Volga Hotel Review

Volga Hotel Review - An Oasis in Moscow & we enjoyed our dinner at the Porto Maltese Restaurant very much

By Barbara Keer

Our Hotel

When our friend who knows Moscow well arranged for us to stay at the Volga Hotel during our Moscow visit, we did not know how a three star Russian hotel would translate. We were delighted when we found out. Arriving at the hotel after embarking from the overnight train from St. Petersburg, we were surprised to find there were two buildings that comprised the hotel. When we stepped into our apartment, we were thrilled.

Bedroom / living room were comfortable

Opening the door we found ourselves in a new, fresh, bright large space, with a pleasant and comfortable feeling, with our no-smoking room request honored. The spaciousness was surprising and delightful. In one direction, there was a combined bedroom/living room. The bed, which proved to be extremely comfortable, was tucked away in an alcove- rather private but open. The living room area was very functional and included a desk, wardrobe, storage for clothes, two comfortable lounge chairs and a coffee table and there was a lovely view of Moscow.

The kitchen was bright and modern

Off the entry was the bathroom with a wonderful bathtub. Heavenly. It was clean and functional. A few steps further brought me to the kitchen. I couldn’t believe it-a fully equipped kitchen. A full sized refrigerator, a cook top nicer than I have at home, a functional sink and an electric kettle. In addition, there were utensils to eat with and plates cups, etc. to eat on. There were wine glasses and bottle openers and a charming teapot. If restaurants failed us, we were set!

Play area in Volga Hotel lobby

Once we settled in, we found additional positive features in the hotel. Part of the lobby was set up as a play area for children and there was a conference center. We tried lunch at the restaurant in one of the buildings where lunch and dinner are served and enjoyed it. But we were really impressed with the buffet breakfast served in the building where we were staying. The food was plentiful and delicious without extra charge.

Breakfast buffet

Feeling more comfortable, we explored the area where we were located. We learned that a short walk brought us to the Metro, that there was a wonderful bakery and coffee shop on the other side of the main street when we walked one way. In another direction, we found a 24-hour market that had a wide range of products of all kinds and we sampled a nearby restaurant and pronounced it wonderful.

At the Porto Maltese Restaurant our wonderful waiter was Vladimir. Though Serbian, his English was very good and he adapted the food on the menu to meet our needs. We were impressed by the size of the restaurant and the quality and freshness of the fish and seafood. We enjoyed our dinner at the Porto Maltese Restaurant very much. (www.portomaltese.ru)

The restaurant at the Volga Hotel

We learned that the Volga has 255 apartments with balcony, air conditioning, modern bathroom, hairdryer, Satellite TV, direct intercity and international access phone service, Wi-Fi, safe-box, iron and electrical teapot. We were especially appreciative of the TV, in which there were Russian programs that spoke to us in English. There was also German, Italian and many more languages. The safe-box also made us feel more at ease.