Baltyskaya Health Center Hotel   J   Phone: 7 (812) 114-9193

Rates: Double 780 rubles ($26) with breakfast; triple 980 rubles ($32.67).

Location Rating: Poor. The neighborhood is lifeless and very dull on Sundays. During the week, it's much busier. So it's a business neighborhood. An old Russian orthodox church is nearby as well as the Hotel Moryakov (Seamen's Hotel).

Proximity To Metro: Poor. The front desk lady said it was 10 minutes away by bus. We took a shortcut down a dirt path to get to the main road. Boy, was it muddy! A few minutes later we picked up the 144 mini-bus for 8 rubles each and went to Baltyskaya Metro Station. You can also pick up the 22 bus near the hotel. This bus will take you to Gostiny Dvor in about 40 minutes. It also passes by the Mariinsky Theater.

Lobby Appearance: Fair. It gives the impression that it is not going to be a nice place.

Room Appearance: The first guest floor looked pretty bad. The lounge area was really old and unattractive. The hallway was old and not attractive. The room looked so so. Nothing great. But then we saw the third floor... the corridor was brand new, and all the rooms were brand new. On the fourth floor too. This facility has 40 new rooms. All brand new. And brand new bathrooms. They're great... and only $26! It is the greatest bargain in the city.

Useful Nearby Businesses: You can get a massage here.

Hotel Restaurants: They have a cafe. We decided to try it out. No menu was presented to us. We just mentioned what we were in the mood for and they offered us something similar. My fish dish certainly exceeded my expectations and Tanya found her meal to be delicious. And the price? Almost unbelievable: 104 rubles for two people. That's less than $3.50.

Other Amenities: They have some kind of health/beauty center here. I didn't see it.

Would I Stay Here? Yes. Great rooms and a great cafe at a great price. I can deal with the lousy neighborhood surroundings for the value this hotel has.

Staff Speaks English? No. But the front desk lady was very pleasant.

Comments: It was an adventure to find this place. And instead of finding it in printed sources, we just happened to stumble across it. This hotel has the nicest rooms in Saint Petersburg for the money. I almost can't believe the price. The only thing is... the location is horrible! 

Belly Nochi   L   (No website.)   Phone: 7 (812) 224-1750

Rates For Foreigners: Suite double $50; standard suite double $35 - $45; standard room double $22 - $25; standard room single $18.

Location Rating: Poor. Far from the metro. Far from the excitement of the inner city. Not an interesting section of the city.

Proximity To Metro: Poor. Don't walk. It's too far. A trolley bus will get you to Lomonosovskaya Metro Station in about 10 minutes.

Lobby Appearance: Nothing fancy. No elevator in this 5 story building, so have fun lugging your baggage up the stairs.

Room Appearance: The $50 suite was sort of okay. The room I saw had a new, comfortable looking sofa and overall was a little more modern than the other rooms. The rest of the rooms were just so so. Basic. Unimpressive. The bathrooms were old, very small, and unattractive. A drain is in the middle of the bathroom floor. That's where the shower water goes.

Useful Nearby Businesses: There are stores nearby, along with a food store and cafe within a 5 minute walk from the hotel.

Hotel Restaurants: They have a fairly large bar room and it looked okay. The cafe was closed and I was unable to see it.

Other Amenities: A small store in the lobby provides booze, cigarettes, soda, chocolate and other things. The billiard place "wasn't working" but they hoped to have it fixed by summer.

Would I Stay Here? I'd rather not. It would be no fun.

Staff Speaks English? No.

Comments: This hotel has approximately 200 rooms. There was no noticeable security presence here, which is quite unusual for a hotel. Belly Nochi means "White Nights" in Russian. It is considered a beautiful name, but this is not a beautiful hotel... rather it is a bottom of the scale hotel. The corridors are old and the first floor has assorted junk in the hall. The neighborhood and the surroundings are unattractive and not interesting. Graffiti has been left on the side of the building. The entry is unimpressive and the property could benefit from some landscaping work. A smokestack is in the vicinity of the building. Maybe for Russian travelers it is an okay place, but for me I think I would find it depressing to stay here. And it is almost in the suburbs... quite far from the action.

Belvedere Golf Hotel   P @ Under construction.

According to the information I found, this hotel was located in Peterhof (suburbs). But it is actually out in farm country and it won't be ready for guests until some time in 2003. The building in the photo will be a restaurant which overlooks a scenic hillside. It looks like it will be beautiful. The hotel is a one story half-circle building which is being completely renovated. Both buildings look very old. The golf course has not yet broken ground yet (there is no golf course). After taking a few shots of the future restaurant, we were told by a foreman "no more pictures." (I guess it's top secret.) It is quite difficult to get to.

How to get there: We picked up the 424 mini-bus outside of Avtovo Metro Station. The ride takes at least 30 minutes or longer to Peterhof. When it turns off the main road, get ready to look for an international-style hotel sign on the right side with a rightward arrow and "1.5" next to it. That's your stop. Ignore the sign and walk down to the next road on the same road you traveled down. We walked left down that next road and after several attempts on this quiet road, we got someone to give us a lift. But when they realized they would have to take us down a hellacious back road, they decided to let us walk it. It's about 2 kilometers. You see a cemetery on the right side. After a few minutes we got lucky and got somebody with a van to give us a lift to our destination for 20 rubles. It is quite difficult to get to!

How to get back to Saint Petersburg from this isolated location was a big question mark. We walked through backcountry for a while and then hitched a ride with a fellow in a very big dump truck (with a full load of dirt). Fun! The point is: when this place opens, just be aware that it is way back in the country. It's nowhere near Saint Petersburg and far from the town of Peterhof. 

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