Nice boutique hotel located just outside central Milan but only a short metro journey away.

Stayed in a triple share room – 1 queen and 1 single – plenty of room for 3. The dark colour scheme and minimalist furnishings don’t convey an overly homely feel but the rooms are modern and comfortable and the bathroom very good for the class. The staff are very approachable and accommodating. The breakfast is very nice – the croissants were just as good as the ones in France and the hot food options a bonus!

We arrived in Milan via train from Venice and transferring to the metro at central station was too overwhelming given our luggage so we chose a taxi at 12 euros for the journey which took about 15 minutes door to door. If you’re travelling light the metro is fine – the Porta Romana station is less than 100 m from the hotel and about 10 mins from Central – costs about 2 euros per person.

The area around the hotel isn’t very touristy or incredibly lively – seems mainly residential apartments mixed with business. There are however quite a few restaurants and pizzerias hidden away in the surrounding streets including some very good ones. There’s a McDonalds and mini marts on the same block as the hotel and an Irish style pub across the road.

The metro means easy access to central Milan for all the tourist musts such as Duomo and La Scala and shopping areas.

Transfer to Malpensa Airport is a bit of task due to the distance from Milan – we settled on a pricey 3rd party 90 euro transfer arranged through the hotel due to our excess luggage but the taxis advertise a similar service for about 10 or 15 euros less – the journey took about 45 minutes in good traffic. Cheaper options by bus or train depart from Central and Cordona stations.

Milan is not a cheap city and hence Five represents pretty good value – it’s located away from the more expensive central city locations but it’s modern, comfortable and well managed.

The hotel is actually 1 floor in the building with separate entrance from the side street. Nice rooms, excellent location, fair breakfast, good staff. Many dingind options around. Duomo is 3 tube spots away. Metro 100m away. All you need for busy Milan stopover!

Based on tripadvisor reviews we asked for a room in back of hotel facing the courtyard. Unfortunately that did not stop the noise from the restaurant downstairs from coming into our room. We would hear loud thumping noises in the night that made it impossible to sleep. Add to that, the room was extremely stuffy and hot and did not have air circulation. We had to sleep with the window open.

If you are flying out of Linate and need taxi, do not book it with the hotel. We were told by front desk that it would be 30 euros flat to Linate airport, so we asked them to book taxi for us. When we arrived at the airport the taxi driver insisted on 40 euros, and when we called the hotel all they said was "I am sorry, I am sorry". Do not book taxi with them unless you want to be scammed.

All staff including reception, bar/breakfast, cleaning were very friendly, attentive and helpful. The rooms were very clean and had tiled (marble) floors, i.e. no carpet which is a big advantage. The bathrooms were a little on the small side, but adequate and clean. The shower was only fixed overhead ("rain"-type), but there was a bidet. The beds were comfortable. The breakfast was comprehensive and of good quality. The location was very good not for our specific purpose, but also convenient as directly next to a Metro stop, several tram and bus stops, and within 20 minutes walk into the centre. A taxi from Linate was only EUR15 mid-morning. There is free, fast WIFI with strong signal throughout the hotel.