This hotel location is spetacular: in front of the Black Sea. You can beat that. Wake up in the morning with a great view give this hotel the four stars alone. The rooms are very confortable, clean and well decorated. You have A/C that keeps the room coool enough, but you don't have control over the temperature. The bathroom could be a little bigger, but it is OK (cold and hot water), shower and bathtub. Color TV is old and small for western standards, with a poor selection of channels, all of them with shows and pieces subbed in Russian or Ukranian. Internet in the room is included (wireless), but unfortunately is painfully slow (I mean, often "dial-up" slow).

The buffet breakfast offered has a great selection of both local and traditional dishes, hot and cold. Some sections look like a real lunch (or brunch). The service is efficient, but a little bit "cold". Watch out for the birds if you decide to eat outside. They are freakin fast, if you live your food unattended for too long.

The outdoor swimming pool is OK, and will please people of any age. If you want to be picky, the water is a bit cool for US standards. All the props for kids and adults (floating devices, toys, balls, etc.) must be rented for expensive prices, a truly bummer. The indoor swimming pool is heated (well perhaps not enough) and the saunas rooms are amazing, although unisex (what can cause disconfort or pure joy, depending on the guest). The hotel private beach is not a sandy one, but rather rocky (beds), like all other in the Black Sea. The water is really cold, not for the faint of heart (at least during the early Fall).

Service in general is only OK and they need more training. Just a few members of the staff speaks English and, even though, just enough to perform simple tasks and engage in basic communication. For instance, they have great difficulty in providing directions for tourist attractions, therefore know that you are own your own (no taxi cab speaks English). Welll, in general, Ukranians don't speak English.

The hotel internal signs providing directions for guests are mostly bilingual, but they are somewhat confusing. For sightseeing, dinning out or night-life in Yalta and surroundings, you will need a cab (about US $ 25 round trip). The hotel does not provide any shuttle to any place. The elevators a very slow and apparently they get our-of-service a lot (twice during my 1-week stay).

Definitely is not a Resort. It is a very good 4-star hotel.