Best Western Hotel Neptun   J &http://www.neptun.spb.ru  Phone: 7 (812) 324-4610

Rates: Single room $80 to $120, double $120 to $150 and other accommodations for up to $700 per day. "Prices include buffet breakfast, morning sauna & swimming pool and VAT."

I think they mean to spell it "Neptune." This is definitely a nice place. Security is very good. They stopped us at the entrance and later another security guard wanted to confiscate the film in my camera for taking some outside shots! Geez!

Location Rating: Good. It is in a quiet area and the neighborhood does not seem that interesting. But within 10 minutes walking distance you can stroll down an interesting street which will take you to the heart of the city in another 15 or 20 minutes.  So it is near the heart of the city. It is just a little outside of the core area.

Proximity to Metro: Good. Pushkinskaya Metro Station. Walking time: about 10 minutes. You go through the park at the rear of the hotel. There is a McDonalds across the street from the metro. This is also a busier and more interesting section which is close to the city core. The train station which can take you to Pushkin is also here.

Surroundings: Hotel is located in a business center which is home to some international companies. The view in front of the hotel looks industrial. A park is to the rear. It did not have interesting views.

Lobby Appearance: Modern, spotless; looks brand new. There is a small art gallery, a hair salon, ritzy looking vodka shop and elsewhere they say there is a dental office.

Room Appearance: The rooms are fine. The bathrooms are fine. They do have special rooms for the handicapped. BUT, you should be aware that this hotel has 2 sections: an old section and a new section. The new section is very, very nice and much more desirable. The old section is a bit dreary and the rooms, while clean, are just not as nice. Thus the lower quality rooms have lower pricing.

Useful Nearby Businesses: McDonalds. It is near the metro. When you see McDonald's, turn right and start walking and you'll find plenty of cafes and restaurants and stores as you head towards Nevsky Prospekt. Tanya and I ate at a dynamite little cafe down that way.

Hotel Restaurants: There are several bars and restaurants in the hotel. One of the bars seemed especially cozy to me.

Other Amenities: Really nice 8 lane bowling facility here; cost 360 to 720 rubles per hour, which is equivalent to about $12 to $24 per hour. Billiards cost 100 to 200 rubles per hour. It all depends on the time of day and what day you are playing. Unusual feature: this hotel has a small, orthodox style chapel on the 6th floor. They also have fitness facilities and a pool. We didn't see this part, but from the brochure pictures, it looks great.

Would I stay here? Yes.

Staff Speaks English? Yes.

Comments: The surroundings don't look attractive to me, but it's only 10 minutes away from the metro, and that's a big plus - because you can go everywhere on the metro. And this hotel looks like a very comfortable, safe and clean place to call home. The newer section is of a quality western travelers expect. I would also add that the local metro station is especially interesting. And for the money, considering the quality of their facility, I think this place is a very good value. The elite hotels look just as nice and cost twice as much, or more. It's not quite a slam dunk with the location, maybe that's why it's less? Be sure to ask for a new room. There is a big difference. 

Bolshoy Puppet Theater Hotel   x Foreigners not accepted.   Phone: 7 (812) 273-3996 

This hotel is not for foreigners. We were told it is for puppet theater staff. The Saint Petersburg International Hostel has rooms here though. The building is not in attractive condition. But the neighborhood is interesting. See our review for the Saint Petersburg International Hostel.

Hotel Chaika   K  Beneath my expectations.  http://www.chaika.spb.ru   
Phone: 7 (812) 301-7575

Rates: Double 800 rubles ($26.67); renovated 6th floor double 1000 rubles ($33.33); 3 rooms for 4 people 1600 rubles ($53.33); 16th floor apartments 1400 rubles ($46.66).

Location Rating: Very poor. Far north of the heart of the city. This is a huge neighborhood of dull, tall, soviet-built apartment buildings. There is nothing interesting here and this is not what you come to Saint Petersburg to see.

Proximity to Metro: Fair. It is 3 bus stops to the north. The number 9 bus will take you there. Pioneerskaya Metro Station.

Lobby Appearance: Very small. Clean. A small store is there.

Room Appearance: The corridors resemble basement hallways. Very plain. The first apartment I saw had a fresh kitchen and bathroom, but the bathtub was old. I saw three others. The second apartment was just fair, plain, and a little old. There was flaky paint in the bathroom. The third and fourth were also old and just fair looking. Each had separate bath and toilet rooms and one of those toilet rooms looked especially uncomfortable.

Useful Nearby Businesses: Walk to the east about 5 minutes and you'll find a market. If you walk in with a bag or anything which could conceal their merchandise, they will insist that you leave it with them while you shop.

Hotel Restaurants: There is a little bar/cafe on the first floor. It looked fairly attractive. On the 9th floor is a small, cozy restaurant. It also looked attractive and I would be tempted to eat there.

Other Amenities: Sauna. I did not see it.

Would I Stay Here? I would strongly prefer not to. This is an ugly neighborhood that is far from the city center and is not conveniently located near a metro. It is completely different from the city center. All you see are big, ugly apartment buildings here. And I found the apartments to be not comfortable.

Staff Speaks English? Unknown. Maybe a little. They do not readily speak it. One of them understood my English, but spoke only in Russian.

Comments: My first visit to the Chaika was a huge disappointed because I traveled really far in lousy weather to see this place, and the treatment I received was an insult. After I had finished visiting all the other hotels I decided to give the Chaika one more chance, and I was in luck. A more cooperative person was working at the front desk on this day. I'm sorry to say that I was a bit disappointed with the rooms. They were beneath my expectations. Their print ad had given me the illusion that it was a facility of higher quality than it actually is. The Hotel Chaika has 150 apartments. The prices are cheap, but they're not that great. 
 

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