Arno

Located in the heart of the Corso Buenos Aires shopping area, the small Hotel Arno is housed in an early 20th-century apartment palazzo across the hall from its sister hotel (and fellow EuroCheapo pick), the Hotel Eva. The one-star Arno is the less charming of the two, but it offers all the basics, a super-central location (in the Corso Buenos Aires shopping district) and very low rates.

If the Hotel Eva is the doily and ruffle loving granny, the Hotel Arno is the clumsy, cluttered grandpa (in mismatching plaids). Its 10 rooms are furnished with light pressed wood and the kind of artwork you’d snatch up at a cool flea market. In the winter, beds sport fluffy comforters in bright red, orange or pink, and come summer they switch to dated quilts.

Allergy sufferers beware—there’s a lot of air freshener going on in here! Rooms are very clean, though, and they smell like vanilla. All are outfitted with air conditioning, soundproof windows and a telephone. (Note: no TV.)

Some doubles at the Hotel Arno have private bathrooms, while the rest of the rooms share facilities. All bathrooms are tiny but well laid out. Shower attachments beside the toilets are meant to serve as bidet-substitutes.

The reception feels a bit like a hostel feel, with scuffed furniture and a busy free Internet station, where maps and brochures (and backpackers) abound. There is also a tiny TV lounge, cozy enough for those in need of a fix.

No doubt, the Hotel Arno is a simple spot, but with that simplicity come rock-bottom Milan rates and management that is kind and relaxed.

Wi-Fi is free throughout.