THE PEARL Top of the spots in Milan - Porta Venezia

If Milan is like Manhattan, whereby residences/hotel rooms are relatively small, then this flat is on par. Accommodations were a little tight but that’s because we were traveling as a family of 5. It is well located, walking distance to the central train station, subway stations and numerous stores and restaurants. The only complaint was that the sheets/comforters/pillows had hair on them, including the spares left folded in the closet. We weren’t positive that those items were adequately cleaned.

Great location, nice apartment.

We had looked for an apartment near the train station, and this property stated that it was very near. However, it was further than expected so that, because we are a bit older, we ended up taking taxis as transportation while in the city. Francesco did not meet us at the apartment but was very helpful in obtaining taxis for us. The apartment was in a quiet section of Milan with a good choice of nearby restaurants. Upon arrival, we stood outside the building waiting to be met by Tamara, who was more than a bit late. We waited about 30 minutes or more, but, since we were exhausted from traveling all day, it seemed much longer! Her husband finally met us at the door. He spoke no English but indicated that Tamara, who was upstairs in the apartment, did speak English. What a relief! However, we soon discovered that Tamara spoke no English either, and she was supposed to be our contact during our stay! I speak French and had studied just a little Italian, so we played a game of charades to communicate. The apartment itself was very nice and looked like the photos on the site. Although it is on an upper floor, there is an elevator that takes you right to the front door of the property. All in all, we liked the apartment, and Francesco's help via texting to obtain taxi service made our time there much easier. While you're in Milan, be sure to see the duomo. It is breathtaking!

The host was fantastic. Super responsive and they made themselves available to help over the phone and in person when issues arose. Unfortunately, the apartment itself needs some time and care. We had a number of major issues with heating, hot water and the electricity. The boiler was the major issue. It initially did not work and the host had to attend the property, then a day later after it leaked onto an electrical plug the power went out for hours. Again, the host was fast to attend with an electrician but the situation should not have happened.