Hotel Straf (Milan, Italy)

From the Hotel Straf, this ancient and lovely city opens like a flower. From your front door you'll be a short walk from palaces, cathedrals, art galleries, shopping areas, fine dining and more. It’s the ideal location to start your Milan adventure.

When you book a room at the hotel, you won't just find a place to sleep. You’ll also discover a work of minimalist beauty. Rooms are sleek and chic, created by renowned architect and fashion designer Vincenzo de Cotiis with simple, elegant and ecofriendly materials designed to please the eye and provide respite from the world.

One of the most important things about booking a room at a nice hotel is the service. Even if you don’t expect to be catered to hand and foot, you do expect a certain degree of geniality. This won’t be an issue here, because according to prior guests, the staff are terrific—always friendly, always helpful and willing to go the extra mile.

While some visitors to the hotel enjoyed the modern minimalist designs, others found the stark concrete and metal designs—even in the suites—a bit too Spartan for their tastes. If you are less interested in art than a home away from home, this may not be the ideal place for you.

In this day and age, staying in constant contact with business associates, keeping abreast of your travel plans and checking in on friends and family increasingly depends upon using the internet. While the Hotel Straf does supply courtesy Wi-Fi, some guests have had problems maintaining a decent signal. If this is the case, you may wish to bring a hot spot with you.

Generally speaking, visitors to the hotel have enjoyed the artsy interior and spectacular location. However, there have been some minor problems, including complicated light switches, mediocre water pressure, hard or small beds, cold concrete floors and poor work space.