Hilton Molino Stucky convenient for 1 night pre cruise?

[cheffip]

help for a priceline/hotwire newbie.....how do you know for sure it's the Hilton when they don't post the names of the hotel. Do you go by stars or narrow your search to a certain area or what?! I would like to get in on these savings!

 

There is never an absolute "guarantee" that you will get the hotel you want because you only learn the name of the hotel when your bid is accepted but there are ways of narrowing the search and having a good idea of what you will get.

For Venice on Hotwire, it's quite easy. Put in your dates and a number of hotels will appear with amenity icons for each (though some Venice hotels don't list any amenity icons). You can try to match the icons to hotel listings on travel websites like "betterbidding.com" that have "decoded" them based on traveller's experience in buying or bidding.

For Venice, if you see a five star with icons that begin - (from left to right) - near beach, fitness, swimming pool - it's the Hilton Molino. On Hotwire, it seems to be selling in the $180's plus fees and taxes for summer and fall though it may not be available for all dates.

It's a bit more complicated with Priceline. You are "bidding" on a hotel based on your desired star rating. For example, you can bid on 5 star hotels in Venice at your chosen price level and see if your offer is accepted. I started at $135 and worked my way up. You can only put in one bid every 24 hours unless you change hotel zones (eg adding Mestre to central Venice) or adding different star levels (eg lowering your bid to include 4 star hotels). According to Betterbidding, the Hilton is the only Venice 5* that appears to have been won on Priceline for many years.

Last year it was common for bids for the Hilton around $140 to be accepted but so far this year, the prices seem a little higher but still a great bargain for a 5* in Venice.

[nonrev1]

We are staying here pre cruise and were able to get the very low rate. At the time we booked, both Priceline and Hotels dot Com were offering the same rate.

[cheffip]

We are staying here pre cruise and were able to get the very low rate. At the time we booked, both Priceline and Hotels dot Com were offering the same rate.

 

Sounds like you got a great deal. Did you book in 2009? For my dates in October, Hotwire is currently $179 and Hotels.com is $480.

[cruisinggranmama]

Yes. A good choice.

 

We stayed at the Hilton last October one night before our cruise. It was convenient and the views from the roof-top pool were unforgettable. We purchased a water taxi from the airport to the Hilton through VeniceLink. It took a little time but we saw all the other islands as ours was last stop. We enjoyed that as we would not have time to see them otherwise. You can look out over all of Venice from the Hilton rooftop. We found it a perfect start to a great cruise.

 

Hilton shuttles left every 15 minutes and made 3 stops across the lagoon. Extremely convenient. We made good use of them. Cruise morning we went back across the lagoon for a morning stroll across the canals and some coffee.

 

We did take a private water taxi from the hotel to the cruise pier. It felt almost like being in a movie. And it was worth it. Seeing other cruisers lugging their suitcases from other forms of transportation showed us it was money well spent. Onboard there were many complaints about getting to the ship either from hotel or the airport.

 

Venice is a city of islands. There is no good way to get around on foot with luggage. So you either pay for convenience or make another choice.

 

Make sure to be on an upper deck or starboard balcony to sail away from Venice. :)

[barbetal]

Thanks for great report of Hilton and transport. For our stay at the Hilton, we were prepared to pay for water taxi to hotel from airport,hoping to find a share at airport. We may reconsider VeniceLink. We then planned, after a relaxing day following overnight flight, to haul luggage and get to ship cheapest possible way. After reading your report, guess it will be water taxi to ship from Hilton. At this rate, I’ll never be able to retire.

[nonrev1]

We booked our room for May in January.

I agree with what Cheffip is saying about knowing what hotel you are getting through Priceline and Hotels.....there are limited 5 Stars out there - so, you are pretty much guaranteed the Hilton. Another site to check is BiddingforTravel....they have lists of the hotels that are being used.

[Roger1965]

We stayed at this hotel last year before departing. We loved it. The shuttles to the city were convenient and having a nice place to stay is worth it. it was also very easy to get to the pier. We got a killer deal in Priceline for this hotel. Highly recommend this option.

[Lmack]

As to the original question regarding convenience, this is not the most "convenient" hotel. But having stayed at 20 or so hotels in Venice--we've been fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time there--I can recommend the Hilton Molino Stucky. If you want something closer to St. Mark's Square to maximize time, my favorite are the Locando Orseolo and the Metropole (and most of the hotels we have stayed at are in that area). The rates I see listed here for the Hilton Molino Stucky are excellent considering the weak dollar, the high cost of hotels in Venice, and the fact that this is a 5-star. So you're really going to have to make the call to see if the $$ or the location is most important to you.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

 

Since you've stayed in Venice so many times, which hotel would you recommend for one evening. Our cruise ends in Venice and we're on a flight out of Marco Polo Airport the following morning at 8:05am. We need all the recommendations and advice you can give us.

 

Thanks in advance.

[happy_travellers]

I went ahead and booked the Stucky and now am so excited.

 

Can I take a bus from the airport and how would I proceed from there. Thought a trip up the grand canal would be great.

 

 

Karen

[KerriCornell]

I went ahead and booked the Stucky and now am so excited.

 

Can I take a bus from the airport and how would I proceed from there. Thought a trip up the grand canal would be great.

 

 

Karen

 

You will need to go by water, either by vaparetto, water taxi or the alilaguna line. If you have a lot of luggage and don't want to go by vaparetto (water bus) then check out the shared water taxi service.

 

http://www.venicelink.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=10&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=26&lang=english&vmcchk=1&Itemid=26

 

Its quite a good deal. Which reminds me, I have to book mine!

[happy_travellers]

You will need to go by water, either by vaparetto, water taxi or the alilaguna line. If you have a lot of luggage and don't want to go by vaparetto (water bus) then check out the shared water taxi service.

 

http://www.venicelink.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=10&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=26&lang=english&vmcchk=1&Itemid=26

 

Its quite a good deal. Which reminds me, I have to book mine!

 

I have a layover in AMsterdam and I am hoping that when I board in Toronto I can change my flight to the earlier arrival in Venice. So at this point I do not want to book a water taxi.

 

Can I take a bus from the Airport to Venice then get on a Vaparetto? Which vaparetto?

 

Thanks Karen

[nonrev1]

Karen - the easiest way is probably with Alilaguna- both the Red and the Blue line go to the Hilton from the airport.

The Hilton Molino Stuck has their own site and it says:

Transfers by public boat (Alilaguna) from/to airport directly to Hilton Molino Stucky Venice. Cost: Euro 15 per person, transfer time 1h30 min / 2 hrs approximately.

You can get tickets in advance or when you arrive ( since you are trying to standby for an earlier flight). This does seem like the easiest route since you will be traveling with bags. You will board once and not have to connect anywhere.

Lauri

[xcomet]

As to the original question regarding convenience, this is not the most "convenient" hotel. But having stayed at 20 or so hotels in Venice--we've been fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time there--I can recommend the Hilton Molino Stucky. If you want something closer to St. Mark's Square to maximize time, my favorite are the Locando Orseolo and the Metropole (and most of the hotels we have stayed at are in that area). The rates I see listed here for the Hilton Molino Stucky are excellent considering the weak dollar, the high cost of hotels in Venice, and the fact that this is a 5-star. So you're really going to have to make the call to see if the $$ or the location is most important to you.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

 

 

So Donna, since you have been there so many times, here is my decision

 

Our cruise is out of Rome, we have the time to do a day trip to Venice,

Do we land in Venice overnight then fly from Venice to Rome the following day, or Do we use Rome as our base and just fly roundtrip up to Venice,(worried about luggage lugging for only one night)We will be in Rome for 4 days.

 

Thanks!

[b0684]

Thanks for the info on the Hilton. We will be on a 9/11 Gem cruise and are looking for a hotel to stay for one night after the cruise. We'll be arriving in Venice on 9/9 for a two night stay before we cruise but our hotel is booked for the one night after the cruise. How did you get the Hilton on priceline for 145.00 us. I checked priceline and the price was around 300.00us. Any info on how you booked it for this price on priceline would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any info.

[happy_travellers]

Thanks for the info on the Hilton. We will be on a 9/11 Gem cruise and are looking for a hotel to stay for one night after the cruise. We'll be arriving in Venice on 9/9 for a two night stay before we cruise but our hotel is booked for the one night after the cruise. How did you get the Hilton on priceline for 145.00 us. I checked priceline and the price was around 300.00us. Any info on how you booked it for this price on priceline would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any info.

 

Depends on the time of year I am sure. I booked it for this Friday at over 300.00 less than the going rate and it was still close to 300.00, but a good deal for this time of year. There was nothing 4 star or above even close and I looked a long time.

 

Karen

[b0684]

Karen, Thanks for your reply. I think I'll wait a little longer to book. I'm also looking at the Marriott near the airport, thought it might be a good idea to stay close to the airport for flying out the next day. We'll be at the Hotel Kette for our first two days in Venice, it came with the package we purchased. Anyone evey stay there? It looks good from the pictures. Thanks to all!!!!!!!!!

[nonrev1]

There are two options for Priceline...one option is to book a specific hotel, knowing exactly which hotel you are booking and also seeing the price. The other option is bidding for a hotel, not knowing which hotel you will get and offering the price you would like to pay. I am guessing that the only way you can see the 300.00 price is if you are choosing the 1st option. We bid on the hotel /selected Venice and a 5 star property and got the hotel for 145. Also, we booked quite a bit in advance.

Hope that helps.