STARHOTEL BUSINESS PALACE - A DECENT HOTEL IN MILAN, AT LAST!!!

Sleeping in Milan was a nightmare up to now. Really old hotels, not renovated, somehow difficult to access the rooms, noisy, far too expensive for what you got, getting away from that exclusive Italian Image that the city boast of. However, this has changes after my latest trip there. I stayed over in the Starhotel Business Palace. Not the best hotel I have stayed, but much better from what I was used to in Italy. It's a 4 star hotel that gets closer to the real meaning of a 4 star rating. A bit far away, true... (only two metro stops from the end of the yellow metro line in the south) but just round the corner from the station. I visited the exhibition, and the trip took around 50 minutes, with exchange in Duomo less than halfway through.

The Starhotel Business Palace has 246 rooms. Spacious, clean rooms, good service, friendly personnel and a fairly good variety in buffet breakfast. You even have a selection of pillows to choose from.

Drawback: Apart from the distance to the centre, I would like to comment on the very expensive Internet access, (22 euros per day or 10 euros per hour!). I still don't know why the cost of it is so exorbitant... Especially when the rooms are also a bit high on price.

STARHOTEL BUSINESS PALACE
Via Gaggia, 3
20139 - Milano
ITALY

T: +39 02 53545
F: +39 02 57307550
business.mi@starhotels.it

ZENIT ABEBA - MADRID

The Zenit Abeba, in the Salamanca residential district is one of those hotels where you will stay overnight and remember it quite positively. It is a no frills 4 star hotel. Rooms are clean, with wooden floor that make them quite comfortable. Somre rooms are extremely small. Other are big. Same happens with the toilet.

All rooms have free wifi (very rare among hotels of similar status to offer it for free). Toiletries are also supplied. The hotel has a carpark, where you need to pay and it is not cheap. Also, ig your luggage is heavy, bear in mind that if you park your car in the carpark, you will need to get the luggage up the stairs from the garage to reception. There is no lift to the carpark!!! But then again, you are in a quiet and high class neighbourhood. Starbucks, for those lovers of the American Franchise will have one just round the corner.

The hotel is handy if you are getting up early to go to Barajas airport, the Exhibition centre (IFEMA) or to travel towards Zaragoza or Barcelona on the A2. The city centre is a bit far away on foot, but just outside the hotel, within 20 sencond walk, you have the Underground entry, where you can choose from 4 lines to move any way in the city.

But for me, the best thing about the hotel is breakfast. A wide choice of pastries, churros, porras, fruite, yogurts, juices, even diet food, or Spanish omelet, cold meat, cheese... You will definitely forget about eating along the morning... Your stomach will be pleased after visiting the breakfast room.

Staff are always very helpful and nice to you.

ZENIT ABEBA Alcántara, 63
Madrid - 28006 Madrid (España)
Tlf.+34 91 401 16 50
Fax+34 91 402 75 91
E-mail:abeba@zenithoteles.com