Where to Stay in St. Petersburg - Moscow and St. Petersburg - page 225

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Nevsky Forum This would be a choice hotel even without the Nevsky Prospekt
address, which adds to its cache and convenience. True, the city's biggest train station is
just around the corner, but its attendant grime doesn't reach the Nevsky Forum and it
means you don't need to take a taxi after you roll in on the overnight train from Moscow.
And you have your pick of souvenir shops and restaurants of many flavors just outside
the Nevsky Forum's door. Street-facing rooms are good for people-watching but even
triple-paned windows can't keep out all the clamor. (Courtyard rooms cost the same.) It
paints itself as a “business hotel,” but it pulls in plenty of tourists out to discover the city
on their own. Creamy upholstering meets somber alderwood in the guest rooms, and the
shower-only bathrooms are a study in efficient use of space.
69 Nevsky Prospekt. & 812/333-0222. Fax [phone]. www.forumhotel.ru. 29 units. From 4,000
rubles double; from 7,700 rubles suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Metro: Mayakovskaya. Amenities: Restaurant; bar;
concierge; room service. In room: A/C, satellite TV, fridge, hair dryer; minibar, free Wi-Fi.

3 LOWER NEVSKY TO SMOLNY CATHEDRAL

MODERATE
Arbat Nord An inviting, peach-colored building on a quiet side street, the Arbat
Nord is an elegant mix of antique desks and top-of-the-line laptop reservation terminals.
Opened in 2004, it blends more carefully with St. Petersburg's 18th-century classicism than
the hotels of the Soviet era. Staff is always ready to include personal touches, such as guide-
books in your native language or wine from your country left at the bedside. Its five stories
hold mid- to large-size rooms of polished dark woods and sumptuous, firm bedding. The
top-floor rooms have skylights that offer stunning views of the long summer sunsets and
sunrises—though be sure the blinds close securely if you want to get any sleep during the
White Nights. The neighborhood is so quiet it feels almost isolated, but it's just around the
corner from Chernyshevskaya metro station and plenty of usual and unusual commerce.
4 Ulitsa Artillereiskaya. & 812/703-1899. Fax [phone]. www.arbat-nord.ru. 33 units. 3,500 double
Nov-Apr; 7,000 rubles double May-Sept. AE, DC, MC, V. Metro: Chernyshevskaya or Mayakovskaya. Ame-
nities: Restaurant and bar; room service; smoke-free rooms. In room: A/C, satellite TV, fridge, hair dryer,
Wi-Fi (250 rubles/hr., 500 rubles/day).
Marshal This one-story, 18th-century mansion doesn't look like most hotels,
and that's a big part of why it has so many fans (myself included). Its corridors circle a
courtyard that once sheltered the household cavalry of nearby nobility. The building was
turned into a hotel in 2001, and houses a one-room museum to the first president of
Finland, one-time cavalryman Duke Mannerheim. Guest rooms are spacious, and even
the smallest singles have sunny furniture and spotless modern bathrooms (most with
shower only). The rooms facing the army barracks feel so far from the rest of the hotel
that they're almost isolated. One room offers a water bed. The small glass and chrome
cafe offers a simple but satisfying breakfast, and coffee and snacks throughout the day.
The Marshal's winning combination of charm and conveniences means it's increasingly
popular among independent European tourists, which in turn means space is often lim-
ited. The nearby streets hold several unsung architectural and historical treasures.
41 Ulitsa Shpalernaya. & 812/579-9955 or 812/579-7500. www.marshal-hotel.spb.ru. 26 units. From
4,100 rubles double; from 6,000 rubles suite, extra bed 1,000 rubles. Breakfast included. AE, DC, MC, V.
Parking. Metro: Chernyshevskaya. Amenities: 24-hr. restaurant; Jacuzzi; room service; sauna; smoke-free
rooms. In room: A/C, TV w/cable, fridge, hair dryer, free Wi-Fi.

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