Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sleeping
Kyiv's hotel scene can serve as an illustration of the widening gap between the rich and
the poor.
All is happy at the extreme budget end. Kyiv has a lovely hostel scene, a typical hostel
being a large converted flat sleeping about 20 people. Owners and staff are often fellow
travellers who you will find cooking in the kitchen and sleeping on a mat in the common
room. There are dozens of hostels listed on international hostel websites.
But if you want to find a normal, centrally located hotel room for US$50 - well, forget
it. Prices at pretty much all the decent, semi-decent and even completely indecent estab-
lishments start at the equivalent of US$100, with the exception of the hotels located on the
left bank of the Dnipro.
Fortunately, rented apartment agencies fill the gap - you can typically get a well-fur-
nished, centrally located apartment for half the price of any dodgy hotel.
But watch for considerable discounts that many good hotels offer during weekends and
long holiday periods (22 December to 12 January, 24 April to 11 May and 30 June to 30
August) when business travellers stay home.
City Centre
Hotel Ukraine
HOTEL$$$
( 278 2804;
www.ukraine-hotel.kiev.ua
;
vul Instytutska 4; s/d from 630/800uah; ; May-
dan Nezalezhnosti or Khreshchatyk)
This Stalin-era giant presiding over maydan Nezalezh-
nosti offers the best view of future revolutions, Orange or otherwise. Short on comforts,
big on atmosphere, its musty rooms have air-con to protect you from natural and political
heat.
Sunflower B&B Hotel
B&B$$$
$$$
OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(
279 3846;
www.sunflowerhotel.kiev.ua
; vul Kostyolna 9/41; s/d from 850/1000uah;
;
Maydan Nezalezhnosti)
The name is an oxymoron - it's more B&B than hotel - but we're
not complaining. The highlight is the continental breakfast (with a warm pastry) delivered
to your room, on request, by English-speaking staff. It's centrally located but nearly im-
possible to find - calling for a pickup is not a bad idea.
