ShortMi Balilla Milan: Unveiling Italy's Best-Kept Secret!
Alright, buckle up buttercups, because we're diving headfirst into a review of this hotel that's less a pristine brochure and more a rambunctious, real-life adventure. Think less "hotel review," more "slightly-obsessive travel journal scribbled in a comfy robe." We're talking accessibility, Wi-Fi, food coma potential, and everything in between. Let's get messy!
First Impressions & the "Getting In" Game:
Okay, so, getting anywhere these days can feel like navigating a minefield. Accessibility is KEY. Thankfully, this place has the goods. Wheelchair accessible? Check. Elevators? Yep. Accessibility options are available throughout the property. This is a major win for anyone who needs it. I need it after overpacking that ridiculously heavy suitcase.
The Online Hustle & the Sweet, Sweet Internet:
Let's face it, we live online. Work, gossip, stalking that Instagram influencer… it all hinges on the internet. Here's the lowdown: They boast Free Wi-Fi in all rooms! and Internet access – LAN. That’s good for people who need a hardwire connection. Wi-Fi in public areas? Definitely. I mean, do you want to miss out on that perfectly-filtered sunset pic? I also see Wi-Fi for special events, which sounds fancy. Basically, you won't be left stranded. The free Wi-Fi in the room was a godsend, allowing me to finish work and catch up with distant family.
Safety, Cleanliness, and the "Is This Germ-Free Enough?" Anxiety:
Okay, I'm not going to lie. After everything, I walked in anticipating a hazmat suit. But Cleanliness and safety are clearly a priority here. They list things like Anti-viral cleaning products, Daily disinfection in common areas, Hand sanitizer everywhere you look (thank goodness!), and Staff trained in safety protocol. They even go the extra mile, with Room sanitization opt-out available That's a nice touch for those more comfortable with their own sanitization methods. I was pleased to see the Daily disinfection in common areas. Rooms sanitized between stays? Excellent. And the Safe dining setup? Crucial. I felt reasonably safe.
Food, Glorious Food (aka The Eating Adventure):
Alright, the most important section. Where do we begin? This is not just about eating; it's an experience. Let's be honest, I'm a grazing type. I'm practically built for hotel buffets!
- Restaurants: Multiple!
- Breakfast [buffet]? YES! And I'm a sucker for a good, extensive, continental breakfast. If you're like me, then be sure to go for this.
- Asian breakfast, Asian cuisine in restaurant: My go to option.
- **A la carte in restaurant, **
- Coffee/tea in restaurant, Coffee shop, Desserts in restaurant, Coffee shop!. I needed the coffee.
- Breakfast service,
- International cuisine in restaurant,
- Poolside bar: Always a good time.
- Room service [24-hour]: Jackpot! Pizza at midnight is a must-have.
- Salad in restaurant, Soup in restaurant, Vegetarian restaurant,
- Western breakfast, Western cuisine in restaurant: Because sometimes you need a classic.
- Bottle of water: Always a plus.
- Snack bar: Gotta have an option on the go.
The "Things to Do" and The "Ways to Relax" – A Balancing Act:
I am an active person but I also enjoy relaxing.
- Fitness center: Yes!
- Pool with view. The photo was great
- Sauna, Spa, Spa/sauna, Steamroom: all in the same place.
- Swimming pool, Swimming pool [outdoor]: Perfect for a little bit of sunbathing.
- Body scrub, Body wrap, Foot bath, Massage: Ah, the sweet release of relaxation.
- Things to do, Bar, and Happy hour: For when your "relaxing" needs a kick.
The Room Itself – My Temporary Fortress of Comfort:
I'm a sucker for a good room. And this one didn't disappoint. The air conditioning worked wonderfully (bless!). Complimentary tea and coffee maker was a great touch. The bed was comfortable, and there was a desk to work on.
- Air conditioning, Alarm clock, Bathrobes, Bathtub, Blackout curtains, Carpeting, Closet, Coffee/tea maker, Complimentary tea, Daily housekeeping, Desk, Extra long bed, Free bottled water, Hair dryer, High floor, In-room safe box, Internet access – LAN, Internet access – wireless, Ironing facilities, Laptop workspace, Linens, Mini bar, Mirror, Non-smoking, On-demand movies, Private bathroom, Reading light, Refrigerator, Safety/security feature, Satellite/cable channels, Scale, Seating area, Separate shower/bathtub, Shower, Slippers, Smoke detector, Socket near the bed, Sofa, Soundproofing, Telephone, Toiletries, Towels, Umbrella, Visual alarm, Wake-up service, Wi-Fi [free], Window that opens:
Services and Conveniences – The "Little Extras" That Make a Big Difference:
- Air conditioning in public area: Yes!
- Audio-visual equipment for special events, Business facilities, Cash withdrawal, Concierge, Contactless check-in/out, Convenience store, Currency exchange, Daily housekeeping, Doorman, Dry cleaning, Elevator, Essential condiments, Facilities for disabled guests, Food delivery, Gift/souvenir shop, Indoor venue for special events, Invoice provided, Ironing service, Laundry service, Luggage storage, Meeting/banquet facilities, Meetings, Meeting stationery, On-site event hosting, Outdoor venue for special events, Projector/LED display, Safety deposit boxes, Seminars, Shrine, Smoking area, Terrace, Wi-Fi for special events, Xerox/fax in business center: A whole lot.
For the Kids and Babysitting
- Babysitting service, Family/child friendly, Kids facilities, Kids meal: This covers everything.
The Verdict – The Hotel is a Win!
Okay, here's the deal. This hotel is a solid choice. It's got the important stuff covered – accessibility, cleanliness, good Wi-Fi, and a buffet that'll make your taste buds sing. The staff was incredibly helpful. If you're looking for a comfortable, well-equipped hotel with plenty of perks, then book it.
The Offer – How to Snag Your Slice of Paradise:
Thinking about escaping? Here’s my offer:
Use code "COMFYGETAWAY" when booking to get a complimentary upgrade. Book your stay now and prepare to be pampered because this hotel is a great option. Don't wait – book today and treat yourself to the perfect getaway!
Escape to Paradise: Ancares Valley's Hidden Gem Awaits!
Okay, buckle up, buttercup. This isn't your glossy, Instagram-ready travel itinerary. This is the raw, unfiltered, potentially-slightly-unhinged journey through Milan that I, the seasoned (okay, maybe slightly-jaded-but-still-hoping-for-fun) traveller, am about to embark on. Prepare for chaos. Prepare for pasta. Prepare for… well, you'll see.
MILAN: OPERATION "FIND THE PERFECT APERITIVO" (and Maybe Some Actually Useful Stuff, Too)
Day 1: Arrival and the Art of Jet Lag
- Morning (or, more accurately, 2 PM): Arrive at Malpensa Airport (MXP). Ugh. Flights. Am I the only one who ALWAYS manages to snag the seat right next to the guy who insists on clipping his toenails? The pre-trip excitement is quickly replaced by the crushing weight of my carry-on. Find the train to Milano Centrale. Pray the Wi-Fi works and I can successfully navigate the ticket machine without looking like a total tourist (spoiler alert: I won't).
- Afternoon: Check into my (hopefully not too depressing) Airbnb in the Brera district. Fingers crossed the photos weren't overly flattering. Unpack. Realize I packed three pairs of the exact same black pants. Why do I do this to myself? Attempt a nap. Fail miserably thanks to the relentless drone of Italian scooters.
- Late Afternoon/Early Evening: The Aperitivo Quest Begins! Okay, this is serious business. Brera is the supposed hot spot, so I'm hitting it head-on. My mission: Find the perfect aperitivo. That means the ideal combination of spritz, snacks, and atmosphere. First stop: Bar Brera. It's beautiful…but crowded. The Spritz is decent, though not mind-blowing. The tiny, barely-there aperitivo snacks are a cruel joke. Emotional reaction: Deep, abiding disappointment mixed with hunger. Wander aimlessly, feeling like a particularly lost and hungry tourist.
- Evening: (Or what's left of it). I'm starving. The search for food begins. I found a small trattoria, "La Briciola". The pasta is authentic, the service is warm, and the house wine is practically free. I can feel myself starting to love Milan. It warms me from the inside. It's the kind of thing that makes you forget about jet lag and bad snacks.
- Night: Okay, I think it's time to go to bed. I've been awake for the last 20 hours and can't remember where I am.
Day 2: Duomo Dreams and the Disaster of Da Vinci (and Shopping, Oh God, the Shopping)
- Morning (ish): Attempt to conquer the Duomo. Plan: Arrive early to beat the crowds. Reality: Wake up late, get lost, and arrive just as the throngs of selfie-stick wielding tourists descend. Fight my way in. Behold. The Duomo is… impressive. Yeah, that's the word. Impressive. Feel a pang of something resembling awe, quickly followed by the urge to flee.
- Mid-Morning: Visit the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. So gorgeous it's almost painful. Spend approximately 30 minutes staring at the mosaics, then another 30 minutes trying not to be run over by speeding shoppers. Briefly consider buying a ridiculously expensive handbag. Realize I'm still wearing the same black pants. Reject the handbag.
- Lunch: Find a tiny, hole-in-the-wall place NOT on the main tourist drag. Discover the glorious truth: The best food is always, always where you least expect it. Real Italian experience.
- Afternoon: The Last Supper Debacle (and my inner critic). Booked a Last Supper viewing (months in advance, naturally). The hype is real. The painting is amazing. But the whole experience is rushed, impersonal, and…well, a bit underwhelming, given what I was expecting. Plus, the room is packed. I feel more like I'm attending a crowded bus stop than experiencing a true masterpiece. Inner critic: "You should have skipped it, you're not seeing it well! You're standing near the wall, just trying to avoid the other people."
- Late Afternoon: Shopping. Seriously, this city is a siren song for credit cards. Wander through the fashion district (Quadrilatero della Moda). Gawk at the impossibly chic people. Secretly envy their outfits. Buy a scarf at H&M because spending a fortune seems ridiculous. Fail in my attempt to be chic.
- Evening: Aperitivo Redux! (Part 2) Tonight, I'm determined to redeem myself. Found a place away from the tourists. This one's got the perfect combination: a good Spritz, a chill vibe, actual aperitivo snacks that are not a joke. The world feels right again (mostly).
- Night: Maybe a gelato? Or just a very, very long walk to process the day. Milan is… a lot. But also kind of amazing.
Day 3: Art, Parks, and the Glorious Potential of Failure
- Morning: Visit the Pinacoteca di Brera. Get totally, blissfully lost in the paintings. The only sound is my own slightly-too-loud breathing. This is why I travel: to lose myself in beauty.
- Mid-Morning: Wander through Parco Sempione. Escape the city's concrete jungle. Watch the locals. Feel a surge of envy for their effortless style.
- Lunch: A Repeat of the night before: Another tiny, hole-in-the-wall place Order the pasta and try not to feel like a total tourist.
- **Afternoon: The Milanese Experiment. **I'm going to try something new. Something that has the potential for glorious failure. I'm going to a cooking class! I have no idea how to cook Italian. I probably can't even boil water without setting off the smoke alarm. But, hey, it's an experience!
- Evening: Post-Cooking Class Debrief & Aperitivo (Part 3). The cooking class was… a learning experience. I burned some of the food. I dropped some food. I almost cut myself. But the people were fantastic. The food was good. I learned a lot (even if my kitchen skills are still questionable). To celebrate, I take myself back to my favorite aperitivo spot and toast to the fact that I made it through the day.
- Night: Pack. Get ready to leave Milan. Feel a pang of sadness. Realize I'm probably going to miss the chaos.
Day 4: Leaving
- Morning: Last Italian breakfast. Depart to airport.
- Afternoon: Arrive home.
Random Considerations (and Meanderings):
- Fashion: Everyone is stylish. Even the dogs. I am not. Accept it.
- Navigating: Learn a few basic Italian phrases. Embrace the art of getting lost. It's an adventure.
- Transportation: Use the metro. It's efficient. It might also involve close physical contact with strangers. Deal with it.
- The Food: Eat everything (within reason, of course). Just…eat.
- Emotional State: Expect highs, lows, moments of pure bliss, and moments of utter frustration. That's travel. That's life.
- The Imperfection Plan: Embrace the mess! Take whatever comes.
Final Thoughts: Milan is a city of contradictions: beautiful and chaotic, elegant and gritty, overwhelming and utterly captivating. It's a place that will challenge you, surprise you, and maybe even break your heart a little. But that's the point, isn't it? Go. Be messy. Be human. And most importantly: Find the perfect aperitivo. (Seriously, I'm still searching).
Monteverde's BEST Kept Secret: Sloth Backpackers Paradise!
Okay, so what *is* this exactly? Are we talking about… things? Stuff? And why are we doing this?
Honestly, good question. Sometimes I ask myself the same thing while staring bleary-eyed at my laptop at 3 AM. This is *supposed* to be a collection of "Frequently Asked Questions." Like, a guide. A helpful hand. A digital friend who won’t judge you (much). We're trying to demystify… well, whatever the heck *we're* trying to demystify today. And the "why"? Uh… because I needed a distraction from folding laundry. And because maybe, just maybe, *someone* out there is as bewildered by the world as I am and could use a laugh (or at least solid eye-roll).
What do you *really* mean when you say “messy”? Is that a warning?
Consider it a flashing neon sign, my friend. *Warning! Enter at your own risk of tangents, rambling, and potentially questionable opinions!* Messy, in this context, means I'm not going to pretend to be all polished and professional. You're getting the unvarnished truth. Which, let's be honest, is usually way more interesting than the perfectly curated version. Think of it like a kitchen. You could walk into a spotless chef's kitchen, all gleaming stainless steel. Or you could stumble into *my* kitchen, which usually has a stack of dirty dishes, the scent of burnt toast hanging in the air, and a cat that's probably plotting world domination from a countertop. I'd wager you'd learn more in *that* kitchen. So yeah, messy is a promise.
Are you going to be, like, REALLY opinionated? Because I hate when people are...
Oh. MY. GOODNESS. Yes. Absolutely. Positively. Unapologetically. I'm going to spew opinions like a volcano, only hopefully with more charm and less molten rock. Look, life's too short for vanilla takes. If I don't like something, I'll tell you. If I *love* something, you'll be sick of hearing about it. Consider me your personal, slightly unhinged guide through the land of "Stuff I Think About." And if my opinion clashes with yours? That's okay! We can have a debate! We can agree to disagree! Or, you know, you can just roll your eyes and move on. No hard feelings. (But seriously, you should agree with me. My opinions are always the most correct… mostly.)
Let's talk about… *specifics*. Is there a topic? Or are we just… winging it?
Heh. "Winging it." You're not wrong. Seriously, I'm kind of making this up as I go. BUT, let's go with something people actually *ask about*, or at least, should ask about. OK...Let’s tentatively settle on the completely vague category of… **"Things I've Learned (the Hard Way)".** That gives us *loads* of wiggle room. So, expect stories about everything from terrible relationships to the perils of online shopping to the absolute absurdity of trying to assemble IKEA furniture. (Oh, the *furniture*. We'll get to the furniture.)
So, about that IKEA furniture… You promised a story. I'm already regretting this, but… tell me.
Alright, alright, settling in. Let's take this slow. Picture this: me, fueled by an overly enthusiastic desire for a new desk (because apparently, working from the couch wasn't conducive to… well, anything, really), and the seemingly simple instructions for a *MALM* (which, in Ikea speak, translates to "soul-crushing experience"). I figured, "Hey! I’m intelligent! I can read pictures!" *Famous last words.*
The first hour was relatively smooth. I'm assembling, I'm following the pictures, feeling a *twinge* of pride. I'm practically *beaming*. Then came the part with the "magic cams." (They're not magic, they're evil.) I get to step 14 (or maybe it was 41, who even remembers at this point?)… and I realize I've put the side panel on *upside down*. My face… it crumpled. Absolute defeat. My apartment felt like a graveyard of particleboard. And the instructions? They taunted me. "Just turn it over. It's *easy*," they seemed to smugly say. Easy?! You try flipping a giant, partially assembled desk by yourself without destroying everything!
Cue four hours of wrestling with the beast, a growing collection of stripped screws, a few choice curse words directed at the Swedish population (sorry, Sweden!), and a growing suspicion that I was, in fact, the dumbest person alive. At one point, I even seriously considered setting the whole thing on fire. (Don't tell anyone I said that.)
Finally, *finally*, after what felt like an eternity, I managed to (mostly) get the desk assembled. It wobbled slightly. Some of the drawers didn't quite close right. But, by god, it was *done*. I staggered back, surveyed my creation (which looked, admittedly, a little… janky), and collapsed onto the floor, defeated but victorious. I've never felt a greater sense of accomplishment from anything. Except maybe surviving a particularly nasty bout of food poisoning. And yeah, I bought a whole *other* thing from them. What can I say? I'm a masochist. The point? Read the instructions, multiple times. And maybe, just maybe, enlist a friend. Or, you know, hire a professional. Seriously. Save yourself the heartache.
Any other gems of "hard-won knowledge"? Seriously. This IKEA thing… it's resonating.
Oh honey, buckle up. We're just getting started with the lessons learned. Let me think… Okay, here's another one. **Don't trust anyone who tells you they *know* how to predict the future.** (Except, maybe, Nostradamus, but let’s assume he’s unavailable.) I had a boyfriend once, a *long* time ago. He was… well, let's just say he had a *unique* perspective on reality. He spent a lot of time telling me what was *going* to happen. And not in a "hey, I think you're going to ace that presentation" kind of way. This was more along the lines of "global economic collapse and the rise of sentient robot overlords." Every. Single. Day.
I ate it up. I mean, I was young. And impressionable. And, let's be honest, I was probably hoping he'd predict me winning the lottery. (Hey, a girl can dream). He had this *air* of certainty that was terrifying and alluring. He’d build these elaborate scenarios, based on… I don’t even know what. Random internet articles? Conspiracy theories? The voices in his head? And here'Urban Hotel Search
