Beyond Venice: Hyatt Murano Review

Believe it or not, we’ve been to Venice thirteen times – always for multi-overnight visits. I still feel like we’re peeling back the layers of this beautiful city.  Some tour guides say that Rome is brutal, but I think that Venice is hardest on the unprepared tourist.  One, prepare to walk. A lot.  Two, everything is a little bit harder – from finding good meals, to avoiding lines and crowds, to seeing the “real” Venice.  Venice doesn’t reveal itself easily.

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I had sworn off all hotels on the islands of Venice after 2016.  Don’t get me wrong – the experiences at the JW Marriott and the Hilton Stucky were fine. However, then we stayed at the Hotel Danieli and discovered Palazzo Veneziano.  We stayed at the Veneziano five or six times from 2017 – 2019 and returned in 2021 to find it exactly how we remembered it.  Why mess with perfection? 

In December 2021, we spent Christmas in Paris again – giving ourselves a couple days to regroup after visiting the Alsace Christmas markets – and planning how we would get to Rome for a January return to the United States.  We ended up booking a one-way flight from Paris to Venice because it was the most cost-effective option.  From there, I decided that we would use a couple of our free night certificates to stay at the Hyatt Murano Centric hotel. 

My reasoning was simple.  One, my husband REALLY loves Venice.  Two, it was free.  (I wanted to save my travel budget for a stay at the Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco.)  Three, if it was a mistake to stay on Murano, at least it would only be for a few days.  We’ve stayed at the Hyatt Murano 4 times now and found things to enjoy with each stay.

Benefits of Staying in Murano

As it turns out, we LOVED staying on Murano.  We loved it so much that we booked five nights at the Hyatt Centric Murano in March for Spring Break. We skipped out on a road trip through Germany to return to Venice.  (Did I mention that my husband really loves Venice?)  We paid cash for these nights, and it didn’t disappoint.  If anything, staying on Murano made Venice even better for us.  In December 2021 and 2022, we returned to Venice for 3 nights over Christmas.   

Getting to the Hyatt Centric Murano

On all four trips to the Hyatt Murano Venice, we arrived at VCE, Marco Polo airport.  Before you arrive, you can submit your flight information to confirm the Hyatt Murano shuttle from the airport to the hotel.  This is such an incredible benefit that most people pay a lot for when staying at other hotels.  I believe that our private water taxi from the train station to the JW Marriott cost 110 euro in 2015.  Our trip from the JW to the airport was even more expensive.  The Hyatt provides this service for free. 

Once you submit the form, they will email you a confirmation and let you know what time to meet the hotel boat.  It is timed perfectly for you to pick up your luggage. and get to the dock  (Seriously, I’m amazed at how perfectly timed this is.)  Once you board the boat, it will take about 20 minutes to get to the hotel. 

If you arrive outside shuttle hours, you can take the Alilaguna boat directly to Murano Museo for 8 euro (plus applicable baggage supplements).  This trip also takes about 20 minutes.  It’s not quite as glamorous as the hotel shuttle, but it’s really quick and very easy. 

If you are coming from the train station, I recommend buying an unlimited vaporetto pass for the number of days that you are going to be in Venice and taking the vaporetto.  Our 7-day pass was 60 euro and we definitely got our money’s worth every day.  (Each single ride is 7.50 euro and the ticket is only good for 90 minutes.)  In my experience, Google maps is the most effective way to determine the quickest way to get to your hotel.   

Duplex Suites at the Hyatt Murano – Rooms 215, 225, and 229

As a Hyatt Globalist, I have been upgraded to a duplex suite for all of our stays. We have been assigned rooms 215, 225, an 229 which are exactly the same layout. We were originally assigned 223 on our second stay, but it only had a walk-in shower. My hip was begging for a bathtub and the hotel staff was happy to make the change for me. Everything else in the room was exactly the same though.

The Hyatt Centric Murano is a former glass furnace, so the duplex rooms have huge arched windows that open towards the canal. You can open the blackout curtains for more light and open the door for more fresh air. One thing I really love is that there are also two skylights that open – we really enjoyed this at night. Like most European hotels, the air conditioning is usually off in the winter, but Venice is mild enough to where you can cool your room by opening the windows. The skylights also had blackout shades, so you don’t have to worry about too much light, even if the sun rises early.

As you walk in the room, there was an open closet area in the entryway, along with several shelves and drawers. This housed the minibar and safe. One of the things I appreciated most is that there were more than enough hangers. Sometimes you’ll check into a hotel with only a couple hangers, but we had plenty at the Hyatt Murano. There was plenty of room for us to completely unpack and put our suitcase away for our week-long entire stay.

The single bathroom was right inside the door with a soaking tub and hand-shower or a walk-in shower. Both of our rooms had a single sink vanity, as well as a toilet and a bidet. The bathroom is plenty large by European standards. The bath amenities are from Bee Kind.  Tom really loved the soap. I enjoyed the heated towel rack, the large bath sheets, and fluffy bathrobes in our room.

The sitting area has large windows that can be opened, though the location of the rooms prevents them from having much of a view.  The living room is a great use of space and fairly comfortable. There was a large flatscreen TV and more storage under the stairs.  I believe the couch offers a pull-out bed, so this might be a good room for families traveling with kids. (European hotels are very strict about occupancy numbers, so you’ll want to check this.)

Upstairs we had a king bed with dual nightstands and a small chair. The bed was comfortable, we had plenty of pillows (4 on the bed plus extra downstairs), and the linens were very cozy. What I loved about the loft, however, is that there was plenty of light. It never felt dark, even though there were no overhead lights upstairs.

On our first night, they delivered a bottle of Prosecco and a fruit plate to our room.  The second stay included meringue pastries and almonds.  On our third stay, we arrived to a bag of Italian meringue cookies. All have been lovely touches with a personal note.    

Very Venetian Experiences with Hyatt Murano

A few weeks before we arrived, the Hyatt staff sent us an email about their Very Venetian experiences.  One of the things that I’ve been focused on since we started traveling again post-2020 is seeking out those unique local experiences.  These experiences were mostly tours that I hadn’t found on other sites.    

When I found out that the Hyatt Murano offered a spritz masterclass, I immediately booked it.  The spritz originated in Venice, and I definitely wanted to learn more about it.  In December, we had a guide who had told us that Venice was famous for the “select” spritz, but I had not had the opportunity to try it.     

Spritz Masterclass at the Hyatt Murano

The Spritz masterclass is held in the bar of the hotel, and it’s the perfect, private setting to learn more about this Venetian cocktail and its many adaptations.  Stan was our host, and he could not have been more kind, more accommodating, and more excited to share information about the spritz with us. 

In this class, you make FIVE different spritzes.  Obviously, you’ll start with a basic Aperol Spritz, but you’ll also try the Venetian Select spritz, as well as a green spritz, a Campari spritz, and even an artichoke spritz!  We learned the proper liquid ratios for a spritz and garnished them with seasonal ingredients.  (Did you know a spritz is not a spritz unless it has an olive in it?  The more you know…)    

Once we had created our rainbow of spritzes, Stan brought out several cicchetti for us to try with our spritzes.  Yes, the type of spritz you are drinking should influence the food you eat.  I could tell a difference in how flavors were impacted by what I was eating and drinking.  This small tip definitely improved our cicchetti experience for the rest of our trip – and now I know what I should be ordering with my spritz! 

The really nice thing is because this is hosted in the bar of the hotel, we were able to take our time and finish our spritzes before heading to dinner.  Kindly, he also offered to take some photos of us together since he recognizes that there always must be someone behind the camera. 

Final Hyatt Murano Thoughts

Ultimately, I really like the Hyatt Centric Murano as a hotel option for getting off the beaten path in Venice.  It’s a nice hotel with modern amenities and a friendly staff.  I don’t think it’s the best home base for your first trip to Venice, but it’s a great change of pace for future trips.  I think staying on Murano gave us a lot more confidence to get out and explore some of the lesser known neighborhoods of Venice.    

Even if you choose not to stay at the Hyatt Murano, I would absolutely check out the very Venetian experiences.  They are focusing on using local guides to support activities that provide more insight into Venetian customs.  There is such an opportunity for Venice to re-emerge from over-tourism in a unique way, and anything we can do to support that is something that I want to be a part of.  I applaud the Hyatt Murano for trying to promote these unique Venetian experiences to its guests and capture more of the magic of Venice.     

Note:  This post is not sponsored or posted in collaboration with the Hyatt Centric Murano hotel.  I am, however, a Hyatt Globalist member and receive benefits through the Hyatt rewards program.  One of those benefits is free breakfast, however, I did not take advantage of it on any stay.