There is no good or bad time to visit a city with the most recognisable waterfront in the world counting historical icons, private Palazzos, museums, churches, basilicas and other additions inserted over the years and situated across 118 islands separated by canals and linked by bridges so on a cold February morning we head to Victoria station to catch our Gatwick Express train and after a 30 minute journey we are ready to board our plane for our destination, yes you guessed it, Venice.

After a quick flight we are met by our very stylish Venice quality transfer water taxi which glides us effortlessly to our hotel. Originally known as Palazzo Bacchini delle Palme and which has now reopened it’s door as Palazzo Venart after a two years restoration under the close supervision of Venetians art historians.

Upon entering this enchanting hotel we become aware of the many object d’art being brought back to it’s original glory such as the stunning frescoes from the 1800’s which you can find all throughout everything has been sourced to suit this style and only using local artisans with 18 rooms all baring the names of it’s noble past such as Lord Byron, Marco Polo, Casanova,Titian, amongst others all mixing the craftsmanship of old times and state-of the- art design.This gem of a hotel is to be discovered little by little so not to overdose in the details of it’s beauty walking up the red carpet stairs and entering our opulent golden and dark wood room we enjoy a glass of Prosecco while peeking through the sumptous red velvet curtains and watching the gondolas float by, time could stand still forever but we have a masqued soiree to attend as we are here visiting during the Carnival of Venice, we promptly dress up in our evening attire complete with a beautiful ornate black and gold masque which was left on our beds courtesy of our gracious host.

Our dining room resembles what one could only describe as a magnificent candlelit banquet complimented by many splendid things, a stunning Murano glass chandelier, a Christie’s piano from the Fondazione Fenice who had the task of transporting, amongst many other pieces, the delicate hand painted french court-piano from the floating barge, brought over the waters and into the garden of Palazzo Venart, the table is set with a white crisp table cloth beautiful flowers arranged symmetrically and elegantly composed, it’s a true feast for the eyes, as for the cuisine we are experiencing contemporary Italian food at the new 2- Michelin star Ristorante Glam Chef Enrico Bartolini is using his initiative to source local produce mixed with his innovative approach of blending local values of the past and present.

There are so many places to see and visit in Venice and that's for you to discover but somewhere along the way it is de rigueur to get lost amongst the labyrinthine lanes the many bridges and the rustic restaurants, hop on a Gondola and be charmed by this spontaneous way of life it will always bring back fond memories of trying to find your way back to the magical Palazzo Venart which is never far from the winding lanes of Venice and never far from our hearts.