Accomodation - Mini-Hotels, Apartments, B&B
Prices for good quality hotels within walking distance of the main sites can be rather expensive in St. Petersburg.
Five star hotels generally charge about 570USD per night for a standard room in high season.
Fortunately there are two less well known options for visitors who want good quality and good value for money.
These are:
- to stay in a mini-hotel
- to rent an apartment
These both offer the very same convenient city center location - at the price of about 130 to 300USD per night (high season prices). Naturally prices are less in off season.
I have been in this business for 10 years now and I know the options - their strong and weak points.
I can help you book the best option to suit your budget, and give you an experienced view about any alternatives you may be considering
However, if you prefer to make your own arrangements and just to hire me as a guide, then of couse I do not mind at all. I would just like give you the benefit of my experience and make aware of any options you may not have considered, I will in any case respect your choice.
For groups of 4 to 15 people
I highly recommend small groups to consider mini-hotels for accommodation.
I believe that for small groups they are an even better option than 5 star hotels, for the following reasons:
- We can always find a hotel of such size that you will have most, if not all, of the rooms there.
- You will get all the advantages of a hotel i.e. daily room cleaning, ready breakfast, a receptionist to help.
- You will not need to pay extortionate prices for a cup of tea or a glass of beer in the evening, when you returned back from a long day's sightseeing. In fact soft drinks in such places are usually complimentary. You can bring beer from the nearby supermarket or even to ask a receptionist to do it for you.
- You will have space for staying together and chatting in the evenings, using the breakfast room as if in were your private sitting room. You are welcome to bring take-aways with you.
- In my experience the service provided is more pleasant and cordial than in 5 star hotels - for the simple reason that it is hard to be personal when you work in a place with over 300 rooms. But it's another story if there are only 5 or 7 rooms. And for the same reason the speed of response to any possible requests from guests is also quicker.
