Good evening from Dublin (and my last night in Europe). Here is a hotel review for my second to last hotel in Europe… the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice. Before I show you pictures of the hotel room and canals of Venice, I will show you how to get from the airport to the hotel. First things first, all the info I used was found here. You need to take the ATVO airport bus to the “water bus terminal” (P.le Roma). The airport bus costs €8 one way or €15 round trip per person.
Here are driving directions, but the bus takes the same route. The trip takes around 25 minutes and the ATVO bus leaves the airport and “water bus terminal” pretty frequently.
Once you get to the “water bus terminal” (P.le Roma on Google Maps), take the 4.1 boat line (faster with fewer stops) or the 2 boat line (longer with more stops) until you get to the Giudecca Palanca DX stop. The maps below show all the stops for each boat line. The cost is €7.50 each way per person. When you get off at the Giudecca Palanca DX stop, turn right and walk over 2 small foot bridges until you see the giant Hilton Molino Stucky entrance.
Since I am a Hilton HHonnors Diamond Elite Member, I was given a room on the top floor (room A603) and access to the executive lounge near the lobby, The room was beautifully decorated and offered a great view of Venice and the passing boats.
Inside the room, there was a giant armoire to hang up coats and jackets, along with a safe.
Next to the armoire was the bathroom complete with a toilet and a bidet (which went unused).
Big sink with lots of counter space.
The bathtub / shower was great. Handheld shower head was easy to use and had great water pressure and temperature.
Onto the bedroom and the queen-sized bed.
Above the bed, there was a chandelier that lit up the entire room.
In the corner of the room, there was a desk and small round table.
On the table, there were some goodies and free bottles of water (sparkling and still).
There was also a welcome letter for being a Hilton HHonors Diamond Elite Member.
During the day, the view from our hotel room was pretty good (minus the cloudy, foggy weather). Right below our room was the Hilton shuttle boat that took passengers to the main square on the main island in Venice. The shuttle boat was very quiet. From our room, we watched as boats of all sizes and styles went left and right along the water.
There is a small canal along the side of the hotel that is perfect for taking photos.
The Hilton shuttle boat is about €3 per person per day and comes every 40 minutes or so. From the Hilton, the shuttle boat takes about 15 minutes to get to the main square on the main island. Great photo opportunities are available along the way.
Here are a few pics from Venice. Lots of canals and gondoliers were available. The price for a 30 minute ride for up to 6 passengers was €80. I only saw that listed on 1 sign, so I am not sure if that is the fixed price for all rides around Venice. Try negotiating a lower price or a longer ride if you can.
Or do what we did and wander the streets and peaceful canals of Venice. There are no dead ends in Venice (minus the sidewalks that go directly into the water), you can always turn right or left and go down another alley. Here is a cool panoramic shot. I wonder who lives here…
Good gellato should be €1.50 for 1 scoop. If you are near tourist areas, the scoop size will be smaller and the price will be higher.
Where were my overall thoughts of the hotel?
The hotel (like most places in Venice) is kind of hard to find and get to. Plan accordingly when you fly in from the airport. I went during winter and the room rates were around €110 per night. During the high season, the room rates will be much higher, but Hilton points should be available. In January, I saw room rates for 50,000 Hilton HHonors points or 20,000 Hilton HHonors points and $80 cash. If you are Hilton Gold or Diamond, you should have access to the lounge. There are always food and snacks available, all times of the day. The snacks were very good and the staff was always very attentive.
As far as points hotels go in Venice, I don’t think there are many options, so I would definitely consider staying at this hotel again when I come back to Venice. If you want a more authentic experience, there are several independent hotels on the main island and probably lots of Airbnb rooms too. There are not many restaurant choices on the small island where the hotel is located. The 2 restaurants we visited were both great (5-10 minute walks from the hotel). During the evening, the Hilton shuttle boat takes you to the main island near several restaurant options. Do some research on Yelp / TripAdvisor to find good restaurant options and ask the front desk to call for reservations, if necessary.
If you have any questions about Venice or the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice, please leave a comment below. Have a great weekend everyone!
P.S. Sweet dreams from Venice and my little gondolier hat.
The hilton shuttle was free when we went a few years ago. How else do they expect us to go across? Even great swimmers won’t make it far.
Haha, good point. Well there is a paid water bus a half mile away, but they probably thought they could make money charging customers :)
Thank you for the timely review. I was just looking at the Hilton for a visit in April. Also looking at some abnb options on the main island. We are going to be flying out of Marco Polo and I am surprised at the cost and time involved in getting from any Venice location to the terminal. Do you have any advice for how long we should plan on to get to the airport and how far ahead we should get to the airport for an international flight back to the US? Thanks.
The trip to/from the airport and hotel takes about an hour. Try to get to the airport 2 hours before your flight departs to give yourself a good buffer. If you get there early, you can use Priority Pass to access one of the lounges.
I was there in May 2015 it was still Free.
Gotcha, maybe it was a January 2016 change.
So there’s really a charge for the shuttle boat?
I’m headed to Venice with the family this spring. My last visit, I stayed at the Choice hotel right near St. Marks, but I think that’s no longer an affiliate property (a shame because it was only 8000 points/night!). I’m not “crazy” about staying at the Hilton (so-so location and lack of character), but I am also a Diamond member, so I know we’ll get some decent benefits. I wasn’t thinking I’d have to pay for their shuttle boat, though.
I’m looking at my Hilton folio from the stay and I was only charged 3.5 Euros once during the entire stay. Not a big deal. If you tell them you didn’t use the shuttle boat, they will not bill you.
Very timely report. Is there any way to find how early/late these buses/water-taxi runs?
I was searching for a room in this Hotel in Summer and the prices were $600+ range. The presidential room was ~$8K+!
How were the other facilities (breakfast, pool etc.).
I’m pretty sure the buses and water taxis run 20+ hours a day. What time did you anticipate arriving or departing from Venice?
The breakfast in the executive lounge was great. Similar food every day, but lots of choices available. I didn’t check out the pool (I’m not even sure they have one).
The breakfast in the restaurant is so much better than the lounge. The pool has a very nice view from the rooftop.
Ahh nice. We never ate at the restaurant. I usually don’t eat much for breakfast, so the lounge food was good enough for me. Glad you enjoyed the view from the roof top pool. Was it foggy at all when you were there?
I realize its been a couple of years since you wrote this review, but do you remember if it is possible to walk from the hotel to the center of the city? (I’m guessing its not.) We like to walk and might consider that instead of the shuttle once in a while.
Thank you.
The hotel is on an island, so you can walk around the island, but if you want to get to the city center, you have to take the hotel water shuttle. From there, you can walk around Venice all you want.