Hotel Locanda Dei Mai Intees

After being canceled by a hotel closer to Malpensa airport the day before arrival, I had to scramble to find an alternative. So glad we stayed here! As mentioned in the description and reviews, this is a 15th century building, full of charm and history, not a modern conference hotel. We stayed in the Casanova suite, which is set on 4 separate tiers with stairs connecting - very unique! We enjoyed meeting Paolo, who shared the hotel and family history, and helped us arrange car service to MXP at 5:30AM - quite a feat during Milan Fashion Week. I wish we could have stayed longer to enjoy the hotel and town.

We booked three nights at this very different and unique family owned hotel in Azzate, which is very near to Lake Varese. A 15th century family owned and run hotel, set with it's own courtyard and enclosed garden, parking too. Our room had a high wooden ceiling, lovely old pieces of furniture and the highest quality bed linen, with air conditioning too. The hotel is a cornucopia of interesting and historical items, all set to a back drop of relaxing jazz music. We decided to eat in the courtyard two nights and were served beautifully cooked Italian food by Paulo (not be missed). A very simple croissant and boiled egg breakfast in the morning. ' If you like 'Escape to the Chateau' then you will thoroughly enjoy this experience - if you prefer a corporate bland hotel, then maybe not for you.

It is a unique blend of history with a modern twist. 12 rooms, each one of them with a character and unified by a leitmotif: good taste. Each room gives you space to work, relax, unwind, rest. The location is far from any traffic and close to Varese Lake. It offers the right level of tranquillity without being too far removed from the rest of the world: Varese is not far and Malpensa Airport is easy within reach. Bathrooms are all newly renovated with modern fittings, but without losing the "classic" feeling. Beds are really comfortable and if you are in need of a sound night of sleep, well this is the place. Bed linen is of the best quality. Breakfast is intimate and it has a true "family feeling". It is served to you with a smile, rather than the copious all you can eat buffets offered by large chains. And the welcoming smile at the breakfast room makes up for anything you may be used to, but that you really don't need. Toasted bread with jams, croissants, yogurts... And all varieties of coffees . But with a heart And this place has a legacy. Family owned for generations it was an intellectual circle where topics like politics, literature, fashion were on the agenda of the intelligenza frequenting the "mai intees" club. Ah.. I was forgetting .. "Mai Intees" is the local dialect for "never agreeing". And it gives you the idea of the variety of ideologies and beliefs who met there to openly discuss, but never argue It could be the perfect place to hold a summit... Not to miss.

(Photos only)

Dimenticate i rumori esterni delle automobili, chiudete gli occhi e respirate la storia di questo luogo. Immaginate la nascita delle prime case di questo paese affacciato sul Lago di Varese. Come ben descritto dal loro sito web, qui ci fu la prima piazza, la farmacia e l'ufficio postale di Azzate. Ed i muri e le piante secolari raccontano la loro storia a chi la vuole “sentire”, a chi la vuole respirare e scoprire. Vi accolgono sorridenti ed amichevoli la Signora Carla ed il figlio, il Signor Paolo. Vi aprono le porte della loro casa ora diventata hotel e ristorante di charme. Chiudete gli occhi ed immergetevi nella storia della loro famiglia, raccontata con tanta passione da loro, gli eredi di questo luogo fuori dal mondo. Tutto ciò che vi circonda è stato per me quasi infotografibile perchè anche se belle e nitide le foto non sanno restituire la magicità di questa dimora. Solo camminando nelle sale, osservando gli oggetti, gli affreschi sui soffitti, i dipinti appesi alle pareti, percorrendo i corridoii e scoprendo le storiche stanze da letto sarete toccati nell'intimo dalla romanticità ed unicità delle Locanda dei Mai Antees, che vi resterà negli occhi e nel cuore.

Ad un soffio da Milano, puoi vivere un sogno in una realtà dove il tempo si è fermato. Soggiornare alla Locanda per noi è un rito che ci accompagna da una ventina di anni, senza mai stancarci, scoprendo sempre qualcosa di nuovo. La familiarità e l’accoglienza della signora Carla ed il figlio Paolo, ti fanno sentire a casa, lontano dai rumori della città. Camere curate e cucina strepitosa, ricercata nei piatti e nelle sfumature, fanno di questo posto un luogo al quale tornare, ogni volta con piacere.