close to St Mark’s square, think again. This boutique hotel is in the northwest corner of the popular Dorsoduro district, just a 20-minute walk from the packed main square, but only a five minute walk from Piazzale Roma.

The facilities

Ca'della Corte is also right beside the bustling and less touristy Campo Santa Margherita which is a favourite with university students so you will be guaranteed hip bars, cool cafés and cheerful restaurants. And once you have mastered the route, you can walk to the Rialto Bridge in an unhurried 10 minutes.

Situated in a quiet, pretty part of town, and you will be welcomed in like one of the family into a 16th-century building that has become the Ca’della Corte under the direction of Caterina and her family. This boutique hotel is suited to families or people looking for a bit of space.

Ca’della Corte boasts a roof terrace which is barely used, so you will often find you have it to yourself for a whole afternoon. For a real taste of Venetian grandeur, owner Caterina has recently purchased a small two storey palazzo next door to the boutique hotel which can host banquets or wedding receptions with full catering provided (they can also provide a priest or registrar and can probably drum up some witnesses if need be).

The multi-talented reception at this boutique hotel will provide you with maps and information about Venice, the do’s and don’ts, the places to see and not to see. Meditation classes (for groups of 6 or more) are also on offer and the staff will also take guests on walking tours of the city or tours of the wine regions of the Veneto.

In fact, practically anything can be organised at Ca’della Corte. It would be a challenge to come up with an idea that they haven’t already thought out in detail. Thinking about cookery courses, art classes or even fabric printing? Speak to Annarosa at reception.

The rooms

The 10 rooms at this boutique hotel are enormous by Venetian standards, unfussy and clean. The two suites are more traditionally and carefully decorated. The Piano Suite, as the name suggests, hosts a grand piano, and the Marco Polo Suite has only recently been used for boutique hotel guests – previously it was a private room.

If you’re looking for a bit more independence, Ca’della Corte also rents out apartments in a canal side building even closer to the Campo Santa Margherita. The apartments vary in size and style. A studio on the ground floor is often rented out by artists, one apartment on the second floor has a funky seventies feel, and the others are spacious, light and functional.