veraison
Google
This lovely old hotel is in a fantastic, central location, very close to the main shopping street of Nevsky Prospekt and a stone’s throw from Kazan Cathedral. It is an easy walk to The Hermitage as well as close to the Metro and is a great spot to base oneself. The front door is a discreet entrance, which is easy to miss. Press the buzzer to be allowed in.||||We actually stayed in two different rooms during our stay. With three of us travelling, (husband, myself and teenage daughter), it was great to find that my daughter actually had her own ‘room’ in both of the rooms we stayed in. On our first night, we stayed in Room 29, which apparently is historic in that it was the room that Rachmaninov used to sleep in. While the décor is incredibly ornate (Russian style) and there is a very small balcony, it faces the main street so at night can be a bit noisy. During the warmer months, there are no blackout curtains and therefore the room remains fairly light throughout the night. There was a large bathroom with bath, however no shower screen so water splashed over the floor when having showers. The bed was very firm (uncomfortable) and the parquet floor creaked a lot when trying to creep to the toilet in the middle of the night. ||||The second room we stayed in was located at the rear of the hotel, Room 22, and was very quiet and peaceful. Less ornate than our first room, it was still very comfortable and actually had a small kitchenette (albeit lacking a lot of basic equipment). ||||It should be noted that this hotel has no lift and requires going up about 3 flights of stairs. The stairs are wide and not steep so just take your time with luggage. ||Both rooms had good wifi and amenities included bathrobes, slippers and a good selection of toiletries for all three of us. ||||Breakfast was in a lovely sunfilled room. It was a simple continental breakfast with breads, ham, cheese, eggs, basic cereal selection, fruit, pastries, coffee, juice, poached eggs and sausage – very delicious. ||||The reception staff are friendly and helpful with good English. One particular delight was to return to the hotel each afternoon around 5pm to the sound of someone playing on the grand piano situated in the dining room. It was a lovely to sit in the reception and rest our weary feet while listening to beautiful music. In addition, the walls are adorned with fabulous artwork and it is worthwhile spending some time wandering the corridors to take a look at a wide variety of work, many of which are for sale.||||We loved this hotel and would happily recommend to anyone staying in St Petersburg. While it had a few foibles, it was very quirky and full of character, which we found added to our whole experience of St Petersburg.