Explore the Magical City of Venice

• Go on a cicchetti (Venetian tapas) crawl through the city's bacari, hopping from one to another and sampling delicious small bites with a glass of local wine

• Indulge in the perfect Venetian-style pizza at one of the city's renowned pizza joints, like Ae Oche

• Slurp down fresh, homemade pasta at a traditional osteria (casual eatery) like Osteria al Portego or Osteria ai Promessi Sposi

• Eat your way through Venice's best gelaterias, trying unique flavors like stracciatella, gianduia and buranella!

• Sip on a classic Venetian aperitivo like the spritz or bellini at a buzzing canal-side bar while people-watching

• Take a romantic gondola ride through the city's iconic canals, complete with a bottle of Prosecco

• Experience the legendary Harry's Bar, where the bellini cocktail was invented, and rub elbows with the city's elite

• Splurge on a multi-course dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant like Quadri for an unforgettable culinary experience

• Osteria Enoteca San Marco: The cutest, nicest little wine bar with the nicest staff! It has a modern and warm ambiance with a cozy atmosphere, making it an ideal place for a romantic dinner or an intimate gathering. Make sure that you make a reservation, and whatever you do, get the truffle ravioli!

• Nolinski Il Caffe: This is the restaurant at the new five-star hotel Nolinski Venezia. It has an inner courtyard space filled with natural light, with shade and decoration provided by an elegant bouquet of frilly-edged, Federico Fellini-esque parasols. There is also a small but extremely beautiful indoor bar and dining room. We sat outside in the terrace area and had the best meal! Loved their wine selection and had amazing gnocchi!

• Gio's Bar: St. Regis' outdoor bar perfect for breakfast, lunch, cocktails, you name it. Cannot speak highly enough of this place.

• A's Bar: This is the newest bar at the St. Regis that is only open at night. Perfect for a nightcap and they serve the best mixed nuts — the candied walnuts are to die for. Our server even brought us a bowl of just candied walnuts. The espresso martini here was our favorite!

• Gelateria lo Squero: Amazing gelato! It really is pretty hard to get bad gelato in Italy, but I loved the location of this one — it's in the slower, less-crowded side of Venice, so you can enjoy your gelato while lazily strolling the canal banks.

There are plenty of nice hotels in Venice, but no one does it quite like the St. Regis Venice. Not only is it located right on the grand canal, but you can actually arrive at the hotel by water taxi. I have truly never seen anything like it, and it truly feels like something out of a movie. The moment we stepped on property, we were welcomed by the most friendly and charismatic staff. At check-in, we were greeted with a glass of Prosecco, which, after a long day of travel, was just what I needed. One thing I noticed at check-in, which I absolutely loved, was that the hotel has multiple security guards. Being in a foreign country, this definitely gave me a sense of security and I felt so safe every moment I was on property. At the end of check-in, we were assigned and introduced to our butler. This butler was our point of contact for anything — I mean anything — that needed while staying at the hotel. Talk about five stars.

Our butler then escorted us to our room and showed us where everything within the room was located. We had a bottle of bellini waiting for us in our room. We actually never opened the bottle, since it looked very sweet which is not something we’re into. But I’m sure most people love it! The room itself was amazing and roomy — there is even a small couch in each room. However, I would say that the bathroom size was average. One small touch I love about St. Regis is that slippers that are placed next to each side of the bed.

Next, let’s talk about the lobby. I am a total lobby snob — I judge a hotel based on the lobby. And let me tell you, the St. Regis Venice lobby did not disappoint. There is one main area to sit, with several couches and chairs, which makes for a perfect place to enjoy a drink, spend some time on your computer, you name it! It truly is incredible. Also, this might be a hot take, but I love working out while on vacation — just a quick 30-minute workout. I think that seeing different hotel gyms is fun! The fitness center at the St. Regis is very nice and quite roomy. I was very happy with their gym.

The hotel's restaurant, Gio's, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For breakfast, there is an amazing all-you-can-eat buffet. I would highly recommend breakfast at the hotel and sitting on the outdoor terrace. This might have been my favorite location that I have ever enjoyed a cup of coffee. Absolutely breathtaking! Since we were out and about exploring, we never had lunch at the St. Regis and we tried some recommended restaurants for dinner.

The hotel has a couple of different bar areas, all of which are incredible. The first bar is part of the main restaurant, Gio's, and has a beautiful indoor bar as well as an outdoor terrace — I think it is the most amazing spot in Venice to enjoy a drink or aperitivo. It is right on the grand canal, so you can just sit and watch water taxis, gondolas and boats drive by for hours. The other bar, Art's Bar, is only open in the evenings, and has much more of a nighttime, dark vibe. There is both an indoor and outdoor area. Every night after dinner, we spent at least two hours on the outdoor terrace. They also give you the most amazing mixed nuts that I looked forward to every night. Highly, highly recommend!

And finally, if there’s one thing that you don’t want to miss at the hotel, it's the 4 pm champagne toast. Not only is this open to the public, but they also let anyone pop the champagne. One of the nights there, I decided to do it, and I’m so glad I did. It is such a fun memory, and the hotel also gives you the cork along with a cute little Polaroid! Afterwards, they give everyone on the terrace a tiny — I mean TINY — glass of champagne which is another fun touch.

Overall, our experience at the St. Regis Venice was a 10 out of 10. The service was absolutely amazing everywhere on property and I think that the terrace and restaurant has hands-down the greatest view of the grand canal. It is definitely a splurge, but you will not regret staying at the St. Regis Venice!