I'm looking for a romantic, quiet, and somewhat secluded restaurant for our vow renwal dinner in Venice. We are seriously considering Hotel Cipriani's Terrace Restaurant at the moment, but I want to be sure I'm not passing up some gem that I haven't found out about.<BR><BR>Does anyone have any other suggestions? Price not really an option (for this special occassion), but we prefer something not too crowded with canal side seating (Grand Canal or a small canal will do). We aren't picky about whether it's a fancy hotel or a &quot;mom &amp; pop&quot; place, just as long as the evening will be special.<BR><BR>Thanks in advance.<BR>

I haven't been myself, but the rooftop restaurant at the hotel Danielli is supposed to have a fabulous view. If you go to the hotel website there is a photo. The website is either under Starwood.com or Luxurycollection.com I also recall reading posts here about restaurants with great views on the islands (Murano, Burano or Torcello) which would be much less expensive &amp; also romantic. The Lido also has some great hotels/restaurants.<BR>Then...I did a quick search here for you - romantic restaurants AND venice- &amp; several good threads came up including the following quote. I think the poster was Julie. &quot;The rooftop restaurant at the Danelli is about as romantic as it gets. You look down over the whole lagoon and across to San Giorgio. Another good view is available at the Europa Regina. The restaurant is at canal level and looks directly onto the Santa Maria Della Salute church. The gondolas line up nearby and you can hear the accordian players and the singers doing Santa Lucia. It's hokey but terribly romantic. The best food is at the Monaco and Grand Canal also on the Grand Canal (as is the Europa Regina.) The view is almost as good as from the Europa but it's closer to the gondola and vaporetta stops so it's a little more hectic. It too has canalside dining. All three of these are or can be a bit dressy. All three ooze romance.&quot;

Thanks, Mclaurie, I'll check out your suggestions! We orginally had reservations at Monaco, but they will be in renovations when we are there, so we had to cancel.<BR><BR>Thanks again!

If you are willing to consider a lesser place (compared to the Cipriani), one of my favorite restaurants in Venice is Da Raffaele, about a 5-7 minute walk from the Piazza or the Monaco. It is attached to the hotel Do Pozzi. There is canal-side outdoor seating, and gondolas do pass by. It is not an haute cuisine (in Italian is it &quot;alta cucina&quot;?) kind of place, but good food, pleasantly presented.

Thanks for your comments Elaine. We've also looked into Da Rafaele, thinking it might be more secluded, but haven't found many comments on it. So, I appreciate the input.<BR><BR>Still searching, searching, searching, and checking out all suggestions. I think that we are still leaning towards Cipriani because of the comments I've seen, the view, the boat ride, and it seems like the grounds will be a nice place to take photos at sunset.<BR><BR>I'll let you know what we decide.

As a backup plan, I can give a solid recommendation to www.anticomartini.com - - though I am not sure that it is in the same league as Cipriani's.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>[email protected]<BR>

Thanks, Rex. Does it have canal side dining?<BR><BR>

Rex I spent this past New Year's Eve at Antico Martini &amp; adored it but to my knowledge there is no outdoor dining there nor is it on the water which is why I didn't mention it to Statia.

We were last in Venice last May, and had a very enjoyable dinner at Da Rafaele. It does get crowded, so to guarantee a rio side table, swing by or call earlier in the day and drop off your name and hotel for reservation. Enjoy. Seafood was good, as was the white asparagus.

Thanks for the additional replies. Looks like it'll be either Cipriani or Da Rafaele.<BR><BR>Anyone else?<BR>

Confirming: mclaurie is right; no canal side or outdoor dining at Antico Martini. That's why I proposed it as no better than a &quot;backup&quot; plan - - for whatever reasons you might need it.<BR>

rex is right to recommend AM, it occurred to me too except for its lack of view <BR>it's a great restaurant<BR>higher level in (indoor) atmosphere,food, and cost than Da Raffele<BR><BR>Da Fiore is often considered the most expensive and best quality restaurant in Venice. I had one of the best meals of my life there. It is very romantic.<BR>We happened to have an indoor table overlooking, via a small window, a small canal, but it is not like the canalside outdoor position of Da Raffaele

Just wanted to let you know that we've decided on Hotel Cipriani Terrace Restaurant for the ambience, food, and photo opportunities in their gardens.<BR><BR>However, I just wanted to thank everyone for thier replies. We have put some of your suggestions on our list for other nights.<BR><BR>Thanks again!

Just my opinion but Venice is infused with Romance.I enjoy good food and wine but in general have found that there is an inverse ratio of price to enjoyment.The higher the price the less enjoyment.The most romantic thing about venice is not the restaurants<BR>it is the canals,energy and light,as well as the sense of history.I think spending over 100/person is crazy as is spending<BR>400-700/night for some of the famous hotels.Friends that have stayed in those places i assure you did not have a better stay than my wife and myself.

I wholeheartedly agree with you Robert. However, it's been hard for us to find a restauarant that is both outdoors (which is important to us) and not overrun with tourists. Rest assured that the other parts of our trip will be &quot;locally inticing.&quot; We are even renting an apartment to experience Venice like the Venetians do.<BR><BR>Thanks for the advise.

I do not find an inverse proportion of price to enjoyment. Much too rigid a formula. I think that is as much an overgeneralization as saying that only expensive place are good.<BR><BR>On some occasions a casual, budget-minded place (hotel or restaurant) is just what I want. On other occasions, when the budget permits, I enjoy a more luxurious experience. For me the point is not just price, but value, and I can find value at all price levels if I look for it. I wouldn't presume to tell somone that spending over $100 per person is crazy, anymore than spending $10 is being too cheap. Some of the best (few) meals of my life have cost more than $100. I aspire to repeat some of those experiences. To each his own, but to each, not &quot;crazy.&quot;<BR><BR>

I'm with Elaine. Most high priced meals i have had were very, very good. A few have been too many course, too slowly presented which spoiled it for some of those dining with us (but not me).<BR><BR>And my one all time doozy exception was someone showing off ordering wine $5500 for 22 people - - TEN years ago! and it was a fancy French place where the portions were so small everyone wanted to go to McDonalds after!<BR><BR>Glad to hear that AM still seems good to others. It could just as well be in any other city, so it is not &quot;Venice special&quot; - - but still an excellent memory, twice.<BR>

I agree with Elaine. While most of our meals while traveling are at relatively inexpensive, local restaurants, many of the meals we remember for years are the &quot;luxury&quot; experiences. Last year a Taillevent meal was as good a value to us as the many bistros we enjoyed. We have a reservation at Da Fiore in May and expect we will not mind spending the money. We like to experience many of the restaurant options when we travel.

I went to Da Fiore in 1993 before it was discovered by the masses.It was a local restaurant with good food.I can't remember our bill but it was about 50-60 for both of us.Now that it is 300 for the same thing is it better? Quite a few would say yes.How about Harry's Bar is it worth 100+/person no way! Snob appeal dosn't appeal.The best meals of my life have been at unknown or local establishments which have fresh food of local origin.

I'd have to say that our most memorable meals have been split between &quot;middle of the road&quot; places and &quot;luxury&quot; places. It all boils down to the atmposphere, food, and service, IMO. However, I am in agreement that price doesn't always equal &quot;memorable.&quot;