In Sant'Elena, Venice, an ancient convent houses a wonderful hotel where you can sleep in romantic rooms with private dehors overlooking the renovated "secret" garden or drink a cocktail in the shade of the palm trees at the Savor Restaurant Bar & Garden.
Far from it all, yet immersed in the greenery of one of Venice’s most charming neighborhoods, Sant’Elena, one of the few remaining authentic locations, accessible from Piazza San Marco with a panoramic stroll along the Riva degli Schiavoni and the Parco delle Rimembranze.
Hotel Indigo Venice Sant’Elena was founded as a convent in the 1930s, then gradually abandoned and conservatively renovated by Hotel Indigo® of IHG Intercontinental Hotels Group, managed by the Boccato family’s HNH Hospitality Group.
An authentic corner of Venice with the charm of an ancient convent and its hortus conclusus.
Four floors with 75 rooms, including seven Inner Garden rooms overlooking the ancient internal cloister, recently transformed into a romantic garden with new relaxation spaces and furnishings, outdoor dining areas for aperitifs, lunches and dinners, and exquisite lighting.
The hotel’s interior draws inspiration from the history of Venice, considered the gateway from the West to the East, and Byzantine culture. Dishes and cushions recall the decorations and palettes of this ancient civilization, while locally crafted objects, such as blown Murano glass chandeliers and staff pins depicting the famous Murano Rosettes, pay homage to the lagoon.
From the lobby, you enter the Savor Restaurant Bar & Garden, also open to external guests. Its name combines internationality and tradition with a play on words: from the local term saor—an ancient Venetian culinary technique for preserving sardines and prawns—we find the international English word for “flavor”: savor.
A meeting place for travelers and locals, perfect for a lunch or dinner that combines Italian tradition with the aromas and flavors of Apulia, courtesy of chef Giuseppe Amatulli.
At the cocktail bar, we find Alice Brozzoni, a mixologist with a profoundly artistic soul who has transformed the bar at Savor into a veritable canvas for experimentation, working with local ingredients inspired by authentic Venice to create ever-changing creations.
Her signature drinks are named after Venice’s sestrieri (neighborhoods), such as the delicious Cannaregio, made with Cipango shochu, Amaro Nostrano, Select, and citrus mousse, inspired by the classic Negroni. It’s truly wonderful to enjoy a drink in the garden, perhaps accompanied by finger food, and indulge in the sense of relaxation inspired by one of Venice’s most beautiful green oases, having fun with the water pistols provided at each table, conceived to keep pigeons away.
Hotel Indigo Venice – Sant’Elena is the only boutique hotel in Venice where you can literally sleep “in” the garden and experience all the charm of its history and the warmth of its staff, starting with the fantastic general manager Carmela, who makes every guest feel at home.
The Secret
The island where the hotel stands takes its name from an ancient legend linked to Saint Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, whose remains are still enshrined in the parish church of the same name, which can be visited just a few minutes’ walk away. It is said that, while transporting the urn containing the Saint’s relics, the ship ran aground just after entering the lagoon. Only once the urn was brought to the island did the ship float again. The sailors interpreted this as the Saint’s wish to remain on the then-uninhabited island.
Useful Info
Hotel Indigo Venice – Sant’Elena
Savor Restaurant Bar & Garden
Calle Buccari 10
30132 Sant’Elena Venezia
Tel. +39 041 2717811 (ext. 4 for the restaurant)
Rooms from 220 euro, breakfast included
12:00 – 24:00: menu bistrot
19:00 – 22:00: menu restaurant
Cocktails: from 10 euro
First courses: from 12 euro
Second courses: from 15 euro
Toasts and focaccias: from 8 euro
