| Hotel Rating: |   | | Satisfaction: |   | | Reviews: 5 | Photos: 2 | | Petrovka ulitsa, 11/20 |
 | Moscow Marriott Moscow Royal Reviews | 1 - 5 of 5 |  |
 |
|
 |
 | Marriott Moscow Royal: Aurora Moscow
|  |
 |
|
 |
I stay in the Aurora (commonly known as the Royal) quite often since about 1999. The rooms are comfortable and clean, the hotel staff very accomodating (by the way, multilingual - English, Russian and usually German and French). The hotel is among the better hotels I stay in around the world, although now in 2007, failrly expensive. Not unusual for Moscow, but if you are a dollar expat, you will find Moscow very dear, unless you learn to live like a Russian. Having said that, mostly you will find foreigners and Novy Russki (siloviki) at the Royal. Not a typical Russian experience. The location is ideal - a short walk to the Bolshoi (recently reopened after a multi-year make over), to TSUM, Tverskaya, Okhotny Ryad, and Red Square. The hotel has all facilities that you would expect from a top-notch hotel. Good restaurant for regular meals (although would be called fine dining in the States), and a top notch, but expensive, restaurant called the Polo Club. One of my favorite hotels in the world because of its location and facilities.
Location, Location, Location. Theme: HotelPrice: US$180 and up » Currency ConverterComparison: more expensive than averageDirections: Okhotny Ryad Metro, walk past the Bolshoi Theatre, turn left on Ulitsa Petrovka, about 500m along on the left. Sign says "Aurora" sice it was the gastinitsa Aurora before it was a Marriot.
|
 | |  |
|
|
|
| Marriott Moscow Royal: Five Star
| |
|
|
|
I stay in Moscow frequently at the Marriot Royal (known locally as the Aurora - the famous ship). It is certainly not typical of a Russian hotel, and you won't get much of a flavor of Moscow (unless it is the mini-garchs you are interested in).
I stay here when I travel on business (in other words, when someone else is paying for it) because it is ridiculously expensive. I have stayed at the Royal several times a year since about 1998.
The hotel is extremely luxurious. The lobby bar is a great, but very expensive place, to sit and watch Russian noveau-riche. The restaurant, the Polo Club, has terrific Western style food (but if you are in Russia, why not go just down the street to Yolki-Balki and eat tractir style for 1/100th the price). Luxurious health spa, swimming pool, all mod cons. You pay for everything, though. Money is no object for the people who stay here. The choices for price below have as the highest category $180 and up...the Royal is way, way up, typically $500 a night and up, although you can occasionally get a bit beter deal from Internet bookings.
A taxi from Sheremetyevo Airport should cost you about 2000 Russian Roubles from a licensed taxi, but there are many gypsy taxi operators who typically charge $100-$150 US for the ride. A real rip-off. If you can read Russian, take the route van (150 Russian Roubles, about $5US) to Richnoy Voksall Metro Station, and just ride the Metro until you get to Teatralnaya station, get off, and you are almost at the Royal. The Metro costs about 15 Russian Roubles (50 US cents)-(buy at least 10 rides at once-you'll save a lot of time if you don't have to go to the Kassa every time, and hang on to your ticket, the amount is magnetically encoded on the ticket. Faster and easier than a taxi, and cheaper. But if you are staying at the Royal, you don't care about money. If you fly in on British Airways or Swiss, you will land at Domodyedevo airport; there is a train from the airport to the city center. Again, a passing familiarity with the language is helpful.
The hotel is located on Ulitsa Petrovka, across from Petrovka Passage, and just up the street from the Bolshoi (you come out of the hotel, turn right, walk two blocks, and you are at Teatralnaya (the Bolshoi). Metro is close by (Okhotni Ryad) which I use almost exclusively to get around Moscow, but the typical clientele doesn't use the Metro. It's central location makes it ideal for seeing all the tourist stuff in Moscow...walking distance to Red Square, GUM, the Bolshoi, Manzeh, etc. You will not, however, have any kind of feel for Russia if this is the only place you stay, you will be completely isolated from real life in Moscow. You can say you went to Moscow, but you haven't really seen it.
The best jazz club in the world is about 200 metres up Ulitsa Petrovka from the hotel. M-Bar - it is worth a trip to Moscow just for the music at M-Bar, and other fabulous night clubs. You are close to Tverskaya, and ther is lots of upscale shopping in this district. Theme: HotelPrice: US$180 and up » Currency ConverterComparison: most expensivePhone: 209-535-3612Directions: Downtown, close to TSUM department store, Bolshoi Theater, etc.. Closest Metro is Okhotny Ryad.
|
| | |
 | 1 |  |
|
|
