Hostel Zimmer Freie  K  Stairwell needs work.  http://www.zimmer-freie.spb.ru   http://www.zimmer.ru/     Phone: 7 (812) 275-7169

* Update: April 22, 2004 - they say they have moved. (Below is the 2002 review.)

Rates: Dorm accommodation $10; single $20; double $25; triple $30.

Location Rating: Very good. Interesting places to walk all around and close to the city's core. An art school is across the street. Check out the atrium there. Very interesting. Parks and canals are nearby, plus old churches.

Proximity To Metro: Good. An interesting 12 to 15 minute walk to Gostiny Dvor Metro Station.

Lobby Appearance: Not good. First of all, there's no sign outside the building. Once you're inside, you still don't know if you are in the right place. This interior space has a ghetto look, unfortunately. We asked a guard (? or somebody) if the hostel was here and learned that it was several floors up. There's an elevator that I don't trust. And the stairwell is dark and dirty with trash and cigarette butts scattered about. At the hostel door you press the intercom button and ask to be let in. The door unlocks and you are in what I guess is the common area... a very small space with a TV and seating for 2.

Room Appearance: Basic.

Useful Nearby Businesses: There are cafes and all kinds of other stores within easy walking distance.

Hotel Restaurants: They have a very small kitchen area where you can prepare your own food. It's quite cramped and is nothing fancy.

Other Amenities: They have their own hot water supply. This is a good feature because sometimes the community hot water gets shut off, especially in the summer. Free safe deposit for valuables. Telephone, fax, e-mail, and internet service are promoted in their promotional literature. We saw just one toilet and two shower stalls that were sort of private. Maps of the city are on the walls.

Would I Stay Here? No. Communal living with strangers does not appeal to me, although it is possible to get your own room here. But still, I would not be happy here. Tanya says she would never stay there and she didn't feel safe with the guests there. It seemed safe to me though. The facility didn't have it's own guard, and Tanya felt that it was the kind of place where you could scream and scream and nobody would ever hear you.

Staff Speaks English? Yes. The operator of this facility speaks English quite well. He seemed like a quality fellow.

Comments: We had difficulty finding this place because there is no outdoor signage at all. We checked the back alleys and courtyards for an entrance and it is like a ghetto back there. You might be afraid to walk back there by yourself. Neighbors in the next building did not even know of this hostel's existence. The operator of this hostel thought his business was most suitable for students and I had the impression from him that American adult travelers who had stayed there were very disappointed and it appeared he did not wish to encourage this kind of business. This seems to be a communal apartment. Tanya had the impression the young men living there (probably Russian students) had been there for a long time. Her overall opinion about this place is there is something about it which is very strange. I didn't think it was strange, just very basic. It's better than living on the street. The hostel area of this building looked clean, but the rest of it was crappy. The neighborhood is actually very good. The summer garden is near as well as the Neva River, canals, and the core of the city where the greatest concentration of activity, energy, people, stores and attractions are. Among the hostels, this place has the best location.

Hotel Na Sadovoy   L   Phone: 7 (812) 314-4510

Rates For Foreigners: $40 to $45.

Location Rating: Fair. The hotel is in an old section of the city and the nearby buildings are in unattractive condition. A small train museum is nearby and it only cost us 10 rubles each to get in. McDonald's, the metro, and a major shopping area are nearby.

Proximity To Metro: Very Good. It's about an 8 minute walk to Sennaya Ploshchad Metro Station.

Lobby Appearance: The exterior building impression is not good. The street sign is very small and in a difficult to read font. You need to walk into the courtyard section of the building to find the entrance. The lobby is tiny and not interesting, but the attendant who greeted us was polite. The rooms are on the third and fourth floor of this building and an old style elevator will take you up to them. I'm always leery about these antique elevators, but it ran smoothly.

Room Appearance: The corridor on the fourth floor looks like it had a small budget upgrade. The third floor hallway was not as nice, and darker. The rooms don't have a shower or toilet, but they looked okay. Clean. Not bad. Not great. So so. There is one men's toilet and one women's toilet on each floor. The men's toilet I saw was atrocious, and without a seat. That one man toilet room had a dungeon type of atmosphere. To the hotel people: it's time to make an investment in a new toilet. The woman's shower area I saw (one shower) was so so.

Useful Nearby Businesses: Lots of shops within an easy walk from the hotel. And the Mariinsky Theater is within walking distance.

Hotel Restaurants: They have a cafe and it is nice. I would eat there.

Other Amenities: None.

Would I Stay Here? No. I want to have my own bathroom. That men's toilet I saw was pitiful.

Staff Speaks English? No.

Comments: The lady who showed us the rooms was a little annoyed to have her day interrupted by us. She thought their rooms were not good for foreigners, but they actually weren't bad. Only one toilet and shower for men and one toilet and shower for women per floor is a major negative though, and that men's toilet I saw was awful. Tanya considered the place to be very so so. Despite the upgraded corridor and okay rooms, she says she would still never stay there. The tax inspector's office is next door, so a lot of accountants and business people probably frequent the area during the weekdays. A very busy shopping area is right down the street. In my opinion, for the money, you can find a better place.

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