24 Hours at the Magna Pars Suites, Milan
Tortona, the new bustling heart of Milan, epicentre of fashion during Milan Design and Fashion weeks. Lots of fashionable restaurants, bars and clubs are just around the corner and walking all along to Duomo was never so relaxing. Now imagine a hotel in the heart of this upcoming area. Well, if it is not member of Designhotels, it is clear it has to be a Small Luxury Hotel and finally we got to it: the Magna Pars Suites. A hotel like it was missing in a city like Milan. We have got elegant hotels with expensive design, dark colours and expensive designer furniture (yes it's the turn of Bulgari and Armani) tough a light one was really needed. Magna Pars is finally covering this niche with a super airy design AND finally super airy rooms... or suites like the hotel calls them (and it is definitely approved).
I arrived by car from Lausanne, which seemed not to be a big issue but in the end was, so I reserved a parking spot at the hotel. You can either go via San Bernardino or Sempione Pass, while first costs a fortune with 40 Francs for the tunnel one-way plus 30 for the highway in Italy, the second is just amazing at 5 bucks on way. Due to traffic in Milan, I arrived approximately half an hour later than expected but it was fine. Check-in was very fast and I was accompanied to my suite. I normally do not like when rooms are located on the ground floor, tough it was fine since it actually felt like the first floor thanks to the restaurant which opened onto the garden below the front desk. It was so amazing to see a free bottle of Ferrari sparkling wine, as well as the huge minibar (which was at an extra charge). I also loved the two one litre bottles of San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. The living room consisted of a fully equipped kitchen with dining desk for four, two enormous sofas and a television that could be rotated to the bedroom.
As soon as I finished the sparkling wine, I explored the vast bedroom with a designer bed (I normally do not like these beds as they are not high and mostly don't have boxspring mattresses) as well as the adjacent bathroom which was hidden behind an elegant door. Honestly, I immediately fell in love with the amazing bathroom. There was a bath tub with window onto the bedroom, a huge mirror (a big like at the Royal Monceau in Paris), walk-in shower, separated toilet with bidet and another sink, a wooden comb and vanity set plus hotel-branded toiletries, which were surprisingly good. Since the Magna Pars Suites Hotel is called a "Hotel a Parfum", the entire hotel is dedicated to scents due to the history of the building as a perfume factory and the owners who still produce nearly every branded Eau de Toilette (like Cavalli, Armani etc). Well, I am in love with big, spacious hotel suites, so I was kind of overwhelmed.
When I wanted to leave the hotel, the staff informed me if I could park my car. I told them that they could do that but they said they don't do valet parking. Being a city like Milan, I hate to park the car by myself and I have to say that this was the only thing I was not happy about. So I drove the car around the block to find a hotel staff waiting for me and opening an extremely narrow entrance to the garage. After several attempts to get inside, I got a scratch on my car. Then they finally showed me the way to the much wider access to the garage which is actually the way out. I got into the garage without any issue. Maybe this could be improved in the future by guests showing immediately the way to the wider entrance. Otherwise the location is just perfect. You are situated in the real heart from Tortona allowing you to have dinner at the chic restaurants, my favourite is still Langosteria and I wouldn't mind going there again. It is simply Milan's hottest spot for seafood right now.
Thanks to the layout of Magna Pars Suites with all suites being situated towards the courtyard, there is no noise during the night and a good night's sleep is guaranteed. Once I got ready for breakfast, I had to leave my building, cross the front desk and then go down the stairs to the restaurant. It felt like staying at a resort rather than a city hotel which I really liked. Breakfast was quite nice, with a small buffet and egg dishes to order. It was surprising to see that the staff served red orange juice and although I had to ask for it, it was a great way to start the day. All in all, I really enjoyed my stay at Magna Pars Suites and I would recommend it to every traveler going to Milan. (Lucky, if you are travelling with a small car or arrive by plane or train.)
I was guest of Magna Pars Suites and stayed at the hotel for editorial purposes. However all above written expresses our own opinion and has not been influenced.
