Garda Hotel

I'd definitely come back for a short visit. The hotel is old, but the price is very good and the staff are helpful. Our room was spacious and comfortable, though it was close to the elevator, which was noisy when it worked. Sound insulation in general is poor. The elevator was out of order during our stay, too. The location is close to Milano Centrale. Despite the area's bad reputation, we found the neighborhood well served, with plenty of restaurants, bars, and breakfast places. It's a shame breakfast isn't included, not even a basic one. It costs €12.50 per person, which is a lot when a nearby coffee shop offers breakfast for about €4.

The location is hard to beat: right beside the central station, with trains to Como, the metro into town, and airport buses all close. A convenience store next door was handy for snacks, water, and adapters, and there are two restaurants right across the way. For £200 for four nights, the value was great. I had a single room. It was small but cute, clean, cosy, and kept up well. They cleaned it daily and left fresh towels, and I liked the body soap. The shower was tiny, though, and the shutter in my room never got fixed even after I was told it would be. It could also be noisy with so much going on outside, so light sleepers might want earplugs. Getting water was frustrating. They didn't leave any after cleaning, so I had to call reception each time. When I asked for two bottles, I got only one small one, and eventually I started buying my own. There's also a city tax of around £7 a day, paid at checkout, which is standard in Italy. A solid stay for the location, price, and clean room, despite those hassles.

The location was very good, and my room was fairly spacious and clean with a comfortable bed. Still, I wasn't fully satisfied. The WiFi was weak, and the narrow elevator and apparent renovations in several areas made the building feel dated. Workers started making noise around 8-9 AM, waking me when I deliberately tried to sleep late one morning. The heated towel rail wouldn't turn on. I reported it twice, but they couldn't do anything. The hot water also failed once, although they fixed that quickly afterward. That's my most objective assessment.

What made this simple little hotel special was the staff. They make an effort to get to know you, and everyone was so kind and went above and beyond. Alessandro, the mid-day employee, was especially lovely, always smiling and ready to make your day better. There's a 24-hour concierge too. The location is top notch: a five-minute walk to the main train station and about a minute to metro lines 1 and 3. Line 3 goes straight to the Duomo, with the stairs coming out onto the plaza. There's an amazing restaurant right in front, handy when you're tired and don't want to go anywhere. The hotel itself is very simple, with no bells and whistles, and the beds are hard. When you're exhausted, though, you don't really feel it. This place made my trip so enjoyable, and I'd go back just to see the staff again.