Just imagine... a luxurious five-star hotel suite, with beautiful furnishings, fittings, complete with original paintings, high-tech equipment... the works! Now make that fantasy float on water... and make it yours for a whole week every year.

Sounds good, doesn't it? How about Venice as a backdrop, with Piazza San Marco, the Ducal Palace or perhaps even the Guggenheim Museum outside your window? Although this may sound like a stretch of the imagination, it is not, for those who can afford it at least.

This is the notion behind the whole Venice on Water idea, a concept borne 10 years ago by Marketing And Promotion Ltd, and which was launched last week at the Excelsior Hotel's private marina in Floriana, where the prototype - Mdina, Venice - was unveiled to the public.

MAP embarked on its first development project together with its Italian partner Floating House, which has secured licences for 10 vessels and has also been entrusted with the management of the houseboats. This project is being financed by the company's development arm, MAP Destinations Investments Ltd.

For the design of the houseboats however, design guru Carlo Schembri was brought on board, and found some time out of his busy schedule to explain his involvement and vision for this project.

Working round-the-clock for the past six months to see the fruition of the project, the final product, measuring 45 square metres, can accommodate up to six guests; the boats are easy to manoeuvre and handle with no licence or experience required. Anyone wanting to experience this unique holiday experience can either hire their own skipper for an extra fee, or can opt to learn the ropes in a short training course of just a couple of hours.

The houseboat was entirely designed, constructed and furnished in Malta thanks to suppliers such as Fino, Creations, Jade, Fino, Futura, Hallman and others. The boats will be available to keen out-of-the-ordinary holidaymakers on a timeshare basis for 25 years whereby co-owners will be able to spend a week every year on the houseboat for between €12,000 and €20,000. Should they not want to make Venice a yearly vacation destination the holidays can be exchanged with other resorts around the world.

The inside of the Mdina is quite breathtaking: clean lines, earthy tones, lots of storage space, multi-purpose furnishings, soft and shimmering fabrics and state-of-the-art gadgets, all making it a true feast on the eyes.

However, no matter how luxurious the houseboat may be on the inside, the exterior design is very modest and somewhat box-like, and does not prepare visitors for the treasure trove inside. Mr Schembri explains this apparent dichotomy in a few words: "Actually, there were a lot of restrictions from the Venetian authorities as regards colour, height and width, and all the while I had to keep in mind that these boats needed to pass under all the bridges of the canals in Venice, so in the upper deck we were very restricted, and thus we resorted to foldable furniture, railings etc."

These were not the only restrictions Mr Schembri had to bear in mind when designing the houseboat. Others still determined the overall appearance: "The weight and the lack of open spaces were very restrictive aspects. In addition, we had the limitation of not exceeding 10 metres in length, and the client wanted to sleep as many as six, as well as a member of the crew. So we had to solve height issues, use high-tech materials and less overall space... so we made the most of every inch possible."

Before dashing off, Mr Schembri guaranteed that the Venice on Water houseboats were aimed at both a Maltese and foreign clientele: "I can assure you that it is more convenient than a hotel on the laguna because you can sail and park wherever you feel like ..."

With such meticulous care and attention to all the details possible, one cannot help but wish the Mdina, Venice buon viaggio and in bocca al lupo as it will set sail on its first trip to Venice in the coming days.