Hotel Londra Palace
N. Italy: Veneto: Venice
Built in 1860 and credited as the place where Tchaikovsky stayed and composed his Fourth Symphony in 1877, the Londra Palace was JDB's first hotel in Venice in 1987. For years the Londra Palace was always a favorite of JDB clients, with its perfect location on the Grand Canal and its $8 million renovation completed in 1999, affording guests a high level of comfort and modern convenience. Now that there has been a change in management, JDB is delighted to welcome the Londra back to the JDB fold. The present manager, Mauro Zanotti, a longtime friend of JDB, is working his magic to breathe warmth and life into this gem of a hotel. Boasting 100 windows facing the Grand Canal, the rooms are beautifully appointed and feature upholstered walls, gorgeous marble bathrooms, and double pane glass windows. Rooms without canal view - equally beautifully appointed - overlook the rooftops of Venice and are usually very quiet. The hotel's restaurant Do Leoni (named for the lion of San Marco) offers dining directly on the Grand Canal to the accompaniment of a saxophone player most of the year. And what a great chef the hotel has now! During a tasting menu, he appeared with each of the seven courses to be sure we were enjoying everything. We think that Aldo Bullo, the hotel's longest tenured concierge, may have known Tchaikovsky personally, he has been at the hotel so long!

NOTE: SAN ZACCARIA is the closest stop when guests are taking the public vaporetto. There is a taxi stop across from the entrance of the hotel for private taxi boats.