The Hotel in Milan’s Art District Where Every Stay is a Masterpiece

Walk into the Nhow Hotel on Via Tortona and there is absolutely no doubt you are right in the heart of Milan’s design district.

Once through the tunnel entrance, bright colours attack from every angle before the dim lighting comes to your rescue and the vibe of the place kicks in.

The quirky chairs in the lobby would look as comfortable on the set of Futurama as they would in a 1960s nightclub, and as for the chandeliers… Wow!

There’s a glass floor by the lifts looking down on what appears to be stones and gold, while pieces of art hang on almost every wall, on a six-month rotation of exhibitions by contemporary designers.

This building, which opened as a hotel in 2006, used to be a General Electric factory so there’s plenty of space for the 244 rooms.

Depending on the time of year, you can get a double for around £150 per night but that price will rise in high season, with the rooftop bar and infinity pool opening in April (as long as the weather behaves), before last orders are called around late September.

Our twin on the fourth floor had a high ceiling, massive window, huge television, table and chairs (quirky, of course), an open wardrobe backed by what can only be described as fantastic wallpaper, and a spacious bathroom with a floor that Jackson Pollock would have been proud of. He may have liked the coffee machine and Smeg kettle, too.

There’s a well-equipped gym and a Turkish bath open from early until late every day, so there’s plenty of time for a workout before breakfast, which is on until 10am through the week, 11am on a Saturday and midday Sundays.

Pastries, bacon, sausage and eggs, all sorts of bread, smoked salmon, cereals, fruit… it’s all there. And they make a mean omelette.

The location is superb. The San Siro is easy enough to get to on public transport and door to door will take less than 45 minutes. It’s a 15-minute walk to Porta Genova Metro and from there it’s six stops on line 2 to Porta Garibaldi, a switch to line 5 and then straight to the stadium.

For a football fix closer to home, head left out of the hotel and over the canal to Via Carlo D’Adda. At the top of the street is I Segreti di Pulcinella – a lovely little pizza place with wall-to-wall Diego Maradona and Napoli memorabilia, including a signed Scott McTominay shirt. Further along the same street is El Gaucho di Javier Zanetti, the steak restaurant opened by the Argentina and Inter legend.

Take a right out of the hotel instead and you will see the Beer Gallery, a cosy little pub with a great selection of drinks and good food, and you will also come across Mudec – the art and culture museum – if walking to Porta Genova or round the corner to the canals of Navigli and everything on offer there.