Venice is often thought of as a summer destination, sipping spritz in the sun and enjoying gelato and cicchetti canal-side
Although that is pretty dreamy, Venice is also a great spot to check out during the winter. You’ll avoid the masses of tourists that you’d get during the peak season and experience Venice as a true local, drinking plenty of negronis along the way.
During our trip, we stayed at the Hilton Molino Stucky. The hotel is housed in a huge listed building, which was once a flour mill. After years of neglect, it’s been restored and transformed into a grand hotel that retains its industrial feel. The hotel’s located on the island of Giudecca, which sits adjacent to the heart of the city and is predominantly populated by Venetian residents. Although it’s just a stone’s throw away (a 10-minute boat ride on the hotel’s shuttle) from the main tourist destinations, the calm surroundings feel a million miles from Venice’s chaotic centre – something you’ll be thankful for after a day of sightseeing.
We stayed on floor seven, which provided epic views of the city. Inside the room, there were all the amenities you’d need including a huge bed, bath, double shower and TV. Of course, if you’re splashing the cash you can also rent their Presidential suite, which is the highest suite in the city and comes with its own 360 viewpoint tower (VERY swish and sadly very out of our budget too).
There are three restaurants within the Hilton Molino Stucky and we checked out the small and intimate Bacaromi restaurant during our stay. Typical of Venice, the restaurant has a cicchetti counter as well as a menu full of traditional Venetian dishes, including plenty of seafood. We had an excellent calamarata pasta with seafood sauce and a slow-cooked monkfish with Swiss chard. Feeling pretty stuffed by this point, we skipped dessert and headed to the hotel’s Skyline rooftop bar. This is one of Venice’s few rooftop bars and provides the perfect spot for a nightcap or two before bed..
After a couple of days exploring Venice in January, we have to say we didn’t miss the hot weather one bit. We managed to complete a jam-packed itinerary including wandering the canals, hopping on a boat to Murano to watch the famous Venetian glass blowing, and even take a day trip to Bologna. If you want to escape the January blues, we’d highly recommend a winter in the floating city, and booking into the Hilton Molino whilst doing so.
Giudecca 810, Venice, 30133, Italy
hilton.com