You know I’m happiest when I’m on the water … Today I’m happy “squared”.
We left New York last evening, traveling 8+ hours to Venice. I never want to jinx myself…but the ride to JFK was uneventful, we breezed through airport security thanks to CLEAR and TSA Pre-check and only had to wait about 5 minutes to enter the Delta Sky Club lounge. Food in the lounge was surprisingly good, and the lounge itself did not feel crowded…we found comfy seats and chilled until boarding.
Flight left on time…right at sunset. (Photo credit to Tim😊) We hit about ten minutes of turbulence shortly after takeoff-due no doubt to hurricane Lee and then we settled in for the night. Dinner was forgettable, but the Prosecco was fine.
And we landed on time…miracles do happen.
We were met before passport control by a representative from our hotel…definitely a first (we are used to drivers meeting us after we claim our bags). Giovanni walked us to fetch our luggage, loaded it onto the trolley and whisked us off in his car for the 5 minute ride from the airport to the pier where our transport to Hotel Cipriani was waiting.
The twenty minute boat ride was an absolute delight…perfect weather- low 70s, lovely breeze. The lagoon is as wonderful as we remembered it. I snapped ten million pics…here are two million. As I was standing on the seat, snapping away, an adorable older man leaned out of a doorway and took two pics of me! I was leaning on the roof of the boat…which is so shiny-the buildings are reflected in its’ top… he caught me by surprise, I would have loved to have his pic too. Anyway that is St. Marks cathedral ahead of us, just past the bridge.
Approaching the hotel I was excited to arrive, but I really wanted the ride to last just a bit longer…like maybe another two hours. Anyway… Cipriani Hotel was opened in 1958 by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry’s Bar. It has attracted many interesting personalities since then and it is a spectacular property in every way. I can’t wait to spend time exploring the gardens, enjoying the pool and spa.
We were greeted by this sweet young man- I will learn his name tomorrow.
We checked in and enjoyed a drink by the pool while waiting for our room. The pool is magnificent. It’s heated and filtered with sea water. When originally installed, a mixup between feet and meters resulted in an unusually large pool.
There are roses throughout the property, they are grown in the hotel’s amazing Rose Garden.
A most welcome, welcome gift awaited us in our room. We unpacked and headed to Il Porticciolo for lunch. The restaurant is steps from the pool, with lagoon side seating.
As you might expect, the bread is yummy and this cuttle fish amuse bouche was a perfect start to a lovely lunch. Our Rose’ is from a local vintner, sadly I did not pay attention to the name, nor did I snap a pic of the bottle…shocking, I know. We enjoyed lobster Caesar salad and a perfectly al dente pasta in tomato sauce with cuttlefish…again, no photo of the pasta! I’m so rusty, but do not fret; over the next 24 days, I will post many, many, many food pics! Dessert = Affogato, cookies and cappuccino.
After lunch, Timmy took a nap, and I headed out to explore Giudecca. Giudecca lies immediately south of the central islands of Venice. It’s so peaceful and quiet – and features an almost two mile long dock. On my initial foray, I did not venture far from the dock, I walked to the end and back, reveling in the tranquility. There were some folks out and about- mostly residents. I love listening to spoken Italian – to me one of the most beautiful of all languages.
Back at the hotel, I took a spin around the grounds, and headed back to our room. Our room is right on the lagoon with the most beautiful views… I can’t take a good photo yet for two reasons… there’s so much sunlight that the shot is washed out and Timmy’s still sleeping…I think the best shot will be taken while standing on the bed. So although the title of this post almost promises a photo of our room with a lagoon view…you will have to come back tomorrow and see if I can get a good shot.
Thanks for following along. We’ll be embarking on Crystal’s Symphony on Monday for a nineteen day sail around the Mediterranean and then returning here to Hotel Cipriani for another 3 days. I hope you check back in with us, it truly is fantastic to be traveling with Timmy again.
