We were a little daunted approaching the Northern LIghts at 8:00 am after arriving in St. Petersburg by overnight train from Moscow, as it appears just as a small sign on the wall by a door, with little advertising. You go up four flights of stairs, and once inside, they let us check into our room early which was much appreciated. A nice room, very clean, comfy bed, and light breakfast. The location was great for walking around the city, and best of all, the restaurant "Teplo" is across the street; don't miss it, it's wonderful. We didn't mind the hike upstairs at all, but we travel light.

The Northern Lights Hotel in St Petersburg was a great choice for our family of 4 for our 4 night visit to the city. We were walking distance from everything (a good thing as the traffic in the city is horrendous). The hotel is one of the new 'Mini Hotels' that provide accommodation in the city centre. Most of the reasonably priced accommodation options are a bit further away and if you want ease of access, the hotel is just great. It is one block from St Isaacs Cathedral.

Once you find the place it is a buzz in from the street and up three flights of stairs to the entrance. The building was originally a grand home and the hotel on the third floor would have been the servants quarters. From here it became one of the many communal apartment buildings and now this one on the top floor has been converted in to a hotel.

There are 5 rooms and we had a twin room (a single and a double bed) and a deluxe room with a queen bed and a lounge/sitting area which was perfect to eat breakfast together as there is no breakfast room. Breakfast is included and is a simple continental style brought to you as per the previous night's order. Simple, enough. The rooms were perfectly clean and had everything we needed including wireless internet, essential for teenagers.

The highlight of the Hotel is the excellent and friendly staff for whom nothing is too much trouble. Prior to our visit Julia provided documentation required for our visa applications and was very helpful with all our enquiries. We had three girls looking after us while we were there, all very pleasant and all with great English which always helps. There was a supermarket just around the corner where we could pick up beers/ snacks on our way home from wherever we were walking each day and the restaurant Teplo across the road was a fantastic place for dinner (need to book as it is very popular) although there were a host of options on the other side of St Isaacs Square and of course Nevsky Prospeckt.

We were very happy with our stay and would not hestitate to return to the Northern Lights. hotel.

Climbing those three flights of stairs does get a little old after 4 days of walking all around town but it was worth it (and good exercise) because the location is good, not too far from any of the main sights, the rooms are basic but clean and quiet, and the staff is very helpful.

Did hear a little talking through the walls from our neighbor one night but not too bad and over 4 nights we found the "hotel" very quiet. We shared a water tank with the room next door and my husband had a few showers where the water pressure ebbed and flowed but I only got that one time. The bathroom was modern and the shower was nice.

Our room had a double/queen bed, which was a hard mattress but which i found very comfortable, a twin bed, a table and chairs, a desk and TV. Our one window opened to a courtyard. We peeked in another more deluxe room that had two windows.

Breakfast got old after 4 days. Toast, cereal, yogurt, cheese, coffee, tea and juice. You could choose what you wanted and when it would be delivered. Two of the four mornings my toast was cold. But it was nice to have it included and to start the morning with some coffee and something in our stomachs.

The staff, which is on duty 24 hours a day, was very friendly and helpful in giving advice about restaurants or transportation. Their English was pretty good. When we left, they also wanted to know about how we liked St. Petersburg, where we ate and where we went.

We paid $465 for 4 nights, a good value.

After not such a great arrival to St Petersburg the staff at northern lights were very helpful and went out of their way to ensure our needs were met. My husband and I stayed for 3 nights and found it's location great to access most of the impressive sites. I would recommend contacting the hotel to organise a transfer to the hotel, which is not that expensive. An enjoyable stay had by us both.