Im just wondering if anyone has any ideas on where to stay in Milan. We are arriving in Milan from Lake Como and then, the next day, need to catch the train or bus to the airport. It is myself, husband and two teenage daughters...and i have no idea.

I stayed for one night at the Hotel Canova about a block from the station. I got a pretty good deal on booking.com. The neighborhood is not as dire as you might be led to believe, but neither is it very charming. The hotel was clean, safe and serviceable for one night. There are many others of similar category in the neighborhood and you can find them on booking sites.

I should add that I had to get up about 4:00am to catch the bus to the airport. It was very easy. The bus leaves from the right side of the station as you face the front. You buy the tickets from the driver.

I think there might be bus service from Como direct to the airport. I'm sure someone will turn up on this site to give you advice on this and on airport accommodation.

We jsut left Milan last Sunday and had to be at the bus stop at Centrale for a 4:20 bus to Malpensa Airport. The bus was already there and almost full when we arrived at a little after 4. We stayed at Hotel Berna for the express reason that we had to leave at such an early hour and the bus stop was so close. However, while the hotel is nice and the breakfast is good, the walls are so thin you cannot sleep. The people above us left around 11pm and arrived back to their room at 3:30am and kept the party going. We finally had to call the front desk. We had no sleep and we paid around 145 euro a night for this. I don't know if it is the laminate wood floors or just that the walls are so thin but is was miserable. the second night we were there they left around 11pm again and returned around 3am but as we had to get up at 3:30 for the bus we didn't call the fron desk. I would never stay there again. We were in Italy for 18 days and we had no other problems with hotels or noise. All were really good.

I like Le Meridien - next to the station and very convenient.

Are you leaving very early for the airport? And which airport are you leaving from?

I think it's best to stay in central Milan (where you can walk to a "last supper" in Italy and enjoy some sights) near the Cadorna metro station and take the "Malpensa Express" metro train to the airport. It's easy, only takes about 30 minutes and is faster than the bus. It is a clean and safe ride and will drop you right at the airport.

Here is a nice hotel near the stop-

http://www.anticalocandaleonardo.com/en/index.htm

I agree with Zoecat about Cadorna. The train takes you from there to airport.
You have trains from Como to Milano Cadorna http://vivacomo.com/como/cadornabytrain.php

There is a guide about public transportation in Como area http://www.comoguide.com/milan-lake-como.html

We stayed at hotel Downtown Genius near Cadorna station.

Thanks for that. Is cardona station a nicer spot than Central? I originally thought of going to the airport straight from Como but not knowin anything about anything I thought it might be easier to go directly from milan. I panic about those cheap airlines and the need to get there ages before the flight actually leaves. We leave at about 10:30 in the morning.

I don't think that you'll have any problem getting to the airport (I'm assuming Malpensa) for a 1030 flight. I'd aim for the train that means you can still make the flight if you miss one train, if you see what I mean!
Trains leave from Como Nord Lago; you change at Saronno...it takes an hour, 1 hr 20 tops. There's a 0636 that gets you there at 0736, another leaving 0736, and another leaving 0836 both taking an hour. It's less than €10 I think

With a family of four, I recommend that you check out the cost and ease of leaving directly from Lago di Como, using a car service to take you from the hotel doorstep to Malpensa airport. From central Milan you will need to leave your hotel at least an hour before you need to be at the airport and you will be dragging your luggage around (plus dragging it around the day before). If you get a car to pick you up at your Lago di Como hotel, it will probably take you 90 minutes to get to the airport at most, depending on where you are staying on the lake.

Comparison shop for car transfer prices (including ask your hotel in lago di Como for help), but bear in mind that the true cost of spending a night in Milan is the cost of 4 train tickets to Milan, 4 transport tickets to the airport (the most expensive option is the express train from Cadorna), and if your Milan hotel room for 4 is more expensive that what you're paying on Lago di Como, that cost, too.

If you had no other reason to want to be in Milan other than ease of getting to the airport, it may not make sense for you to go through all the hassle of transferring yourselves into Milan. If you are staying on some remote part of the lake where the cost of a private transfer seems way too high, consider transferring yourselves to the town of Como to reduce the taxi cost, or using the train to get you to the town of Stresa on Lago Maggiore, where you can use a regular and cheap bus shuttle in the morning to get you to Malpensa in one hour.

Zeppole has a so nice idea of going from Como to Stresa! So you will have the chance to see a bit of Lago Maggiore , maybe to visit Isola Bella. The airport bus (I think it is called Ali bus) from Streasa to airport is very good, it takes 50 min. to travel. You have to ask your hotel in Stresa, when you arrive there, to book it for you.

These sound good ideas. The only reason that i thought of staying in Milan was ease of getting to the airport. Would it be better to stay in Stresa or Arona? We are staying for 3 nights in Como itself but it seemed such a hassle catching the train to airport from Como as there seems to be a change of trains involved....Catching a taxi from Como looked like it was going to cost around $180 - a bit expensive I felt.

Why don't you rent an apartment?
this apartment in Milan I think it's good for you.
Price is not to expansive, is situated in very good area and includes a living room with 2 single sofa beds, an equipped kitchen and a bathroom The upper level has a loft with a queen sized bed and a loft with a single bed.
Underground, shops and city centre are very close. http://www.italyrents.com/eng/apartm.../villo_01.html
try to check the disponibility, have a good stay

If you are not going to Milan as a destination and only as a place to stay one night, I would agree with the advice to either stay in Como or someplace nearby and go to the airport direct. In my case, I was not coming from a location nearby and I wanted a few hours of sightseeing the day before I left for the airport.