Italy was our first destination ever since Corona had put the world on hold. From our Dutch government there are many travel restrictions in place, which leaves very few destinations, all within Europe, open for us to travel to. Early September, Italy was one of the few places we could freely travel to. That plus the fact that we had never properly explored Italy before, made us decide to choose Italy as next destination.
Once we decided we really wanted to explore the Dolomites and Northern Italy, we also decided that Venice should be on our itinerary this trip. Venice is one of those places that was always on the back of our mind, but just never happened for some reason.
The travel industry has been hit hard by the corona crisis, popular places like Venice rapidly became deserted and somehow unrecognizable due to this crisis. Travelling now means you’re one of the very few tourists in town. I hate big crowds, so in a way I liked walking through an empty Venice, but at the same time it’s very sad. Just the many cruise boats that used to come every day account for a few thousand tourists, they all stay away now.
Molino Stucky History
It’s now a very luxurious and high end hotel, with a prime waterfront location. It almost feels it was always built to be a classy hotel. But that is certainly not the case.
Before the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice became a hotel, it was once one of Europe’s largest flour mills. Founded by Giovanni Stucky who constructed this industrial flour mill on Venice’s Giudecca Island.
The mill produced some of the greatest yields of flour in all of Europe. At its peak the mill employed 1500 people, making Stucky quickly one of the wealthiest people in Venice. Although it was first built as a flour mill, it later also operated as a pasta factory.
In the mid-2000’s the company went into partnership with the Hilton Hotels, with a major plan to turn it into a hotel with 379 rooms and a rooftop swimming pool. The complex opened in 2007 and as of today still houses the Hilton Molino Stucky, a five-star hotel.
Location Hilton Molino Stucky Venice
Peacefully and quietly located at the Giudecca Island overlooking the main island of Venice. This Hilton Molino Stucky Venice Hotel is located across the grand canal with a luxurious waterfront location and private boat dock.
Getting to and from the hotel is actually really easy. As you may know, cars are not allowed in Venice, and I honestly wouldn’t know how to use cars in Venice either. Anyway, arriving by car means you have to leave your car just outside of Venice. Our recommendation is to park your car at the Interparking Tronchetto. A huge carpark with direct access to ACTV public transport (water busses). Plus a real bonus, the Hilton offers a 20% discount voucher for this parking facility. You can request the voucher at the hotel directly from the concierge.
To get to the hotel, from Tronchetto you take ACTV line nr. 2 to Palanca. From this stop it’s just a short 10 minute walk to the hotel, along the water. You can buy tickets directly at the stop, they cost € 7,50 per person and are valid for 75 minutes. The ride from Tronchetto to Palanca only takes about 15 minutes.
Of course you can also take private water taxis, but keep in mind they are at least 10 times more expensive than the ACTV water busses.
Venice Marco Polo Airport is located just 12km from the city. This international airport has connections to over 100 destinations. After arriving in Venice by plane, to reach the city center you can take water bus nr. 5. It will cost you about €8 and will take you to the center in 25 minutes.
Hotel Shuttle Service
Being located away from the main attractions doesn’t have to be a problem, because the Hilton Venice have their own hotel shuttle service. Right in front of the hotel you’ll find the boat pier from where this shuttle leaves which connects you with the main attractions in the city center. Please note that a charge of € 8,50 per person per stay applies, payment will be taken care of at check out.
The shuttle runs every full hour from the Hilton hotel, make sure to ask their concierge for the shuttle boat timetable, to see departure times from the other two stops as well.
These stops are Zattere, in front of the Gesuati Church, the other stop is Saint Mark’s Square. The boat ride from the Hilton hotel to Saint Mark’s Square takes about 20 minutes with constant amazing Venice views.
Premium Room with Views
We were given a premium room with views. These rooms were very recently renovated, which you can clearly see, the rooms look brand new and modern. They rooms offer amazing canal and Venice views, exactly what you have in mind when you start thinking of hotels in Venice.
It’s truly amazing to wake up, open the curtains, and have these breathtaking views of Venice. An absolute recommendation here. Make sure to enquire for a room with Venice and water views, you absolutely won’t regret it. It really is the best thing there is to be able to look out of your window and overlook Venice and the big canal where all the boats and water busses come by. To me it worked very soothing for some reason.
Well, normally this view also includes the many cruise boats that used to come in and out of Venice, as they literally passed the Hilton to dock. They weren’t around at all when we visited, due to the Covid situation. I found the ferry’s already quite big when they cruised by, but they are nothing compared to the cruise boats that normally come here. I can only imagine how impressive it must be to see one cruise by from your hotel room.
Rooftop Bar Skyline Venice
One of the main features of this hotel funny enough is the roof. At the roof you’ll find their Skyline Venice rooftop bar, overlooking Venice like you have never seen before.
Keep in mind that you need to make a reservation for the rooftop bar. The bar opens at 7.00pm
Our travelers tip: Go up to the rooftop just before sunset, so you can enjoy the sunset from up there and experience one very special sunset. It surely was one of the best and most special sunsets we have ever experienced. You’ll have the sunset on one side of the building, and an orange coloring Venice on the other side.
According to Lonely Planet the Skyline Bar offers the best view over Venice.
Rooftop Pool
Definitely the eye-catcher of the Hilton Molino Stucky, their rooftop pool. Not the biggest pool, but a perfect size to relax and cool down after a long day of exploring the city. Totally next level rooftop pool!
The city which you can see from this pool or from one of the many loungers you can relax in. Due to Corona access to the pool is currently limited. You will need to make a one hour reservation, you can make multiple reservations if you wish to stay longer.
During the pools opening hours there is a lifeguard present for your safety. He will also hand you towels for your lounger. The pool also has a bar area where you can get soft drinks, beer and aperol spritz.
Restaurants
Besides the rooftop bar the Hilton Molino Stucky has several restaurants and bars at their property, each offering something different.
Let’s start with the Il Molino Restaurant. This is your place when you have breakfast included in your stay. Due to Corona we had breakfast served from the menu, which wasn’t too bad really. Service was super quick and large portions too.
Normally they have a breakfast buffet, but for now that is closed. You can choose anything from the menu that they would normally also serve at the buffet. Next to the lobby they have the Rialto lounge and bar. It’s at this part of the hotel where you will also find the executive lounge area.
Then there is also the Aromi Restaurant, serving modern Italian Cuisine. They have an outdoor terrace overlooking the canal and the city of Venice.
And last but not least there is the Bacaromi, another restaurant offering authentic Venetian dining. Discover the same great dishes locals have been enjoying for centuries. Unfortunately Bacaromi was temporarily closed during our visit.
Eforea Spa
Eforea Spa offers an oasis of well-being. It’s your place if you’re looking to relax your body after an active day in the city. Enjoy the sauna, a steam bath, jacuzzi or just the relaxing area. At the wellness center a bathrobe and towels are provided.
They also offer plenty of spa treatments and massages which can be booked via the reception. All treatments are done by their own beauty therapists.
Unfortunately this part of the hotel was completely closed during our visit, which had everything to do with Corona. We have seen the gym, but couldn’t check out the wellness center and spa packages.
The Hilton Molino Stucky Venice is a classy and stylish hotel. The hotel has long hallways, high ceilings, which give the hotel an extra luxurious look and feel.
Walking from the lobby towards the Il Molino restaurant you will walk through a long hallway, this hallway is full of beautiful art pieces and luxury goods.
This is also the place where you’ll find the shop, to take home some Hilton merchandise or Venice souvenirs.
Don’t forget to make a walk around the building, there are gardens at the back of the hotel, where you can also find a statue of Mr. Stucky.
Staying at the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice truly was the cherry on the cake of our stay in Venice. Located away from the normally busy center of Venice is such a great thing. And still, Venice is just a 20 minute boat ride away by private shuttle service, it doesn’t get much better.
Thinking of visiting Venice? You might want to consider visiting it sooner rather than later, as tourists numbers are still far from what it was before we landed in this crisis. It means that Saint Mark’s Square is nearly empty, even at the middle of the day. And what about the Rialto Bridge, you can actually walk the bridge without needing to pass through massive crowds.
I’m glad Venice became part of our Italy trip and that we got to visit Venice at its calmest and quietest. If we ever get to visit Venice again, I would choose this hotel again without any doubts.
This blog was written by travel writer and Traveltomtom team member Ashley. She travelled to Venice early September and stayed at Hilton Molino Stucky Venice on behalf of Traveltomtom, and wrote this blog about her experiences of this hotel.