After spending a week at the now-torn down Hotel Intourist in Moscow (where I still hadn't figured out how the toilet worked), the Hotel Volna was like a breath of fresh air. The original hotel had been renovated by Croatian investors and workers, and an addition of a tower was added to the old building. The rooms were clean and orderly, looking a bit as though they were furnished by IKEA. They were a tad small by American standards, but bigger than the Intourist, and in very nice condition. The bathroom itself was a joy, with a normal western-style toilet, and electrical outlets near the mirror for those of us who shave.

The hotel room also had a small refrigerator/mini-bar. The prices were steep as usual, but I usually availed myself daily of a Pepsi. I enjoyed the breakfasts, which were nice and fresh (especially the croissants, which were delightful). We only dined once in the Volna, and in the bar (the restaurant was featuring a balalaika trio at the time, which I wanted to see, but my companions did not). It wasn't anything special; I had a chicken sandwich and french fries, but the fries were out of this world. I'll give the Russians a hand ... they know what to do with potatoes! The rest of our time there we ate in downtown Nizhni at various restaurants.

We were advised by our Russian advisors not to wander around the neighborhood the Volna was in, as it was mostly a working class neighborhood (bear in mind, Nizni's a heavily-industrial town) but we disregarded their advice and had no problems at all.

Downtown Nizhni's rather scenic, especially it's Kremlin, and the vantage point overlooking the Strelka, the confluence of the Volga and Oka Rivers.

I had heard some horror stories about Russian hotels, so searched for one offering european standards. This hotel is perfectly acceptable.

Rooms lack the modern flair of a european hotel, but if you only intend to sleep there what does it matter. The hotel is very clean and the decor in good order.

The rest of the hotel is different but overall quite nice.

Breakfast is a little poor and not up to the standards I'd normally expect.

Evening meal in the resturant is very good, service is a little slow, but not too bad.

The staff are very friendly and helpful. Most speak good English and understood me most of the time.

There are 2 public bars in the hotel that are pleasent.

There is a casino and a health spar. I cannot comment on the health spa as I never used it.


They advertise a currency exchange in the hotel. This is now closed and caused some problems as I arrived on a Sunday and was unable to exchange any money. There are several banks very close by the hotel so money can be exchanged there during office hours.

I have stayed here twice now and will be staying there again soon. I found no problems and would recomend as a good base for bussiness.