Milan luxury hotels
Good evening,
I spent some the week end in Milan, hoping to do some shopping at Al Bazar, WP store and the likes, only to find out that most were closed for the month or at least two weeks.
I then decided to adapt the trip in a quick visit of the main luxury hotels in Milan. Here are some thoughts on my experiences there. More details on request and some pictures will come tomorrow evening.
Park Hyatt: By far, my favorite. The design is very similar to the one of the PH in Paris and transports you into an oasis of calm in the boiling city that is Milan (even though not so much in this month). The location is stellar and so are the service and the lunch we had. Reasonably priced with that (more than in Paris). 90€ for two persons. The rooms are indeed very beautiful and well thought out. I would go for a Deluxe Room or a real suite. The Junior Suite isn't worth it and the Park King isn't sufficiently great to appreciate the experience.
Armani hotel: Unfortunately the Nobu Armani restaurant was closed so we had dinner in the lounge. It was rather pleasant but not memorable even if the view on the Duomo at night is very impressive. Service is nice but a bit slow sometimes. Price for 2: 110€. The room design is cold as ever and full of Armani casa only. Actually, you could very well be in the Armani Burj Al Khalifa of Dubai, it's exactly the same, down to the sun shades used in the lounge. It does lack an Italian touch. The lounge chairs do not have any armrest which is a crime and non-sense.
Bulgari hotel: only used the Spa there for a manicure. Very disappointed but the price should have tipped me off. 25€ is not expensive enough to get a nice treatment. The rooms were pretty nice but not on par with the Bulgari hotel in London despite prices being equal (600-700 € a night). Service was very distant until my girlfriend started talking to me in Russian which made them probably think that we were the typical Russian high-life-spending couple.
Principe di Savoia: had dinner in the restaurant and very much enjoyed it. 130€ for 2 but well worth it even though you can't imagine only taking a single main course for your dinner since portions are small. Do plan to spend 200€ for 2 if you want a real dinner. Very attentive and professional service. Rooms are nice the classic Italian way. Premium rooms and up only are worth the attention. Breakfast is to die for, one of the best I've ever had.
Four Seasons: Some wonderful suites but rooms are rather disappointed. The foyer lacks charm and a bit more crowd would be nice, if only beautiful. Service is poor and prices are very high. I wouldn't recommend it at all.
My ranking:
Hyatt
Principe di Savoia
Bulgari
Armani
Four Seasons
Extra: had lunch at la Villa d'Este in Como. What a beautiful place. I think I'd like to die there (sorry for this rather unusual thought but I would very much imagine myself at a late age closing my eyes with such an exquisite garden and view on the lake). Of course, heaven has its price and nothing comes cheap. Lunch by the pool (so not even in the restaurant) was 130€ for two with very basic dishes, not especially nice and with an awfully snobbish service. Crowd is rather unpleasant which could spoil a bit the experience. The key must be to stay in a suite and to make yourself well-known by some key staff with some well-thought tips in order to be treated as one should.