Post Day in Venice Italy September 2018

[Grifdog22]

Fellow Adventurers - We seek your guidance. This trip is one my DW picked in exchange for her going skydiving in the OYO time on the Gold Coast of Australia on the ABD trip last summer. I knew that activity would be expensive in so many ways.....

She wants a post day in Venice. We are finding getting that the transfers to get to the airport on our own are really cost prohibitive! We are trying to decide whether we should stay in our room and book through ABD or not. The room is $798 USD and includes breakfast and a transfer the post day to the airport. The hotel is the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice. It seems a bit isolated - a water shuttle is necessary to go anywhere...

We were told today by ABD they will not provide a transfer back to the airport if we don't book with them for the post day, even if we leave from the ABD hotel. We finally called and waited on hold to get an answer as the three e-mails I've sent to the previous helpful vacationistas, spread over a six week period were not answered at all.

We were debating just going with the end of trip transfer with ABD and then taking a cab to the airport hotel, checking in and then going out to play. No matter what, the transports appear expensive. Many are water transports. The hotels also appear expensive. DW wants to participate in a concert program which is in Venice, or a walking tour in Venice, or a full day program near the airport which is out of the touristy area. The activity will be decided by the hotel and transport. We have found some really interesting places that might also be fun to stay, but we are also finding no vacancy repeatedly as well, so we need to make a decision!

Those that have done a post day in Venice - Did you stay with the ABD hotel, and if not, where did you stay, how did you like it, and how much of an issue was it to get transferred back to the airport. Your advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[riot23]

I remember Pete mentioning The Westin Europa & Regina, Venice when they talked about the DIS Italy trip. Not sure if they stayed there, but he said the location was good, central and close to St. Mark's Square.

 

[aggiedog]

Check over on the cruisecritic ports board. There seems to be a wealth of info on hotel recommendations and how to navigate Venice. Also TripAdvisor, under the Venice forum. Those are my two go-to sites for locale info.

 

[mapsd]

The Hilton Molina is a great hotel!
Great breakfast, pool on the roof, and great views of Venice from the bar.
The hotel has its own shuttle that makes frequent trips to St Mark's, so not so isolated, just kills a little time in transport.
Downside of being on Giudecca is that it's away from Venice proper. Upside is also that it's away from Venice proper.
Almost any hotel near St Mark's will be a considerable downgrade, but you'll be in the middle of it all.
Private water taxi to the airport is EXPENSIVE, so its a big perk of staying put.

We've been to Venice twice and did both options:
First time with ABD & stayed at the Molina Stucky the whole time.
2nd trip, stayed at the Caveletto hotel, which is right on St Mark's Square.
Great location. Old, small rooms, very noisy at night.

As long as their shuttle still runs late in the evening, I'd pick staying at the Molina Stucky if I did it again.

 

[kristilew]

We spent a few nights in Venice last May, after doing a Med cruise. We stayed at the Hotel American Dinesen and it was lovely. Sort of between the Guggenheim and the Academia Bridge, it was a perfect location for wandering.

It was also right on a little side canal and had its own dock. On our last day, the front desk arranged a private water taxi to pick us up at our preferred time. This cost around $100 and was worth it to us for ease. We controlled the timing, and simply walked out of the hotel and got on the boat, then were taken directly to the airport.

However, you could also take one of the water buses very easily as there is a stop on the grand canal right near the hotel. You must go over one bridge but it has ramps, which makes for easy luggage pulling. We actually arrived at the hotel this way, having come from the cruise terminal.

I don't remember what we paid for the hotel, but it wasn't anything close to $798, and it did include a really good breakfast. The staff also bent over backwards to be helpful the entire time we were there. Hope this helps!

 

[mapsd]

Venice is so much more enjoyable early morning or late night (no mainland hotel & cruise ship tourists).
St Mark's square is totally empty at 7/8 AM.
Our best experiences were evenings, walking west from St Mark's until we didn't hear English being spoken.
No map, you can walk end to end, so no fears of getting stranded anywhere.
Saw the ballet at the Opera House (Teatro La Fenice), concert hall (Chiesa di San Vidal) had great live performances.

Venice is the perfect spot to break away from the ABD and dine alone (most places aren't set up for big groups).
Use the Molina Stucky to sleep, eat breakfast, and maybe a siesta. Spend the rest of your time getting lost!

 

[tgeorge]

Did ABD change the rules again? They were providing airport transportation to/from hotel as long as it was the same hotel (even if not booked through ABD). What a bummer!

 

[d2lane]

I absolutely love just wandering around Venice in the early morning or late afternoon/evening after the influx of the day visitors have gone home. Venice is a small island, you can't get lost. We flew into Venice 4 days early before our Venice to Barcelona cruise a few years ago and took the Alilaguna public ferry from the airport to our hotel. https://www.alilaguna.it/ not to be confused with the Vaporetto public water taxi. the Vaporetto service does not go to the airport. But it's a lot of fun to get a pass and just explore on the Vaporetto... https://www.tripsavvy.com/vaporetto-transportation-system-1548043