Four Seasons Milan (or Four Seasons Hotel Milano) is housed in a former 15th-century convent that is situated up a tiny side street in the heart of Milan. It oozes glamour and sophistication with a stylish bar, a restaurant that spills out onto an enviably green and flower-filled courtyard, and an impressive spa hidden in the historic depths of the convent’s cellar.
Location
All the major hotels in Milan are located in the heart of the city. Many are hidden up attractive cobbled side streets and steps from the designer stores. Four Seasons is no exception and is about a 3-minute walk from pretty much every designer store and a short stroll from the main square and cathedral in Milan.
We flew in on British Airways into Milan Linate airport, which is around a 20-minute drive from the city center (around €90 EUR). By comparison, if we had arrived at Milam Malpensa, the taxi journey would have taken an hour and cost around €200 EUR).
Style & Character
Four Seasons Milan is historic and stylish. It is also boutique by Four Seasons standards, with just over 100 rooms, which makes any stay here feel even more exclusive. As you enter the hotel, a majestic staircase in front of you leads down to a hidden courtyard, a restaurant, and a spa. To your right is the check-in desk, down a corridor that takes you to the lifts and hotel rooms. To your left, you will find a large, airy, and high-ceilinged bar area partitioned by walls of greenery.
In front of you, the main restaurant spills out onto the most idyllic and lush courtyard, where you can sit on lawns and under parasols and trees and enjoy a peaceful bite or a drink. This large courtyard is a wonderful garden escape in Milan’s hectic city center.
Numerous weatherworn cream stone pillars support the ancient arches that form corridors around the courtyard on the ground level. These pillars continue through the large bar and restaurant area and give the space a sense of history.
Service & Facilities
While I could list the numerous and luxurious spa and gym facilities, for me, the luscious courtyard garden is the showstopper here. This space is so relaxing and unique. It’s the perfect place to relax in the sunshine under a parasol.
The spa is excellent, nonetheless. Created by Spanish designer and architect Patricia Urquiola, you will find a most unusual and warm pool in the convent’s former cellar. This pool is reached via steps between thick pillars, and you swim in its warm waters under 19th-century vaulted ceilings.
There are luxurious changing rooms, a steam room, mood showers, and numerous treatment rooms, including his and hers massage room with a relaxation lounge containing a jetted tub and fireplace, all set in what feels like a tomb in an ancient pyramid.
The cellar location of this spa is unique and shouldn’t be missed, even if you only pop down to the pool. There are specific children’s times at this pool. We used it during family time between 2:30 and 4:45 pm. There is also a high-tech gym with loads of equipment down in the depths of the hotel.
Rooms
We stayed in a Junior Suite that overlooked the street at the front of the hotel. You can see our room and view in the photos above. The suite was located on floor three and had delightful rooftop views from the bed.
Being a Four Seasons, the room had everything you would expect. Great soundproofing, excellent bed, extensive walk-in wardrobe, and a large bathroom with marble worktop and a superbly large and strong shower. Bathroom amenities were delicious, being from the luxurious Aqua Di Parma brand, which also has a store steps away from the hotel.
The flooring in our room was a dark wood parquet with a rug around the bed. There was a comfortable sitting area with a coffee table, and there was a large desk for work along with a large unit containing the minibar and TV.
The in-room welcome amenities here were particularly generous. My son was given a plush sloth, and we were gifted a beautiful bunch of flowers, a large fruit bowl, and some delicious chocolates as well as crips and drinks. While our room looked over the front of the hotel, it was very quiet. Most rooms look over the peaceful courtyard, which should be equally peaceful.
Food & Drink
The main “La Veranda” restaurant is where you eat breakfast and is also where you will probably want to have dinner as it offers sublime Mediterranean cuisine. From May through October (maybe longer), the restaurant spills out onto its own private patio area, which sits to one side of the cloistered courtyard. This area offers a sophisticated place to enjoy delicious food under an awning.
Breakfast here was superb. I loved that even in October, you could eat breakfast alfresco, and I loved the warmth from the electric heater lamps, which kept me cozy even on cooler mornings.
Before COVID-19, there was a buffet breakfast provided. But following COVID-19, the delicious breakfast is served from an a la carte menu. The breakfast menu offered everything you could want. I chose fresh berries and Greek yogurt, followed by eggs florentine with truffle and a side of smoked salmon. All was utterly delicious and full of flavor. That salmon was particularly noteworthy and of the highest standard. My son chose the waffles with Nutella, which was equally appetizing for those with a sweeter tooth. Best of all, you could enjoy breakfast with sunshine dappling through the trees in the hotel’s historic and immaculate courtyard.
The bar area is a wonderful place to hang out in the evening. Serviced by a brightly lit, colorful, and circular bar, the bar area extends over much of the lobby, including a lounge with an enormous sandstone fireplace in the convent’s old sacristy. The atmosphere in the bar and lobby is vibrant and buzzing because this bar is popular with stylish locals as well as guests. Some nights, it almost feels like you’re watching a Milan fashion show with locals showcasing the best of the latest couture as they enjoy a drink.
Conclusion
Four Seasons Milan feels like an intimate boutique escape in the center of Milan. I loved spending evenings in the airy and historic bar area and breakfasts out in the sunshine on the veranda while the rest of the world shivered. This year, Milan offered the perfect destination to extend my family’s summer, and the gardens at Four Seasons Milan offered the perfect place to absorb some late-season sunshine.
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