Where to Stay in Moscow - Moscow and St. Petersburg - page 110

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50 Ozerkovskaya Naberezhnaya, building 2. & 495/951-9582. Fax [phone]. www.ozerkhotel.ru.
25 units. From 5,400 rubles double; 8,400 rubles suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Metro: Paveletskaya. Amenities:
Restaurant and bar; executive-level rooms, health club w/very small pool; room service; sauna; Wi-Fi in
lobby 100 rubles/hr. In room: TV w/satellite, hair dryer, kitchen, minibar.

Varshava (Warsaw) Improved service could make the Varshava a top-value locale. It's
still in a decent location, with modern rooms and reasonable rates. The main challenge
is the staff 's reluctance to speak English, but informational material in several languages
is available in the lobby. Though the hotel's name (left over from the days when Poland
was part of the Soviet bloc) and service are outdated, the guest rooms offer plain Scandi-
navian-style furniture in primary colors and none of the patterned wallpaper of Soviet
days. Most bathrooms have showers only. International and Russian business travelers
often stay here. The hotel is next to the Oktyabrskaya metro station and up the street
from Gorky Park. The restaurant on the eighth floor has a rather Mafiosi feel, though the
breakfast hall is pleasant. A buffet breakfast is included in the price.
2 Leninsky Prospekt. & 499/238-7701. Fax [phone] units. 4,800 double; from 6,400 rubles
suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Metro: Oktyabrskaya. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; health club; sauna. In room: TV,
fridge, Internet 70 rubles/hr.

6 BEYOND THE GARDEN RING

EXPENSIVE
Holiday Inn Vinogradovo This resort-type facility is unlike anything else
Moscow has to offer. Well-removed from the city, it's tucked in a forest 4km (2 1 ⁄ 2 miles)
beyond the bypass marking the city limits, not too far from Sheremetevo International
Airport. The free shuttle to and from town takes a while but makes the hotel feel less
remote. The plus side of such a distant locale is the availability of outdoor amenities
unheard-of at other Moscow hotels: horseback riding, sledding, and cross-country skiing
in winter; watersports on a nearby lake in summer. This makes it a big draw for families
traveling with children. The rooms are situated around a central courtyard, but better to
ask for a lake- or church-facing room. Guest rooms and bathrooms are generous, and
some doubles offer two double beds instead of two singles—a rare luxury in Russia. Kids
eat free. Pets are allowed.
Dmitrovskoye Shosse. & 495/937-0670, ext. 171. Fax [phone] units. From 3,400 rubles dou-
ble; from 16,000 rubles suite. AE, DC, MC, V. 4km (2 1 ⁄ 2 miles) north of Moscow Ring Rd. along Dmitrovs-
koye Shosse (visible from the hwy.). Amenities: 2 restaurants; 2 bars; executive-level rooms; health club;
indoor pool; room service; sauna; smoke-free rooms. In room: TV w/satellite, fridge, Wi-Fi 300 rubles/hr.

5

Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya The stone-layer-cake building itself is rea-
son enough to stay in the Leningradskaya, renovated in 2008 by Hilton from the cellars
to the soaring spire. It's one of the strange and stunning “Seven Sisters” of Stalin-era
Gothic architecture (see p. 23 for historical background), and while it's not central, it's
around the corner from the train station that takes you to or from St. Petersburg _ and
that gives the hotel its nostalgic name. The taupe-and-beige rooms are big enough to
dance in, thanks to generous Soviet designers, and beds are queen or even king-size, a
rarity in Russia and a draw for American business and leisure travellers. Most have a sepa-
rate shower and bath, and the hotel's height allows broad views from pretty much any-
where. Be sure to check out the ballroom, its inlaid ceilings and gilded gates teetering between