Hotel Cipriani, Italy review: Grand Canal entrance

The only way to arrive at the Hotel Cipriani in Venice is by water taxi, writes Georgina Safe.

It's a fittingly grand entrance to what is arguably the most exclusive hotel in Venice, both in terms of its location - on the tip of La Guidecca island, a serene oasis four minutes by boat from the tourist madness of Piazza San Marco - and in terms of its eye-wateringly A-list clientele.

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Daniel Craig are among the Hollywood stars who stay at the Cipriani when in Venice, and our own arrival feels like something out of a movie when, after gliding through the ribbons of winding canals encircling the city, we are met on the Cipriani's dock by Roberto, the hotel's charismatic "greeter" and plied with sparkling glasses of prosecco.

The Cipriani describes the impeccably tailored (this is Italy) Roberto as "our best business card" and it's easy to see why. Whether he's instructing the hotel's swoon-worthy wooden speedboat to take us to town at our whim (it's available to Cipriani guests from dawn until almost midnight) or whipping out his iPhone to show us candid pictures of himself with Brad, George et al, Roberto defines the exquisite balance of luxury and intimacy that distinguishes this hotel.

A short walk through the Cipriani's lush gardens (which house the only Olympic-size swimming pool in Venice) leads to our Guinness suite, one of a trio named after the three Guinness sisters with whom Giuseppe Cipriani of Harry's Bar fame partnered in 1956 to build the hotel.

It is indeed fit for an heiress, with a grand chandelier and French doors leading to a private courtyard and balcony with panoramic views of the lagoon. Oversize mirrors and Italian paintings hang in the living room and bedroom and the separate his and hers bathrooms are stocked with luxury toiletries and robes.

We freshen up and snack on the complimentary fruit plate in our living room, before Roberto summons the hotel's launch to take us to St Mark's Square for an aperitif before dinner.

It's the tail-end of winter in Venice and the cobbled laneways are chilly and atmospheric at dusk. We take a table in a cosy cafe under the Rialto bridge and order the classic aperitivo Spritz - soda, prosecco and Campari - which we sip while watching gondolas go by and locals hurrying home.