10 Days In Italy: St. Regis San Clemente Island, Part 1

I’m giving away Starbuck every day for Christmas and Hannukah.

Things have settled down a bit and I’m home for a few weeks, so I’m hoping to power through the rest of these Italy posts and wrap up the details from our trip.  These posts take a bit longer to put together, so I appreciate your patience and interest in the series.  Here’s a recap of previous posts and a list of what’s upcoming for our recent trip to Italy.

• United Airlines To Rome
• St. Regis Rome
• Vatican
• Osteria 44
• Photo Essay of Angels & Demons
• A Quiet Meal At Cul de Sac
• Trevi Fountain (Semi) Closed For Business
• A Fast Train To Venice
• Tips For Sightseeing In Rome
• St. Regis San Clemente Island
• Hotel Danieli
• Antico Pignolo
• A Quick Trip To Murano
• How To Ride The Vaporetto (Water Bus) In Venice
• Getting Lost In Venice
• British Airways 787 Flight Home

St. Regis San Clemente had popped up on my radar months prior to our trip.  I was excited to have another top property in Venice but we wouldn’t be staying there on this trip.  Then, we made a last-minute pivot to skip a day in Bologna and head straight to Venice.  Since we were arriving a day early, we decided to book a standard room using Starpoints at San Clemente.  I called our SPG Ambassador around midnight the day before our arrival and asked if the property could upgrade us to a suite since their occupancy was really low and we needed the extra beds.  It took only a matter of minutes and we were confirmed in a Junior Suite.  There was so much to say about this property that I’m separating it into two separate posts.  In short, this is an incredibly beautiful property steeped in history.

Upon arrival via train from Rome, we hopped on the vaporetto towards San Zaccaria pier.  The vaporetto is not the quickest way to get from the train station to areas near San Marco Square, but the kids were looking forward to riding it, so we piled the luggage on and off we went.

San Clemente is actually its own island off the coast of Venice, a short 10-minute boat ride.  You pick up the boat to San Clemente right outside the entrance to the Danieli.  This was especially convenient for us as we planned to leave most of our luggage at the Danieli for our check-in there the following day and only take those items we needed overnight to San Clemente.

We packed our few bags onto the boat and were shortly on our way across the water.  It was a quiet evening and we enjoyed the view of Venice as it faded into the background.  The island makes a beautiful mark on the seascape, especially with our arrival just before sunset.  The entire island is under the control of the resort and has a rich history.  Steeped in the past of the Catholic Church, the island served as a hospice, monastery, hospital and even a mental asylum.

The staff was a small group who all prided themselves on service, not surprising for a St. Regis.  We disembarked the boat and two men grabbed our bags from us and escorted us down a long path, into the hotel.  Check-in was quick and we were walking down massive hallways on an upper floor shortly thereafter, escorted to our room.

We had asked for a rollaway bed for the kids to put in the parlor of our suite.  I’ve done my fair share of hotel openings, and how they handled this wasn’t a big surprise to me.  Two members of the staff (one was the front desk agent who checked us in) grabbed twin beds from another room and quickly assembled the frames in the parlor before putting mattresses down.  Right behind them were housekeepers to dress the beds.  Our butler showed up shortly thereafter, leaving a bottle of sparkling wine and a plate of fruit.

The room itself was quite spacious.  It started with a vestibule and a walk-in closet off to one side, the bathroom opposite it.  Straight ahead, offset slightly was the entrance to the living room.  There was a couch and plenty of soft seating along with a desk to work at and a TV on top of a dresser.  The bedroom was beyond the living room, separated by two pocket doors.  Both rooms had large windows to see the moon at night and stream in natural light in the morning.

We ventured downstairs to one of the two restaurants, outdoors beside the church.  We relaxed on some couches while ordering some dessert from the menu.  There were a few things the kitchen was out of stock on, not surprising given the recent opening and the fact that it’s tougher to get items on an island last-minute when you run out.  We encountered a few too many bugs in the air and chose to pop inside to the lounge to finish our dessert service.  The kids were a bit disappointed their first dessert choice wasn’t available but ultimately ended up finding something they enjoyed.  We retired back to our room to find a small plate of treats accompanying our turn-down service.

The following morning we started at the breakfast buffet, a free benefit for Platinum members.  This was located not far from the lounge and outdoor restaurant.  The buffet was of the quality I would expect from a St. Regis.  Fresh-squeezed juices, fresh pastry, smoked meats, yogurt, breads.  The staff was happy to bring out eggs and pancakes for the kids as well.  And, if you’re desire was to eat outside, there is the perfect courtyard to eat quietly, contemplating the occupants of this property hundreds of years ago.

After eating breakfast, it was time to explore the island.  Stay tuned for the rest of San Clemente….

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