Just a short boat ride from Venice’s Piazza San Marco, the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa offers a secluded escape on the private Isola delle Rose. Operating seasonally from March through November, the resort combines Italian luxury accommodations with expansive gardens, olive groves, and refined dining. Its location, overlooking the Venetian Lagoon, offers the best of both worlds, delivering proximity to Venice’s historic core as well as a tranquil setting.
Dining Options at the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa
The resort’s eight dining venues highlight the diversity of Italian cuisine. Cucina, the main restaurant, offers à la carte options and a breakfast buffet featuring homemade pastries, a “healthy corner,” a variety of hot and cold dishes, and an omelet station. It transforms into a seasonal pizzeria for casual, open-air dining during warmer months.
Sagra Rooftop Restaurant serves dishes inspired by traditional Italian flavors. The family-friendly restaurant is open for dinner and late-night meals and offers beautiful rooftop panoramic views. Agli Amici Dopolavoro Venezia, led by Michelin-starred chef Emanuele Scarello and his sister Michela, delivers a unique fine dining experience with a pre-fixe menu that includes creative fare such as rose rice with raspberry powder and scallops with zucchini flowers, red bell peppers, and chicken skin chips.
For a hands-on culinary experience, the Sapori Cooking Academy offers small-group classes led by experienced local chefs. Participants learn to prepare Italian staples like pasta, risotto, and Venetian desserts. Specialized sessions include olive oil tastings from the resort’s century-old grove and guided visits to local markets for fresh ingredients. Class sizes are limited to eight for a personalized experience.
Accommodations at the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa
The resort, housed in a restored former hospital, opened in 2015 and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The property contains 266 rooms and suites across five areas: the main building, La Residenza, La Maisonette, L’Uliveto, and the Villa Rose. Designed by Matteo Thun & Partners, accommodations feature high ceilings, garden or lagoon views, and, in select units, private plunge pools. La Maisonette rooms offer loft-style suites with private gardens and plunge pools, while the standalone Villa Rose includes two bedrooms, a private pool, and a secluded garden. Both are well-suited for families or groups.
Other Hotel Amenities
The JW Venice Spa, the city’s largest spa, is a centerpiece of the resort, spanning more than 1,750 square meters. The spa’s facilities include eight treatment rooms, a spa suite with a private terrace, a hammam, Finnish and bio saunas, indoor and outdoor vitality pools, and dedicated yoga and meditation gardens.
Guests can enjoy a full menu of facials, massages, and body treatments by spa brand partner Maria Galland, including the signature “Sensory Ritual and Velvet Rose” treatment that takes inspiration from the rose gardens surrounding the spa and resort gardens. The spa also offers a Couple’s Spa Experience, featuring side-by-side 50-minute massages in the Spa Suite, followed by an hour of private relaxation with prosecco and fresh fruit.
Beyond the spa, guests can enjoy three swimming pools, including a family-friendly outdoor pool, an adults-only rooftop infinity pool with panoramic views of Venice, and an indoor-outdoor vitality pool at the spa. Additional amenities include a soccer lawn and courts for basketball, tennis, and pickleball. Two new padel courts recently opened. A complimentary 20-minute shuttle provides regular transport to Venice’s city center.
Things to Do in Venice, Italy
Visiting Venice’s historic center is a must. Private tours with operators like The Tour Guy provide skip-the-line access to St. Mark’s Basilica—known as the Church of Gold—guide you through St. Mark’s Square and winding, boutique-lined streets to the Rialto Bridge, and conclude with a gondola ride along the city’s canals.
Explore the boutiques along Le Mercerie, one of Venice’s premier shopping streets, and sample cicchetti—traditional small bites like fried mozzarella and arancini. For a quintessential and Instagrammable Venetian experience, visit Caffè Florian, Italy’s oldest coffee house, established in 1720. Located just steps from St. Mark’s Basilica, it serves robust coffees and decadent hot chocolates. While prices are on the expensive side, the historic atmosphere makes the cafe well worth a visit.
This article first appeared on Forbes.com.
