Review of the fantastic Four Seasons Hotel Milano

An unsponsored review of the Four Seasons Hotel Milano – one of the best hotels in the Italian city!

Are you looking for the best hotel in Milan? Are you considering to book the Four Seasons Hotel Milano but you are unsure if it is worth the money?

Then you came to the right place. I compiled a detailed Four Seasons Hotel Milano review for you based on my own, unsponsored stay at the beautiful property in the very heart of the city of culture and fashion (click to read about the top 20 tourist highlights in Milan). I’ll share with you everything I loved about the hotel, but will also highlight things you should be aware of before you book.

So, let’s dive right into my review, shall we?

Note: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. I had no association with Four Seasons whatsoever when writing this review. My opinions are my own, as was the money that paid for my stays.

Outline

The Four Seasons Milan (click for prices & booking) has the perfect location. The opera, the Duomo or the Pinacoteca di Brera are all within walking distance (5-10 minutes). Nestled into a little side alley of the fashion district as it is, it has the charm of a classic garden retreat at the same time. On top of that, the Four Seasons Hotel Milano offers you the unique opportunity to sleep in a 15th-century convent, so how cool is that?

To me, the unique luxury hotel is way better than the Bulgari Hotel Milano or the Armani Hotel Milano (both just a stone’s throw away), simply because of this ancient history and the beautiful garden courtyard. To me, there is only one reason to stay in a luxury city hotel: tranquility!

You see, if you are visiting Milan, you will probably spend most of your time outside: Visiting the tourist highlights, going to the opera or enjoying that dolce vita at one of the cafés or restaurants. Many people just stay one day (read my guide to see how that is possible) making it extra dubious to waste a fortune on accommodation or so it seems.

But you see, the Four Seasons Hotel Milano offers you a lovely garden to savor your breakfast and an underground spa. The second you enter its ancient portal, you are leaving the hustle and bustle of the city behind and will be able to relax your sore feet like in no other place in Milan. This is what it really makes it worth staying in such an expensive luxury hotel in Milan, and not the gold flakes on the chocolate cake or the size sheer size of the rooms.

The rooms & suites of the Four Seasons Hotel Milano

Still, you will want to know all about the rooms at the Four Seasons Hotel Milano in this review. If you stayed at a Four Seasons Hotel before, nothing really will come as a big surprise. The layout of the suites is more or less the same as in St. Petersburg (click for my review) or in Paris (click to read my review), to name just a view.

All rooms are incredibly spacious (starting at about 37 m²) and share a classic, but somewhat reduced design in yellows, light greens, and equally light brown woods. The queen-sized bed with its luxurious white lines is definitely the perfect place for a good sleep, but the sitting area and the desk will certainly come in handy as well.

There are huge windows, but the view is somewhat limited to the garden or smaller courtyards. As far as I know, garden view is a bit more expensive, but I’m not really sure it’s worth the upgrade for that one glance out of the window in the morning, especially as none of the standard rooms have a balcony.

I absolutely loved, loved the bathrooms. White and green marble, lots of mirrors and the perfect lighting will make you feel like a billionaire. Only a window could have topped the whole ensemble, but other than that I want a bathroom just like that at home! Toiletries are supplied by Aqua di Parma, just in case, you were wondering!

Ladies will also appreciate the spacious closet on the other side of the bathroom where you will be able to hang up all your belongings with ample space to store the eventual shopping hoard.

Note that there are a couple of lovely suites in the hotel and even a penthouse suite. They are not exactly a bargain (above 10 grand for a night), though the Fresco Suite, with its amazing historic ceiling, could be an option for you.

The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Milan

I already mentioned that one of the main reasons to stay the Four Seasons Hotel Milano (click for prices & booking) is the incredible spa. Few city hotels have a spa worth their name, yet I personally feel that the pool is just as important downtown as in the mountains or at the beach. Naturally, space is limited and expensive in a city, so a 20-meter pool is a true luxury and the Four Seasons Milan is able to provide you just that.

The spa is hidden deep down in the ancient cellars of the convent. I have to admit, it’s not the most spacious spa I have seen, but at the same time, it is far from the smallest city spa as well. Low lights, ancient bricks are mingled with a classic modern design and you will feel like that aforementioned billionaire swimming in that beautiful pool.

There is also a lovely little sauna and steam room and of course, you can book other treatment as well (can’t vouch for them, as I have not tried any). Even though there is not much space, it didn’t feel crowded at all and it was the perfect place to relax after a long day walking through the city. There are a couple of silent rooms as well and of course a changing room for the men and women.

Restaurant and breakfast

The courtyard of the ancient convent is quite the sight to behold. Lush vegetation invites your gaze to linger and to walk a step or two under it’s manicured trees. The breakfast room is located in a gigantic solarium in the cloister, with a broad terrace open to the warm summer air.

To me, this was the other important reason I booked a stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Milano. Enjoying a cup of hot chocolate and a panini or two for breakfast in this tranquil atmosphere is almost beyond divine. The breakfast sets the tone for the whole day, and there is probably no better way to start your day in Milan than here.

You can also enjoy lunch or dinner on the terrace. Especially in summer, it is one of the best places in the city. The food is excellent in the way most better restaurants in Italy are, not exactly cheap (but more or less the same price as comparable restaurants throughout the incredibly expensive city), but nothing that deserves an extra special recommendation.

In my opinion, you should rather enjoy the city at night, though dining once will certainly be no big mistake or anything you would ever regret!

The overall service at Four Seasons Hotel Milan

If you are familiar with the Four Seasons brand, then you’ll expect spotless service and the Four Seasons Hotel Milano is no stranger to the demands of the international luxury crowd. Housekeeping was just as perfect as the staff at the reception.

We were celebrating a birthday during my last stay and Four Season provided an amazing complementary cake and bubbles for the occasion. Now, don’t expect the kind of very familiar and intimate service you’ll get at a resort – this is still a city hotel where guests change every day. Still, all the members of the staff were well trained, friendly and helpful.

I’d also like to point out the very good work of the concierge. I forgot to pre-book tickets for Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper (or rather by the time I remembered all the tickets were gone), but he was able to get some 3 tickets nonetheless and was otherwise extremely helpful creating perfect experiences.

This is just one of the reasons why I always recommend staying at luxury city hotels – they will be able to enhance the quality of your stay in ways you might not have thought of before.

The conclusion of my Four Seasons Hotel Milano review

All in all, I can recommend the Four Seasons Milan from the bottom of my heart. I know, it isn’t exactly the cheapest hotel, but to be fair, none of the hotels in Milan are. I feel it offers (in terms of the general price level in Milan) a very fair value and is one of the very few hotels with a lovely spa and where you can sit outside for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

The rooms are lovely, the service perfect, and the location couldn’t be any better either. I really didn’t like the lobby (which I’d actually rate as the ugliest lobby I’ve ever seen in a luxury hotel), and the breakfast was excellent but no sumptuous feast either. I also feel that the overall design of the rooms, while consistent with the general Four Seasons brand, could be a bit more fashionable as befitting the general status of the city (there is one Designer Suite and one Fashion Suite, though).

But if you don’t mind the classic design, then the Four Seasons Hotel Milano will be your perfect home base for a hopefully equally perfect stay in the city. You’ll be extremely hard-pressed finding a better hotel in Milan. The spa could be bigger, of course, but at the end of the day, you have to remember that this is a city hotel and there are limits to what even a luxury hotel can offer.

I feel that Four Seasons did an excellent job here. Still, I have to point out that the FS Milano team fails to create this unique and utterly memorable experience the team in Paris or St. Petersburg always excels at. The Milano branch is a bit more low key, but not necessarily in a bad way, so you’d be stupid if that kept you from booking a night (or rather two or three!).

Click for current prices & to book your stay

So, let’s call it a wrap. Hope you enjoyed my little Four Seasons Hotel Milano review. Got any questions? Leave them in the comments below and I’ll get right back to you!