Hotel Londra Palace

Romantic waterfront hotel near Piazza San Marco This five-story hotel has 53 air-conditioned guestrooms. The high-ceilinged rooms are appointed with silk-covered walls, 19th-century Biedermeier furniture, and gilt-framed original oil paintings. Each room has a 21-inch satellite TV with Internet access (surcharge). Bathrooms of yellow-and-orange marble have bathrobes, slippers, telephones, makeup mirrors, bidets, gold faucets, and heated towel racks. About two-thirds of the rooms have lagoon views, and some rooms have balconies or terraces. Complimentary newspapers are available on request. <B>What to expect:</B> Occupying three snow-white 19th-century buildings, this romantic hotel overlooks the Venetian Lagoon. Palladio's 16th-century San Giorgio Maggiore Church stands directly opposite. Rocco Magnoli, architect of Versace's boutiques, oversaw the hotel's extensive 1999 renovation. The stylish lobby is appointed with ornamental columns and a mix of traditional and contemporary Venetian glass. The Londra Palace is popular with European and American couples celebrating special occasions. <P><B>Amenity highlights:</B> The hotel's Ristorante Do Leoni serves sophisticated Venetian cuisine in a handsome room with a stone-mosaic floor and a wall of windows overlooking the lagoon. The outdoor waterfront terrace is popular in summer, and the expertly mixed house cocktails are well worth sampling. <P><B>Insider tip:</B> In 1877, Tchaikovsky wrote the first three movements of his Fourth Symphony in the hotel's Room 106. He nicknamed his work <I>Do Leoni,</I> the lions symbolizing London and Venice. Immediately outside the hotel is an equestrian statue of Vittorio Emanuele II, first king of a unified Italy, supported by stone lions. The white-marble Hotel Londra Palace has 100 windows overlooking the Venetian Lagoon. The restaurant, a destination for guests and other visitors to Venice, overlooks the lagoon. A light-filled lounge area just off the lobby has a 19th-century Biedermeier desk, four antique chairs, and sofas upholstered in red velvet and green silk. The hotel serves a complimentary breakfast buffet daily. In summer, breakfast, dinner, and cocktails are served on the large terrace in front of the hotel, facing the water. The hotel serves a <B>complimentary breakfast buffet</B> each morning. <P><B>Ristorante Do Leoni </B> - Sophisticated Venetian cuisine is served in this dining room with a stone-mosaic floor and a wall of windows overlooking the lagoon. Walls covered in green silk, green-and-cream tablecloths, and fresh flowers complete the decor. <P><B>The Bar</B> - Six green-marble tables with leather chairs are arrayed in front of a glass-columned bar. The house cocktail, the Laguna, is made;
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