I love pleasant surprises. Above all when they come with lesser-known luxury hotels and a bargain. Milan has no shortage of high-end hotels plus the pipeline has some more world-class drops for the next four years: Ferragamo’s Portrait Collection already looks for Marketing Managers, JK Place scored a prime location, Sir Rocco Forte took over the Baglioni Carlton and Cipriani goes grand with an interesting position coming back to their origin Italy. While the upper end is perfectly serviced with rates around 500 euros to the 1k mark, we’re missing out on the luxury boutique hotels in the Italian fashion capital. How pleasant seeing one chic boutique hotel rising in one of Milan’s cooler corners. The five-star Palazzo Cornalia has been opened by Rome-based Desio Charming Hotels which also operates two four-star properties in Rome and another four-star hotel in Milan.

I have to admit that I sometimes have certain prejudices when it comes to non-branded Italian boutique hotels. While Italian boutique properties have the most eye-catching interiors, sometimes the software doesn’t match the rest of the hotel. I mean, I would never call this a thing –hence you want a chic stay and proper location as you’re about to explore the country and food anyways. Focusing on hotels, I might see this a little different, so I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at Palazzo Cornalia. The front desk staff was already waiting for me and had prepared everything so that the check-in was very smooth and efficient. Another staff member took care of my luggage and showed me the way to the suite which was an unexpected move being used that many boutique hotels in Italy don’t offer porter service. My suite was located on the second floor and upon entering the door, I was welcomed by an airy living room with a cool colour scheme. They even arranged lovely welcome amenities consisting of a bottle of Prosecco and macarons along with a welcome letter.

I have to say that the suite felt very spacious and extremely comfortable which might not be represented in the pictures, as the look is quite sleek and cool. It’s great to see fresh hotels in Italy as they are state-of-the-art in terms of interior design, for example, they used velvet fabrics and pastel colours. Next to the living room was the bedroom with a vast double bed and a separate walk-in wardrobe from which you can access the marble bathroom. To all my surprise, the bathroom was stocked with brand new Acqua di Parma toiletries! Never would I have expected to find my favourite toiletry brand here, so I was more than overwhelmed when finding one of Acqua di Parma’s new room diffusers in the living room. That’s where the great welcoming room scent came from. The towels were big enough and the water pressure strong enough for a relaxing shower after sightseeing and shopping on a cold January Tuesday in Milan.

Housekeeping was doing a great job – the suite was flawlessly clean and I felt very welcome throughout my stay at Palazzo Cornalia. Another pleasant surprise was the breakfast service in the main lounge on the ground floor. A very friendly server was assisting on the buffet since guests are not allowed to serve themselves on the buffet. You have to go and watch what items you would like and let the staff know so they can serve them at the table. In addition to that hassle-free luxury in the morning, every guest gets an etagere filled with cold cuts, cheese and salmon along with a warm breadbasket. Being on a special protein diet, I was more than happy when they asked me for my egg selection. So there was I, starting another perfect day in Milan with my cappuccino, freshly squeezed orange juice and freshly made scrambled eggs with salmon. What a pity I didn’t quit my diet for the damn good looking croissants with prosciutto and cheese.

I can highly recommend Palazzo Cornalia for a stylish and wonderful stay in the heart of Milan. Yes, the location is not Piazza Duomo but bear in mind that Piazza Repubblica is right around the corner and you are within walking distance of Porta Nuova, my favourite area in Milan. Make sure to visit Corso Como, the big Eataly and stop by for Aperitivo in Corso Garibaldi. A very special dinner recommendation: Aalto Restaurant just two minutes walking from Palazzo Cornalia. To sum it up, Milan is always a good idea. And now having another cool place to stay, I can only dream of returning soon for some mouth-watering seafood at Langosteria or a rendezvous at Acqua di Parma’s Barber Shop. Milan will always be part of my travel life.

We were staying at Palazzo Cornalia for editorial reasons, however the above written has not been influenced.