We saw enough of the Murano to say with some conviction that it is going to be a wonderful hotel. We also saw enough of the Murano to say with some conviction that it is not yet.

In short, it is not finished. On our visit the main swimming pool was out of action, the spa had yet to be built, the internet, tv, dvd all-in-one thingy was not up and running, there were parts of the accommodation still being built and it generally had the feel of a sort of operational dress rehearsal. To compound matters the lady on reception, whilst perfectly pleasant, offered no solutions to any of our (mild ) complaints and seemed to think that a shrug of the shoulders would magically rectify things. Though we can and did speak French (badly I hasten to add) we felt it slightly strange that an international hotel chain would use as its first point of contact someone with a limited command of english. To be fair there were staff at the hotel, the managers in particular, who spoke very good English and who were very helpful.

That said, the hotel looks stunning and the main lobby would grace any hotel, anywhere in the world. If you want to get away from it all, this is the place to come.
It is situated in La Palmerie, about a 15minute taxi into Medina and is incredibly serene. (It is advisable to take up the hotel’s offer of transfers to and from the airport as very few taxi drivers seem to have even heard of it) . Should you wish to venture out, the distance from everywhere else can be a bind as you have to wait at least half an hour while the hotel calls you a taxi (for which dubious pleasure you get charged double!).

Clearly a lot of time and effort has been put in to the Murano and we have no doubts that it will be a magnificent hotel. If you are planning on going before August I’d have a good long think, after that, well, I think you’ll have a great time in opulent surroundings and experience the hotel in the guise its owners intended.