I was sure she was looking at me. No, I'll be more assertive, more clear cut. The glamorous, so-beautiful-my-eyes-nearly-did-the-cartoon-pop-out-of-their-sockets-thing model was watching me with intent, like a tiger stalking its prey. I realised instantly that it was my stylish Italian shirt she fancied, rather than my been-around-the-block face. But, had I gone to sleep that night in the crisp cotton sheets of the Park Hyatt Milano and never woken again, I'd have died a happy man.
The Park Hyatt Milano is one of Europe's most desirable destinations. A beautiful hotel in a beautiful city filled with beautiful people, it oozes style and sophistication. It is among the continent's most sought-after and popular venues.
"Milan loves fashion," said the concierge as he escorted me to room 211, a sumptuous and palatial space overlooking beautifully evocative buildings in Italy's bustling commercial centre. "And the fashion industry seems to like it here a lot." ‘Like it here a lot' was, of course, an atypically Italian understatement. Every trip to the restaurant was like stepping into the front row of a catwalk. Incredible designer clothes adorned the beautiful ladies and handsome men, who seemed to exist on a diet of olives and surreptitious sing-song sounding Italian chat.
I'd sit during the afternoon in the hotel lounge, and find myself among faces that normally grace the covers of glossy magazines. I'd breakfast in the dining room, and spy people who design the clothes that are worn by millions of people around the globe. I'd talk to the concierge about his recommendations for sightseeing, and find myself beside a millionaire industrialist who'd be looking to splash the cash in one of the world's most upmarket shopping streets.
Location, location, location
My room, meanwhile, was a treat; all marble, polished plaster and wood in comforting, neutral tones. The interiors were designed by Ed Tuttle and the boutique-style venue also featured a thoroughly impressive glass cupola, hosting Lucio Fontana's Head of Medusa. I lingered awhile, making use of the Laura Tonatto toiletries. The city groans under the weight of great hotels, but in my view, none is finer than the Park Hyatt, which deserves its high rating from the public on Tripadvisor.com. However, I'm a committed Italophile with a passion for Milan and I was back out the door within 20 minutes, enjoying my second trip to the city in recent years.
The hotel faces the imposing Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which was opened by and named after the then King of Italy. The Galleria, one of the world's most beautiful shopping precincts, personifies class and is filled with chic cafés and boutiques stocking clothes by Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton among others.
The Gucci boutique is such a popular local hang-out that it even has its own café, with fashionistas stopping to enjoy espressos as they peruse the latest collections.
Even hard-up fashion tourists are catered for, with Gucci chocolates available at around €10 (just under Dh50) for a half dozen, a lower-cost option than a €1,000 suit.
If great hotels are about location, location, location, then Park Hyatt Milano ticks every box. Turn left out of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II to see the statue of Leonardo Da Vinci and the Teatro alla Scala. Turn right and it's the imposing Piazza Duomo.
Stay put and there are the attractions of great cafés and boutiques, not to mention Park Hyatt's sumptuous Restaurant Vun. Or stroll for five minutes and you're among renowned fashion houses and shops in Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga. I did all of the above.
Fashion and the arts
Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga are, in this writer's eyes, beyond anything else in Europe - and certainly head and shoulders above their counterpart districts in London and Paris. Via della Spiga forms one of the boundaries of the city's fashion quarter - the Quadrilatero della Moda - and the boutiques featured read like a who's who, from Alan Journo and Bulgari, through D&G, Marini and Roberto Cavalli to Tiffany & Co and Tod's.
The area has delightful small flower vendors selling wonderfully aromatic bouquets, as well as food vendors who offer tasty hot snacks that people can enjoy as they walk around the city streets.
I saw numerous ladies dressed to impress, in Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Armani, Prada and Fendi, tottering along the pavements with more bags than they could carry.
I found time to visit a number of boutiques, eventually having to drag myself away from the exceptional Armani store.
The Teatro alla Scala sits on the fringes of that quarter and is famed for being one of the world's great opera houses. It was originally opened in 1778 and is home to La Scala Theatre Chorus. The theatre comprises six tiers of boxes, where well-heeled Milanese watch performances under the baton of Daniel Barenboim. The building is on the city's must-visit list and crowds gather to take photographs.
A 15-minute walk away, at Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie 2, a long line had formed to view Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, The Last Supper. The 15th-century mural, created by da Vinci for his patron, Duke Ludovico Sforza and Duchess Beatrice d'Este, represents a scene in which Jesus announces that one of his disciples will betray him.
No trip to Milan is complete without a visit to its Piazza Duomo, the main piazza which is dominated by the Milan Cathedral, or Duomo di Milano. The Gothic centrepiece took five centuries to complete and is the fourth-largest church in the world. Work started in 1386 and today the Duomo is a dizzyingly beautiful building that provides a calming, tranquil counterpoint to the bustling and frenetic piazza.
I spent endless hours during the day and night just watching the people go by and taking photographs.
The piazza is brought to life by fashionable young Milanese residents who tend to gather in huge numbers to compare one another's clothes and offer each other tips on great deals in local shops.
There are vast numbers of tourists, who spend their time looking at the imposing architecture, eating at street cafés or diving in and out of the shops. Taxis, cycles and trams whizz past at all times of day and night, giving the city an electrifying atmosphere.
A feast for all senses
Two days of shopping and sightseeing - don't miss the city's spectacular parks and gardens - made me eager to return to Park Hyatt. I booked a table at the hotel's Restaurant Vun, where I feasted on freshly baked bread and a starter of Grangnano's half paccheri pasta, with celeriac, lobster sauce and lemon verbena. The dish had been exquisitely prepared and beautifully seasoned while the presentation made it look as pretty as a picture. My main was the stuffed ravioli - which, in addition to meat, contained ingredients as unexpected as black salsify and chocolate - while the dessert was a vanilla cake with dates and orange. It was delicious. Restaurant Vun offered a sophisticated gastronomic experience in refined and rarified surroundings, overlooking Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, and a few steps from Alla Scala Opera House, Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga. There was also time to visit The Spa, an oasis of relaxation located on a basement floor that had mellow lighting and a pastel Venetianstucco finish.
Happily, I visited at a time when other guests were elsewhere, and enjoyed a relaxing whirlpool protected by partially transparent glass and a wall comprising 250,000 tiny pieces of mosaic - each with a background application of 24-carat gold leaf. It was absolutely stunning. No expense had been spared in creating a centre that oozed class and sophistication. Just walking into the spa made me feel more relaxed, even before I'd had my massage.
Endless fascination
During the course of my two days, I packed in more than most people manage in a week - but Milan is that sort of city.
It has endless attractions, the people are astonishingly helpful and there is a never-ending list of things to do. Great culture, great food, great sights and, of course, great shopping make Milan one of this travel-lover's favourite cities in the world.
Tourists in Rome usually follow a peculiar tradition to ensure their return: they throw a coin over their left shoulder into the Trevi fountain. While Italy's second city has no such custom, I made a quiet wish that I've not seen the last of it.
