I am very far from being considered a connoisseur of Milano, but I have been in the city several times in the past years (my first trips there were when I was working at Vodafone and I have among others the opportunity to go to watch the F1 Monza) and I have several places that it may be useful if you are just looking for a good restaurant, a chill out place, a decently price but good value for money hotel (this is rare in Italy!!!!) or some more
First at all let me recommend the Sheraton Diana Majestic. The hotel is just fantastic overall but you don't even need to stay there (as prices are Sheraton prices in Italy, so easily 300 Eur a night so unless your company pays for it probably not your option) to enjoy the best of the hotel which is its outdoors bar. A cool and large garden, dressed up as a night club where it is just great to spend time listening to music, talking to friends and enjoying your drink
For a great place to eat on a sunny day and hot day, something like an oasis either for food or a drink I really recommend 10 Corso Como Cafe, in the trendy (although almost at the outskirts of the city) and full of restaurants Via Corso Como. The place is located in the inner courtyard of a traditional milanese palazzo and it surprises you as you enter the courtyard because for a moment you think you got the wrong place (as you are thinking about a trendy place). But once you get into the courtyard the place is just great. There is a gallery and a bookshop; there is a design store and a restaurantand a café and an amazing courtyard garden (it seems there is also a 3 rooms hotel). I did not have the chance to taste many things but the cold mango soup (or gazpacho de mango) was just great.
www.10corsocomo.com
Milano is full of restaurants and many of them I am sure are great. In fact when we come here with Vodafone, the company organized an amazing weekend and we have 2 just memorable dinners. However it was almost 4 years ago and I don't remember the names of the restaurants. But I can recommend a small place, probably a place that you may not even take notice on a normal day and even I felt a bit expensive for what it was but I had such an amazing plate there (my mouth is still watering just to think about it) that I need to mention this restaurant. I also did like the service and the look of the place. Also as it is near station centrale and somehow near some nice hotels in the area. And I have read that it opens 365 days a year, from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. The name of the place is Hosteria Tipica La Cadrega
Via Generale Gustavo Fara, 1 - 20124 Milano (MI), Italy +39 02 6738 2931
www.hosterialacadrega.it
I started with some octopus on a wine like souce. It was really nice and got me ready for what it was coming. I was obviously looking at the homemade pasta and I decided to try the Macheroncini with ragout beef souce. What a choice. The pasta was just perfect, the sauce was kind of a curry sauce with small pieces of beef, each time it reached my mouth I was just shaking. Great great great :-)
Last but not least I had a last recommendation. Hotel Windsor Milano, Galileo Galilei 2
www.hotelwindsormilan.com
I did pick up a hotel that was near the train stations in order to get to the Malpensa Express quickly. I was type of afraid of the choice by looking at the website. It looked like the typical hotel, overpriced, old and in bad shape. The hotel from the outside did nothing to convince me otherwise. But I had a positive surprise. The corridors were nice and spacious, clean and shiny. The room was big, in great condition, good bed, great bathroom, free internet in the room (and fairly fast). And it was a 100 Eur a night hotel. A good recommendation if you are just passing by and will just have to do some work and to sleep in the room.
