A Dream Come True....

in August, 2011 a premier group of travel professionals, the ones catering to the luxury 

market, met in Las Vegas.

they had much to discuss as they had awards to present to various categories

of hotels worldwide.

The Hotel of the Year Award

went to

The Cipriani Hotel in Venice, Italy

& no one was surprised.

this is the arrival dock of the hotel, this is your 1st glimpse of this acclaimed

establishment.  as a young woman I read about the Cipriani in some glossy magazine

& the thought of actually going there never left my head. 

 and this was long before it was in the budget.

Some rank this Orient Express hotel as the best hotel in Europe, let alone Venice.

 "It’s a world-class resort.''  "It’s a world-class hotel.'' How many times have you read, or said, these words?  "World-class’ is perhaps the most overworked word in the travel world’s vocabulary,

What actually makes a great world-class hotel?  More than well-designed bricks, glass, and steel, more than “location, location, location'', the quintessential world-class hotel exudes distinctive character, unique personality, consistently superb service and the ability to stand the test of time. 

 The true world-class hotel will have you saying “I must return''.

the absolute best place for lunch, poolside, at the olympic-sized pool.

when I was there the flowers were blooming profusely and overflowed every container.

my husband didn't want to sit exactly next to the pool for fear he could get wet.  :)'s

there was no one in the pool, but he was worried about his attire.

I didn't worry about a thing, except what I was wearing to dinner that night.

the "dining hall" for special occasions like weddings, birthdays, anniversaries.

I didn't see this room.  sad to say.

"Palladio" Suite Sitting Room above

"Palladio" Bedroom below

if you have a chance to go there for lunch, be sure to make reservations, it will

be a thrill for your entire party.

this is the place of dreams.

the place where movie stars, royalty & tycoons roam around freely,

knowing they won't meet anyone unlike them.

except for this woman whose husband wanted to give a gift I had dreamed of all my life.

& yes, it was worth every penny for the ONE night we spent there.

& for me this was enough.

what did I wear at the Cipriani tomorrow.