Hotel Recommendations in Milan & Cinque Terre

Have you thought about a day trip over the Alps to St Mortiz? From Varenna we took the "regular train" (instead of Bernina Express) as it was on the same track. We bought the tickets before we left home and it was an easy connection. It was amazing rail trip and we had the car almost entirely to ourselves.
We enjoyed the hike to Vezio Castle (Varenna) for the view and raptors. Also Villa Carlotta remains one of my favorite visits the story behind it really stuck with me).

I hadn’t thought of this but I’ll look into it. Thank you!

Hi there! My husband and I stayed at the Hotel Spadari a few years ago. The location was great! I wrote to the hotel prior to our visit and they arranged to get tickets for my husband and I to see Leonardo's Last Supper. Whether you stay there or not, if you are interested in seeing the Last Supper, you will need to arrange tickets in advance. Have fun!

Also looking for a hotel recommendation for Milan so appreciated the recommendation for the Spadari al duomo. However it appears it books at over 400EU a night for a tiny room with one double bed. Is this what we should expect to pay in Milan?

You didn't specify which of the five towns in the Cinque Terre you're planning on staying in? Everyone here has a favourite town, and in my case that's Monterosso. For stays in Monterosso, I would highly recommend Hotel Villa Steno or Hotel Pasquale. Everything about Villa Steno is superb, including the nice breakfast (although I don't know what might have changed in the post-pandemic world). The RS Italy guidebook will have other listings for all the CT towns.

For stays in Milan, I normally prefer being close to the main station and would use either Hotel Berna or Hotel Garda. They're both easily walkable from the station.

Albergo Degli Amici in Monterosso was a great stay in May 2019 and has a wonderful terraced garden with views to die for.