Having booked four-star hotels before through Hotels.com, we were looking forward to a pleasant stay at Helios Hotel. The hotel is conveniently located about an hour from Milan by public transport, which was also one of the reasons we chose it. The lobby looked quite nice and luxurious, and the receptionist was welcoming.
The disappointment began when we entered our room. It was spacious and clean, but everything felt aged and unkempt. The bathroom had clearly seen better days, and some features had been replaced with the cheapest options on the market — for example, an old, rusty sink tap more suited to a public toilet than a four-star hotel. The shower tap was missing a knob and was very tricky to use. You had to flush the toilet several times to make the water stop running, and some of the electric sockets were loose or not working at all. The blind on one of the windows didn’t work, letting the sun in very early in the morning. Definitely, as someone else had said, at least one star too many.
On the positive side, the staff were friendly, the beds were comfortable (although there was no duvet, just a thin sheet), and the breakfast was delicious, with plenty of sweet and savoury options.
