Room Saronno + B&B

I haven't stayed here yet, but I really enjoyed talking with the owner, Paolo. He was kind and helpful, explained everything, and replied very quickly. I couldn't stay because of some visa timing, but if I get the chance to come to Milan, I'd definitely recommend the place because of him.

The room was noisy and the bed was hard, and honestly the wife’s kindness doesn’t make up for it. She’s lovely and stays calm, but that’s about the only saving grace. Before you’ve paid or the cancellation period has passed, things seem easy and normal, especially around check-in. After that, you deal with the husband, who seems extremely unstable and unsafe. He screams and cries, just as other one-star reviewers have described. I’m laughing because those reviews really do tell the truth.

Everything was good, apart from the location.

The final night was the worst part. We tried to shower at about 22:30 before an early departure and found there was no hot water. The host said he was away and had come from Milan. He arrived soon after, visibly upset, knocked loudly, and spoke angrily in Italian while my wife was in the bathroom. We couldn’t understand him. Hot water came back briefly, then stopped. He seemed frustrated when we told him and wanted to inspect the bathroom while my wife was still waiting to finish. After some adjustments, it worked again. The whole exchange felt uncomfortable and unnecessary, since we hadn’t caused the problem. At checkout, we were told to put the keys in a bin outside. Seeing guest keys left in a garbage bin was a strange end to the stay. Getting into the property was a hassle, with separate keys for our room, the host’s entrance, the building gate, and the residential block. There were privacy and comfort issues too: one morning the host vacuumed in the kitchen next door, and another time he came into the area to collect garbage without telling us. The room was on the ground floor of the host’s home, beside a kitchen guests couldn’t use. We also heard footsteps, furniture moving, and other noises from upstairs throughout the night. The room itself didn’t feel finished. There was patchwork on the ceiling near the TV and mirror, and gaps let light in from upstairs at night. The building seemed old and poorly maintained, and the atmosphere felt uncomfortable and a bit unsafe. Breakfast, despite this being advertised as a B&B, was only a few packaged cakes. Communication was difficult from the start because the host spoke only Italian and didn’t speak English, so we often couldn’t follow what he was explaining. We’d asked to check in between 14:00 and 15:00, but that was declined. We agreed to arrive around 16:00, then he said he had several check-ins at other places and insisted on 18:30. While we were already on the way, we asked if 17:30 might work, but he refused. At around 17:20 he suddenly offered 17:30, by which time we’d already planned around 18:30. This didn’t feel like a hotel or a typical Airbnb. The stay seemed to run on the host’s terms, with little thought for guest comfort, communication, or convenience. From beginning to end, it was very disappointing, and we wouldn’t recommend it.