Hotel Gabrielli Venezia - Starhotels Collezione

Lined along the Riva degli Schiavoni waterfront, this five-star palazzo faces the Venetian lagoon directly — the Doge's Palace is a four-minute walk west, the Arsenale vaporetto stop a minute east, making it a natural anchor for travellers who want the full sestiere di Castello experience without renting a gondola to reach anything.

The spa runs a full circuit: sauna, steam room, hot tub, and a treatment menu covering couples' massage through body scrubs. Rooms are soundproofed against the Riva's foot traffic — meaningful on one of Venice's busiest pedestrian promenades — and finished with hardwood floors and minibars.

The garden terrace is the detail most guests miss in advance: a rare patch of open-air quiet behind the canal-facing façade, useful at dusk when the waterfront fills.