Ostello Bello is exactly as it’s name suggests – beautiful.
Situated in the heart of Milan 5 minutes walk from the spectacular Duomo, Ostello Bello is in an ideal location close to restaurants, shopping, bars, trams and metro lines.
Arriving at the hostel completely exhausted after an international flight, bus and tram ride I was pleasantly welcomed by friendly staff who offered me a complimentary drink as I completed the check-in paperwork. Since I had arrived at 11am and check-in was not until 3pm, I was able to store my backpack free of charge and relax in the downstairs dining area, making use of the free hostel-wide wifi.
Main entrance dining and bar area
The main dining/bar area is very welcoming with large communal dining tables and chairs. Acting as a cafe during the day, I saw many locals who worked in the area stop in for an inexpensive lunch. Ostello Bello serves delicious meals and has a fully stocked bar that is open day and night.
If you are a guest at Ostello Bello however, you don’t need to buy any of your meals during your entire stay if you don’t want to. The hostel includes daily all-you-can-eat breakfast of cereals, toast and fruit, as well as nightly aperitivo consisting of freshly made pasta and salads. There is a fully stocked hostel kitchen upstairs where left-overs from the previous night’s aperitivo are stored as well as any additional food the hostel or guests have made available. Everything in Ostello Bello is fresh, plentiful and given freely, creating a wonderfully relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.
Upstairs kitchen is fully stocked with everything a backpacker could need including an outdoor dining area.
Fridge is stocked with the previous night’s pasta leftovers as well as any additional products the hostel staff have purchased – and all freely given to guests.
Each night the downstairs bar area is filled with guests, friends of guests, and visitors who come to enjoy reasonably priced drinks and a great atmosphere. As it is only a short walk to a number of bars in the area, Ostello Bello seems to be a favourite after work drinking spot amongst locals, and a good starting point for those looking to party longer into the night.
Surprisingly with a large number of people gathered on the ground floor every night, the dorm rooms above are very quiet and not really affected by the noise downstairs, unless your street facing room has the windows wide open.
Staying in a four bed mixed dorm, I was pleasantly surprised by how quaint and beautifully decorated it was. Pot plants on the window sills, small table and chairs, and even a decorative rubbish bin gave the room a wonderful, relaxed Italian home feel. And for a traveler such as myself moving between countries and on the go for months, it was perfect.
Dorms rooms are a good size, clean and pretty.
The four bed dorm room was extremely clean, with bedding and towels provided. The in-room bathroom was surprisingly large and included a bidet – the first time I had ever seen one in hostel.
Another pleasant feature were the many social/living/outdoor areas. The second floor kitchen, as already mentioned, has a large outdoor balcony area with tables and chairs as well as a couple of hammocks, tomato vines and capsicum plants.
One of the hostels lovely outdoor areas.
On the opposite side of the building is another slightly smaller outdoor area with a number of hammocks, bench seats, tables and chairs. The perfect place to relax and enjoy a siesta, I found myself out here frequently during my stay.
Relaxing in a hammock
Priced at approximately 35 euro per night for a four bed mixed dorm, I was a little unsure of booking such an expensive hostel. However as all comments on hostels.com were very positive I decided to go with the flow and am thrilled that I did. Ostello Bello is worth every one of those 35 euro. I stayed for three nights and only paid for one meal outside of the hostel. I met wonderful people, discovered the local night life, enjoyed some amazing homemade Italian food, explored much of what Milan has to offer and felt extremely welcome, happy and comfortable my entire stay.
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