5 Star Venice

So, who will you be bumping into in the lift? Only the rich and famous. A sumptuous five-star hotel set across the lagoon from St Mark's Square, the place has been popular with filmstars and world leaders such as Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeifer, Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. With a butler on 24-hour standby for each guest, and rooms with pop-up televisions and private Jacuzzis, it is the perfect place to relax away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi.

So, what’s so special about this place? For a start, the price. It can cost up to £2,000 a night and, sadly, it makes you want to be Michael Winner. Not that there would be any room for complaints about hard butter and rolls not being warmed before serving. The service is outstanding. It also boasts the only outdoor pool in Venice

While there you must have dinner in the hotel restaurant, set facing the water and mist towards the city. A squad of waiters the size of a football team discreetly brings fine wines, seafood and pasta. The maitre-d' also rubbished the notion that a post-dinner grappa was a working-class drink for the city dwellers. Proffering a selection of different types, he proved that the Italian national drink could be the perfect way to round off a meal, much like a fine French brandy.

Also make sure you get the boat skipper to take you to St Mark's and walk for hours round the city waterways, stopping at one of the many tiny local bars where Venetians - workers, academics and professional people - pause for a Campari with orange and a snack on the way home. Just to see how other people live, you understand.