Those in the know will murmur that there really is only one place, in the end, to stay in Venice. A palazzo dripping with precious fabrics, antiques and art, one that truly encapsulates the spirit of the city, the grande dame par excellence: The Gritti Palace.

The lovely staff do a terrific job of ensuring that you’ll be warmly welcomed here, but each step feels like a foray into a five-hundred-year-old nobleman’s home. The awe simply never ceases: you order a drink at the Bar Longhi, and realise your fingers are resting on a marvellously sculpted altar rail; you lounge in suites inhabited by legends like Hemingway and Peggy Guggenheim; you walk around corridors bedecked in priceless art and furniture. Nothing will make you feel adequate, and trust us, those phenomenal Canal views never, ever get old. If it’s a sense of wonder you’re looking for, you’ll find that nothing else compares to this hotel.