I am looking for a hotel recommendation near the airport for a family of four. One room with two double beds would be fine. Would love a view of the lakes or mountains. Thank you!
Terri, Could you provide a bit of further information on why you'll need a Hotel near the airport, rather than one in Milan or other nearby town? In that particular location, it's doubtful that you'll have a "view of the lakes or mountains". I was there in June and only noticed lots of "city" and traffic. Cheers!
I guess I meant to say close enough to the airport because we have an 11:30 AM departure, but would like to stay somewhere the night before that has some views of the Lake Como area.
Terri, Given the time of your flight, one possibility to consider would be to stay in Varenna for the night. You'd certainly have a view of Lake Como! It would be a great place to "unwind" on your last night in Italy. You'd have to check the Italy Guidebook for lodgings that might fit your criteria and budget. Travel from Varenna to Malpensa is relatively easy, with one change at Milano Centrale. There's a 06:39 departure, which would get you to MXP by 09:13 (time 2H:34M). Another option would be to stay in Como (not as nice as Varenna IMO), and use the 07:36 train from Como Nord Lago, connecting in Saronno for the trip to Malpensa, with arrival at 08:34 (time 0H:58M). Of course, these suggestions will only work if there are no "disruptions" (ie: trains are late, etc.). Cheers!
If you decide to stay closer to the airport, I would recommend the Best Western Jet Hotel. They have an airport shuttle and a great buffet breakfast. It was located in a quiet neighborhood. Here's their website: www.jethotel.com
We stayed in a wonderful hotel near the Malpensa airport called "First Hotel". They provided a free shuttle service to the airport and breakfast. In my opinion, since your flight leaves at 11:30 a.m. (which means you should be at the airport at 9:30 a.m. or earlier) staying outside of Milan might be a bit nerve-wracking, especially if you run into traffic on the way back from Lake Como. The website for the hotel is http://www.firsthotel.it/en/index.php. Rooms start at 89 euro/night.
I've updated the post about Malpensa hotels a bit. Most of the links should work: http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/10365/recommendations-for-malpensa-airport-hotels.html