![The Best Hotels in Sochi
Over the next four years, expect a massive construction boom in Sochi as major hospitality brands like Starwood Hotels and Hilton create new hotels for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Hilton, for example, recently announced the planned launch of two Hilton Garden Inn hotels in Sochi by the end of 2012. Until this hotel construction starts, though, what are the best hotels in Sochi?
In planning my upcoming trip to Sochi in August 2010, I leaned heavily on the recommendations found on Trip Advisor, which listed 27 total hotel & lodging accommodations. Of these, about half are “winter” lodging options up in the mountains, while the other half are “summer” lodging options for relaxing along the Black Sea. What’s amazing – for such a huge resort area – is that there is really only one well-known Western hospitality brand that has any kind of presence in Sochi, and that’s Radisson. They have one up in the ski slopes (Radisson SAS Lazurnaya Peak) and one along the sea coast (Radisson SAS Lazurnaya). While the Radisson SAS Lazurnaya sounds like a very sleek, 5-star type of experience, it also comes with a hefty price tag. For $100 less per night, I opted for the Marines Park Hotel (ranked #9 out of 27, compared to #8 out of 27 for the Radisson). For a summer vacation in Sochi, here’s what I found to be the Top 5 choices:
(1) Radisson SAS Lazurnaya (ranked #8 on Trip Advisor) (2) Grand Hotel and Spa Rodina (ranked #4) (3) Marines Park Hotel (ranked #9) (4) Zhemchuzina Hotel (ranked #1) (5) Sochi Breeze Spa Hotel (ranked #10)
This list is by no means scientific, and it’s basically based on cross-checking facts with the actual hotel websites and then consulting third-party sources like Trip Advisor and Lonely Planet. As with any hotel options in Russia, buyer beware! There are basically two classes of hotel in Russia – the super-elite, deluxe class for the moneyed oligarchs and the middle-of-the-road, don’t-expect-any-favors-from-management type hotels where a little knowledge of Russian is required to get by. It will be interesting to see what happens when major international brands push into the market. If you have the money to shell out $300+ per night, the Radisson is probably the best choice for “beachfront chic in the Caucasus Mountain Range.”
[image: Radisson SAS Lazurnaya Peak]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0o6ov9AJw1rr2iydo1_400.jpg)
The Best Hotels in Sochi
Over the next four years, expect a massive construction boom in Sochi as major hospitality brands like Starwood Hotels and Hilton create new hotels for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Hilton, for example, recently announced the planned launch of two Hilton Garden Inn hotels in Sochi by the end of 2012. Until this hotel construction starts, though, what are the best hotels in Sochi?
In planning my upcoming trip to Sochi in August 2010, I leaned heavily on the recommendations found on Trip Advisor, which listed 27 total hotel & lodging accommodations. Of these, about half are “winter” lodging options up in the mountains, while the other half are “summer” lodging options for relaxing along the Black Sea. What’s amazing – for such a huge resort area – is that there is really only one well-known Western hospitality brand that has any kind of presence in Sochi, and that’s Radisson. They have one up in the ski slopes (Radisson SAS Lazurnaya Peak) and one along the sea coast (Radisson SAS Lazurnaya). While the Radisson SAS Lazurnaya sounds like a very sleek, 5-star type of experience, it also comes with a hefty price tag. For $100 less per night, I opted for the Marines Park Hotel (ranked #9 out of 27, compared to #8 out of 27 for the Radisson). For a summer vacation in Sochi, here’s what I found to be the Top 5 choices:
(1) Radisson SAS Lazurnaya (ranked #8 on Trip Advisor)
(2) Grand Hotel and Spa Rodina (ranked #4)
(3) Marines Park Hotel (ranked #9)
(4) Zhemchuzina Hotel (ranked #1)
(5) Sochi Breeze Spa Hotel (ranked #10)
This list is by no means scientific, and it’s basically based on cross-checking facts with the actual hotel websites and then consulting third-party sources like Trip Advisor and Lonely Planet. As with any hotel options in Russia, buyer beware! There are basically two classes of hotel in Russia – the super-elite, deluxe class for the moneyed oligarchs and the middle-of-the-road, don’t-expect-any-favors-from-management type hotels where a little knowledge of Russian is required to get by. It will be interesting to see what happens when major international brands push into the market. If you have the money to shell out $300+ per night, the Radisson is probably the best choice for “beachfront chic in the Caucasus Mountain Range.”
[image: Radisson SAS Lazurnaya Peak]
