Hotels Link Russia
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In most cities quality hotels
are really scarce: most were built in Soviet times decades ago and
are recently renovated in decor, but rarely in service and attitude.
Even for a local it's quite a problem to find a good hotel without a
recommendation from a person you trust. For same reason it may be
really hard to find a hotel during mass tourist-oriented events like
StPete anniversary.
Hotels in Russia may be quite
expensive in metropolises and touristy areas. If you do speak a bit
of Russian and are not entirely culture shocked it is much smarter
to seek out and rent a room in a private residence. Most Russians
are looking to make extra money and, having space to spare, will
rent it out to a tourist gladly. Native Moscovites or residents of
Saint Petersburg would rather rent out to tourists than their own
countrymen: foreigners are considered more trustworthy and orderly.
Expect to pay 60-70 USD a night (usually with breakfast prepared by
your host) and the accommodations will certainly be very clean and
proper if not modern. When it comes to home/family life, Russian
culture is very warm and inviting.
A new phenomenon has been the
development of "mini-hotels" in large Russian cities which are
providing clean modern rooms with private baths at far lower costs
than conventional large hotels, approximately $125 versus well over
$250. These small hotels are located within existing apartment
buildings and may consist of one, two or more floors located a story
or two above street level and often include breakfast. Saint
Petersburg has quite a few with more opening all of the time and
some are appearing in Moscow.
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