We finally made it back to Venice toward the end of our eight month trip through Europe. We booked the train from Vienna (those posts are coming soon) to Venice. There was flooding on the route the morning we left so we took the train for the first half, then they put us on a bus for the rest of the trip.
Needless to say, we were exhausted by the time we got to Venice. The last time we visited, we stayed in an Airbnb and had a very hard time finding it. If you’ve ever looked for an address on the confusing canal streets of Venice, you understand.
We booked the Hilton Molino Stucky because I have Diamond status at Hilton and I liked the location. It’s on the outer island in Venice, Giudecca, with a great view of the main area of Venice.
Like everywhere in Venice, you take the train into the city then you have to either walk or take the water taxi/shuttle. The hotel has a private water taxi that was super confusing at night after a long day of travel. We had to take a water taxi from the train station to another area, then essentially transfer to the Hilton shuttle, since it only had two stops it went to. It was frustrating at first, but worked out just fine for the rest of the trip.
Seeing the gorgeous building as the boat pulled up out front immediately improved our mood. The hotel is located in an old flour mill from the 1880’s and is part of Historic Hotels Worldwide.
Check in was easy and the staff at the desk were so helpful. We left our luggage at the front desk so we could grab a late dinner before the kitchen closed. I had read the food wasn’t great, and it was just okay. But we hadn’t eaten a full meal all day and were starving, so we were happy that they were even still open.
Sufficiently satiated, we headed up to our room. We booked a King Molino Executive with water view and it was so nice.
The bed was super comfortable and the bathroom was spacious. It was too dark to see the view when we arrived but it was the first thing I checked out the next morning. It far exceeded my expectations. It was so beautiful!
The rest of the hotel was beautiful. The room included breakfast and it was one of the best hotel breakfasts I’ve ever had, even better The Waldorf in London. You were immediately offered a mimosa and coffee, usually accompanied by a man singing live in the front of the room. They had an incredible amount of options, even a full kids sweets and candy area. I may have taken a Chupa Chups lollipop after every breakfast.
I had access to the executive lounge, thanks to my Diamond Status, and they had happy hour every night. There were tons of drink options, and the food was much better than the restaurant the first night. I could have easily eaten a full meal there.
When it was time to leave, we didn’t want to lug our heavy suitcases in and out of public water taxis, where you weren’t guaranteed room to put them. The public water taxis were easy to figure out in the daylight after the disaster the first night, but we had too much stuff.
Despite buying a taxi pass and paying the required fee for the hotel water taxi shuttle, we decided to splurge on a €70 private taxi, set up by the hotel concierge. Another couple ended up wanting to take it at the same time, so we were able to share it, and the cost. It was a lovely and relaxing way to get to the train station, and worth every penny.
Even with the difficulty getting there and the extra fee for the shuttle we never used, I would still stay here again. The view was gorgeous and the neighborhood had a locals feel to it. A lot of things around it did close early, but everything closes early in Venice.
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