I have only been to Venice twice, each time mid february (Valentine's Day break) and I followed my rule which is to go for the classic palace and chose the Danieli, because for me it's like the Raffles in Sing. or The Pierre in NY, you have to have stayed there at least once. I was not disappointed one bit, it was both times fairytale stuff. The first time, I naively, picked up the riva (btw: it's not included in your room rate) from the airport and turned up without a reservation with a bag in one harm and my girlfriend in the other. To my surprise, I was not the only chap who fancied Venice for a romantic break . The hotel was almost fully booked and all I was offered was one of the best suites with a price to match. The front desk guy must have seen on my face that despite the Louis Vuitton bag, I was pretty young to splash that kind of money and he also saw the potential embarassment (not to mention the death of any prospect of me developping a burgeonning relationship further) and he graciously wrote a rate on a piece of paper for me only to see. I had been given the upgrade of a lifetime! The service during my stay was faultless, courteous without ever being pretentious. The advice for dining venues always original and perfect. They even served us our last lunch on the terrace outside serving hours as we had to catch our plane. It's my experience and some might have had others, but I give the Danieli 10 out of 10.