Residence Borromeo

I really enjoyed my overnight stop in Cesano Maderno. The area has beautiful old buildings, and the hotel is in a lovely spot. Our two young gentlemen at check-in were very hospitable. The rooms are spacious, full of character, and each has a luggage rack. The bathroom was well equipped with a bidet and waterfall showerhead. The place does have potential, but it’s clearly run down and needs a lot of work. The beds felt too hard for me, and the gardens, which are one of the hotel’s main attractions, haven’t been maintained. It’s a cute little budget hotel, fine for a stopover, but probably not for a longer stay.

We paid 110 Euros a night for three people with breakfast, booking two months ahead. Hotel Parco Borromeo is in Cesano Maderno, roughly halfway between Milan and Como, so it’s a handy base for exploring both if you have a car, with much lower prices. It sits in a quiet neighborhood in a large castle or monastery-like building. Check-in was quick, and the receptionists were kind. Our room looked renovated, was clean, and had plenty of space for the three of us and our pet. There’s private parking for a fee, either 5 or 10 Euros, I can’t remember. There’s also public parking right outside, free overnight until, I think, 8:30 AM. Breakfast was hearty and varied.

Maria was so kind and friendly, grazie mille. The hotel is good, clean, and bright. Breakfast looked good today, and sweet food is my favorite.

The best thing about this hotel was how close it is to the train station. I stayed in the annex, where the room looked nothing like the photos. The air conditioning didn’t work, the walls were dirty, and the bed was rock hard. I regret paying for breakfast: the eggs were hard and the coffee wasn’t very good. The garden behind the hotel looked sad and wasn’t as well kept as I’d expected. I don’t understand how it gets 4 stars. I’ve stayed in cheaper hotels that were much better. Getting into the underground garage was a nightmare too: someone from the front desk had to come outside and meet me at the elevator to let me in and get to my car.