Our first impression of Kharkiv, coming straight off a flight from the USA, was not that favorable. The roads are bad, there are many dilapidated buildings and (apparently) recently abandoned half-finished high-rise developments, and Hotel Mir, on our first approach to it, seemed to be in an out-of-the-way place overgrown by weeds. But in fact Kharkiv turns out to be a delightful city! The people are friendly, polite and orderly; you can walk around at any time without any sense of concern; the Metro system is fantastic - USD $0.25 for an unlimited ride, the stations have individual architecture, all most aesthetically designed, some rivaling Moscow in their beauty, fast frequent trains, and even at rush hour the many riders were uniformly polite and dignified in our experience. But now to the Mir Hotel. Its location is most convenient - just steps from the Botanical Gardens Metro station. Across the street is a very good 24-hour supermarket. The staff is most polite and helpful - they didn't charge us for a fax that we sent to a hotel in Kiev, there is a full-service travel agency on the premises that was most helpful in getting us train tickets to Kiev, ATM machines, a Western Union money-changing office, very decent restaurant (The Joker). I think most American travelers will appreciate two things that I now mention, which are related. We arrived on a rather hot day in June, after a transatlantic flight, and when we entered our room it was pleasantly cool, the air conditioning having been turned on well beforehand. In this respect, Mir was one of the best hotels in which I have stayed in all of Europe. Second, our floor - and I think this is true throughout - had a 24-hour staff of dedicated female attendants, apparently the same people every day. Whenever we got off the elevator to return to our room, at least one of these ladies would appear in the corridor to see who was approaching. That really establishes a sense of security and comfort. Overall the service was excellent, we had a most comfortable suite with a living room, bedroom and separate bathroom for about USD 100/night, good small refrigerator and flawless free wireless internet access. I would certainly stay there again.

I stayed in the standard single room, and honestly I was quite surprised. For a 3 star Ukrainian hotel, which was a Soviet hotel, I was not expecting much (and I thought my fears were confirmed after I saw the daunting block of a building from the outside). But the room I was in was perfectly reasonable, clean, and comfortable (though getting a double bed after 3 weeks in hostels may have made me biased). It was slightly cold though, despite the little heater doing its best.

The staff at the front desk usually speak reasonable English, but depending on the days it can become difficult to communicate. For instance, on New Years Day, I was rather sick (had been for a few weeks), and thought I may need to see a doctor for antibiotics. For the holiday staff, this seemed to mean I needed an ambulance, which arrived and took me to hospital for an antibiotic drip... quite an ordeal. But I can't blame the hotel in a foreign country for not speaking my language.

It's location isn't the best, but the metro station is right outside, and will take you to all the main places of the city. The staff will also happily call a taxi should you need to go anywhere else.

I haven't stayed at any other hotels in Kharkov, but this one is certainly good for the money.

Location:
Not quite in the city center, but is easily accessible via subway or taxi. There are always taxis parked outside and they are reasonably cheap so its easy to get anywhere. It's also located next to the botanic gardens and miniral water spring. Quite a few cafeterias located nearby which makes dining easy and enjoyable.

Service:
Very friendly staff, which is not always the case with Eastern European hotels. I got a little cold and my girlfriends went to get some hot water for me, and the staff in the restaurant provided that straight away, even though it was clearly outside their responsibility. The room was cleaned every day.

Room:
The room was a little small, but new and clean. Those who love more space have an option to get a larger room (I haven't seen it) for a bit more...

Price:
The best is the price, it was something like $35 per night for a very clean and enjoyable hotel.

I recommend this hotel for budget travelers to Kharkiv.

I had a great time here, they had laundry service available, as well as a cafe and night club inside the hotel. the rooms where accomodating. it was close to the center of town and the metro was accessable within a minutes walk, as well as taxis available at anytime.