Review of Metropole Hotel, by Jamie Dunford Wood

This charming luxury 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.

Metropole Hotel has recently applied a thick veneer of chic, with glossy black brochures and a sharply-tailored staff. 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

Rooms overlooking the garden 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 on the cosy side. Suites have no lagoon views. However, if you do opt for views, choose the second floor rooms with the bigger windows.