A slice of serenity in Venice

They call Venice la Serenissima, but mid-morning, it's anything but serene. Swarms of tourists pack St. Mark's Square and the lagoon teems with ferries, water taxis and gondolas.

I'm escaping the crush in a gleaming lacquered speedboat to my own private island 10 minutes away. The San Clemente Palace Kempinski offers real serenity within sight of the Renaissance jewel. Convenient to the mainland, but oh-so-discrete and impeccably tasteful, it's not just a hotel but an indulgence.

Location, location

A gleaming lacquered speedboat ferries guests from St. Mark's Square to the idyllic private island of San Clemente. Seated across the Venice lagoon with a panoramic view of the city from its gardens, it has always been a retreat. The hotel buildings began as a medieval monastery and a hospice for soldiers coming or going from the Crusades. During the Renaissance, when Venice was a major world power, the island was a secure welcoming centre for visiting dignitaries, a short boat ride away from the mighty Doge's Palace.

Design

How many hotels give guests a six-page fold out map of the hotel and its grounds? Or need to? You'll find it mighty handy, though, to navigate the magisterial, high-ceiling marble corridors of the massive, impeccably restored monastic-style building that weaves around cloistered courtyards to sumptuous suites with circular entry halls, comfortable living rooms and full-sized dressing rooms. The all-marble baths have both a glass shower stall and deep tub. Furnishings are contemporary Italian embellished with classical Venetian bevelled mirrors, Murano chandeliers and rich brocade curtains. There's also a bucolic pool complex with its own restaurant, tennis courts and spa on the 15-acre island.

Best amenity

The San Clemente Palace has its own church, and it's a grand one. The soaring 15th-century Gothic structure encloses a second smaller church that dates to the 12th century. Ornate doorways carved by monks open to rooms featuring beautiful frescoes of Biblical scenes. This is still a consecrated Catholic church, but because it doesn't have a congregation, you'll likely have the place, with its half-dozen elaborate side altars, to yourself. If you do have company, it may be a diva or visiting musician practising in the acoustically exquisite choir chancel.

Eat in or eat out?

To hop back into the circus that's San Marco for a menu turistico is pointless. The hotel's talented team of chefs create everything from scratch, using vegetables and herbs grown right on the island. At the elegant Acquerello restaurant, an amuse bouche arrives like a surrealist sculpture: tender duck croquette in broccoli foam with a starburst of red cabbage. The breads are all minutes from the oven, served in a metal basket that's warmed with heated rocks and lined with freshly picked and fragrant rosemary from the garden.

The signature dish is Parmesan tortelli with cream of Venetian calf's liver, which makes what's usually the pasta sauce a super-rich filling. The flavours are so complex you'll want to eat it in tiny morsels, but executive chef Vincenzo Di Tuoro advises eating each tortelli in one bite for an amazing explosion of taste.

In the morning, an expansive breakfast buffet is included with your stay, and you can dine either in the casual Insieme Restaurant or on the historic church courtyard.

If I could change one thing

The dressing room with its wall of drawers is a wonderful amenity, but its closets seem designed for a race of giants. The clothes-hanging bars are nearly seven feet from the floor: perfect for full-length ball gowns, perhaps, but a stretch to reach. The closet could use a step stool.

Whom you'll meet

My stay coincided with the Venice Film Festival and fellow guests included Jude Law, Ludivine Sagnier and Scott Shepherd. To celebrate the launch of their HBO series The Young Pope, they threw a party on one of the expansive terraces for a bevy of their A-list friends. But tuck away your camera. Famous faces come to this discreet hotel to let down their guard.

You'll find families around the pool speaking a dozen languages. They're well-heeled and well-travelled. In the early evening you'll see the cognoscenti black-tied and gowned strolling down the garden walk toward a private boat taking them to the opera.

San Clemente Palace Kempinski, San Clemente Island, Venice, kempinski.com/venice. 190 rooms and suites, priced from $560, including breakfast and return water-taxi transfers from St. Mark's Square.

The writer was a guest of the hotel.