Arnaboldi Palace

This is a wonderful hidden gem of a hotel in Pavia. The entrance from the street and stairs gives no inkling of the luxury and character of what is behind the door. A very helpful receptionist showed us our upgraded room which was large and furnished with antiques and a modern bathroom. The whole building has been carefully restored around an atrium, together with a terrace. Nothing was too much trouble to make us feel welcome. The tasty breakfast was served in a large lounge with piano and harp. The final touch was the receptionist arranging and paying for the taxi to get us back to the car park outside the TVL. All in all an unexpectedly great stay in a city not often visited.

This place in on the second floor of a historical building. It has the atmosphere of an up market B&B, rather than a hotel. There is a lift to help with luggage. Room, bathroom and bed were all very comfortable and well maintained, with good functioning AC. Breakfast was good, but mainly sweet. A few things I wish I'd known: (i) there are a lot of mosquitos in Pavia. Before you venture out, invest in and apply a good repellent. I got multiple bites - even around the eyes! (ii) there is a lot of street noise until about 2am. The hotel tries to help out by offering ear plugs. We slept well, but if you're a light sleeper or sensitive to noise, this could be a real issue. (iii) If you use the concierge parking provided by the hotel, check that the concierge is in residence. We paid 30 euros per night and ended up having to collect and park the car ourselves 3 out of 4 times. I complained on check-out and just received the argument (literally) that in our information e-mail this service was marked as "suspended". Apparently it was still possible to charge for a suspended service. (iv) the hotel is close to a restricted access area. This makes it difficult to find and drive to, even using navigation. Ask the hotel for detailed instructions in advance - otherwise when you finally arrive exhausted, you might just be tempted to take up the concierge-without-the-concierge parking option (see above). The breakfast staff, room service and afternoon reception staff were all charming, kind and helpful. I wish I could say the same about one lady on reception (and her passing-by boss?) in the mornings of our stay.

We loved our stay here. This unique hotel seamlessly combines historic charm with modern updates, creating a welcoming atmosphere. The attentive and hospitable staff enhance the experience and the location is great as well.

Excellent quality of the rooms and of the service provided by the impeccable staff. A pity that there was a fair bit of street noise overnight (e.g. garbage tracks operating for several minutes) that could not be fully insulated by the windows.

I made a mistake and they capitalised on it. I thought I had cancelled this Monday night’s booking, having made a booking in September instead. When I received a reminder this morning, helpfully for them outside the cancellation period, I immediately contacted them and explained the error. They said they were small and had to be strict. The thing is that they have a few rooms available on Monday so it is not as if they have lost out. They preferred to pocket the €280 and lose my other booking in September instead. This could have been resolved differently. Not very nice.

This is our second stay at this small hotel. Some things have changed since 2018. They have grown from three rooms to six, and the staffing level also seems to have grown. Staff were still efficient and helpful. Breakfast is still served in the beautiful salon with the antique furniture and paintings, beautiful chandeliers, and other interesting decorative items. Breakfast still consists of breads and pastries, and a selection of meats and cheese. They serve great coffee and accommodate American taste by bringing refills. The hotel occupies most of one floor of an architecturally important building, a restored late 19th century Pallazzo. The octagonal center space is bright and airy thanks to the iron and glass dome. The property is on the main pedestrian street in Pavia. Access is from a side street, and with the keys provided, you have twenty-four hour admission. The elevator is small, especially if you have a lot of luggage. Fortunately, we did not. The room was quiet, and comfortable with a mix of antique and contemporary furniture and art. The Wi-Fi was strong. The bath was spacious, with large towels. The property is in a limited access zone, so you need to follow a map to arrive at the rear. We chose to let them valet park our car, but public parking is available in the area.