It is easy to overlook how big Saint Petersburg is. It is actually the second largest urban area in Europe, so pick your hotel carefully, especially because traffic is terrible in this city, and getting around is not so easy as in most western european cities. When I first got to this hotel, as the driver took a back entrance, I found myself asking why the hell I was staying here. The back of the hotel faces a grim and abandoned building and a backyard that attracts bums and drunks in the middle of the night. It was only on the second day that I realized that the location was in fact decent, as long as get to learn the map of the city in your head. Saint Petersburg is one powerful and imposing city. You can't help but think about the siege during WWII and wonder what a winter here must be like (I came during summer, at the height of the white nights). This hotel is nothing special, but the rooms are comfortable enough. The bathroom grabbed my attention because of two things: one was that the shower had no curtain. The second was that the water had a very weird smell. I don't know if all water in Saint Petersburg smells like this, but this was definitely stinky.

The Cameo was a pleasant suprise it is a petunia in a onion patch.

rates are reasonable for Russian hotels

receptionist speaks like a Canadian (excellent)

breakfast is huge and yummy! Plus you can order an omellete or a perfect expresso.

Really appreciated our stay here!!

Jon Parker

1 kilometer away from Njevski Prospekt, a walking distance along the lovely Fontanka canal. Rooms are ok, but I'd expect a slightly better breakfast for that price (100 euros a night in the high season - does the mafia run these places?), the air condition is really noisy at night. Summers in Petersburg are really varm and opening the window is not an option unless you prefer being eaten by mosquitos.
The picture on their web site is not telling the whole truth. Both the front and the backyard is a dump.
The staff is ok, at least slightly above the average Russian consept of "service minded staff", they also speak a little English.
Restaurants with lovely caucasian food really close by.