PRICE:
Frommer's Exceptional

Its sister Excelsior may be the last word in luxury on Lido, but the Belle Epoque Hotel des Bains beats it for sheer style, with its creaky, polished-wood floors and high, airy salons scattered with Oriental rugs. Not for nothing did Des Bains habitué Thomas Mann set his dreamy, decadent Death in Venice (and Visconti filmed it) here. The large rooms are fitted with the original, discreetly elegant, if worn, furnishings. Definitely ask for a sea-view room, since that's what the Lido is all about, though there's nothing wrong with pool- or parkview rooms. When the wood-paneled, two-story banquet room is not being used for a conference, you can take tea there or out on the broad tiled Pompeian terrace opening off it. There's a private beach across the street, connected by a tunnel, but unfortunately, you have to pay for access. Facilities: Elegant Venetian/Italian restaurant; bar; 2 outdoor pools (May-Sept); special rates at nearby golf course; outdoor tennis courts; exercise room; spa; watersports equipment/rentals; bike rental; children's program (around large kiddie pool); game room (billiards, Ping-Pong, foosball); concierge; tour desk; car-rental desk; courtesy boat (from airport, to Excelsior, and from central Venice); business center; 24-hr. room service; massage (in spa or in-room); babysitting; laundry service; dry cleaning (same day); nonsmoking rooms

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Northern Italy, 4th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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