greene

I am spending one afternoon and night in Milan before taking off to Rapallo by train. I am looking for a hotel that is reasonable in price (around $100 to $150) and close to the Duomo and Last Supper (sights I will try to see in my limited time). Has anyone had any good experiences at any Milan hotels with these qualifications?

Dayle

Hi greene,

My experience is old, 2000, but we really liked the Antique Locanda dei Mercanti. Great location very near the Duomo on a small pedestrian side street, no sign out front so have the address ready for your taxi driver.

Very small rooms and baths (typical European city), breakfast optional and served in your room, very helpful staff, cool old building, quiet, divine beds and linens. Answer e mails promptly.

Their prices may be more than your budget by now, but check.

Buon viaggio!

kfusto

I booked Le Meridien on Priceline for 100/nt. It is in a perfect location for an overnight trip and is simply a lovely hotel. Although near the train station, the hotel is in a residential area and we walked everywhere. There is also a metro stop right there.

greene

kfusto, when you say near the train station, do you mean away from the more historical part of the city? we fly into Milan around noon, so we will want to drop off our bags and then head out to see sights. We have a 6 pm viewing of the Last Supper. Do you think the location of the Meridian is good for that?

Dayle, I will look into Locando de Mercanti also. Thanks.

Dayle

Greene,

Just checked out of curiosity and their web site is: www.locanda.it. Looks like their basic room is at 150E. Very nice place.

kfusto

It is actually just across from the side entrance of the train station.

I flew into Milan with my mother last summer to spend one day pre cruise. I generally avoid the station area but took a chance because the hotel looked so nice. I would stay there again for the quality of the accomodation and the convenience factor when on a short trip.

The Malpensa Express from the airport was so easy and efficient and we easily walked to the center from the hotel. There is also a Metro stop right there but we never had to use it.

Personally, I think you will be fine. You can drop off your bags, freshen up and then head out. We also found a great place for dinner a few blocks away. No tourists and the food was yummy!

kappa

I can recommend you to try Hotel dei Cavalieri 4-star, 5 minutes walk from Duomo. I posted some details on the following thread some time ago.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34898042

The church that has Last Supper is not located near tourist central area (e.g.Duomo or Central Station)so you would have to take a taxi or, as I did, subway. However, if you have not got reservation already, it will be very hard to get in, if not impossible.

kappa

Forgot to say, Milan hotel rates vary greatly depending on the seasons and especially if you visit during any of the fair... Try a booking site, put in your dates and if you don't get many hits or prices are very high generally, chances are there are a fair or two then. Venere.com is good to try, you can pick hotels by the areas.

greene

Dayle, I just requested a reservation at the Locanda after looking at many other hotels, which seem to be so much more expensive. Thanks for the rec.

Kfusto, I tried the Meridien, and even with a Starwood discount I have, the price was astronomical. It looks great, but I just can't justify the cost for less than 12 hours in the room. Thanks for the rec though. Maybe after year end bonuses

greene

Kappa, I saw Hotel dei Cavalieri on tripadvisor and it looked great. But for the night I am staying (a Saturday night in Sept) the rates were over $400.

I tried making a reservation to see the last supper, but was told it's still too early.

kfusto

Greene, I used Priceline and bid and won it for 100 USD per night. If you do your research at biddingfortravel.com, it is not hard to figure it out.

It was also way over my budget, even with my SPG award discounts so I understand.

kappa

400 ! that's out of qustion! Did you read my post on the other thread? I paid €79 last July. I can smell a fair at your September date.

kappa

Greene, you don't say which Saturday in Sep. but I put Sat.22 SEP on venere.com and got €259 for dei Cavalieri but better yet, Hotel Mentana is €95 so it's well within your budget isn't it? It is also in historical area (Duomo, etc) and 4*. I don't mind 2, 3 or 4* but in Sep. still you would appreciate having air-con that this hotel has. I just don't have a first hand experience though.

Oh, the prices above are for a single room. If you are looking for a room for 2 persons, they may change slightly.

Dayle

Hi Green,

You should have a prompt answer from dei Mercanti. We just loved the location and it's not far from a Metro stop too. Very near the Duomo, Galleria, and La Scala.

We found the hotel prices in Milan very high even 7 yrs ago. They vary hugely depending on trade fairs happening in this major business city!

Buon viaggio!

greene

So, Hotel dei Cavalieri emailed me back and said they are booked. I can't believe it, it's nearly 8 months in advance.

We are spending a Saturday night in Milan and need a double room (or at least one with a bed big enough for two people). Also, it is the first night of our honeymoon, so we would like something decent.

I can't believe I am having so much trouble finding something in our price range!

Anyone have any other suggestions? Does anyone have first hand experience with Hotel Mentana?

kfusto

I enjoyed the Una Hotels in Milan and have stayed at two of them. Try their website and see if they have any promos.

Dayle

Hi again Greene,

If it's the first night of your honeymoon, maybe consider something outside of Milan. You could travel maybe an extra hour or so towards Rapallo and probably find a lovely, special place in the countryside!

Personally, I would MUCH rather do that than feel like I HAD to stay in Milan at high prices.

Why not get out a map, find some small towns, enroute and see what pops up? I've found many great places in Italy and France using Fodor's "Small Inns & Hotels of Character and Charm in..." (way too long of a name!). They have maps keyed with the location of each place which helps greatly.

Just a thought!

Rats, I just remembered you had Last Supper tickets already. Well, I missed it my first and probably only time in Milan and I lived!