Bol'shiye Koty Hotels

Baikalchalet: Atmosphere of a hostel, comfort of a hotel

In August 2011, we stayed here for 3 nights, half board.

The place is owned by an incoming travel agency called Baikalcomplex. We booked directly through the contact on their website.

The chalet itself is managed by a family and the place feels like a nice home.

Upon arriving by hydrofoil from Irkutsk we were met by Natacha and her dog. We immediately felt very welcome. From the dock to the chalet is a 600-700m walk.

An important word of advice : Do not take too heavy luggage here... Even wheels under your suitcase will not help you on the dirt roads and grass of Bol'shiye Koty. If you have too much luggage consider leaving some behind... for instance in the Irkutsk railway station's left luggage office.

The rooms are spacious, most parts of it made in wood. Good bathroom with shower and toilet. Towels and slippers are provided, no hairdryer.

Enjoy almost total disconnection. There is no Wifi available... and only one mobile network (Eastern Cellular), not necessarily a roaming partner of your home network.(it didn't work for me).

In the living area, water, tea and coffee (accompanied by very nice home made cookies, don't come here if on a diet...) are available throughout the day.

In that same common room, you can also find some reading material in different languages. Basically, travellers come here and leave and/or exchange their books as is often done in hostels.

Meal times are fixed : breakfast at 09h30, lunch at 15h00, dinner at 20h00. Meals are served on one big table, thus giving you the opportunity to get to know the other guests in an informal way.

All meals we had were very good, largely consisting of homemade or -grown ingredients (vegetables, marmelade, bread,...). By reading the commentaries of previous customers in the guestbook I gather that the kitchen can easily cater for vegetarians and other preferences...

Note that it makes no sense going for anything less than half board when staying here since there is only one other restaurant in Bol'shiye Koty and it is absolutely NOT better. Other eating facilities are limited to biscuits and other small snacks sold at Kiosks.

Price : 90 EUR per night halfboard for our double room. No credit cards.

We enjoyed our stay here very much. It takes some effort to get to Bol'shiye Koty (Listvyanka is far easier to reach and has more options) but it is really worth it.

Absolutely recommended.

• Opinion of Price: N/A
• Address: Podgornaya ulitsa 10, Bol'shiye Koty
• Website: http://www.baikalcomplex.com/baikalchalet.html
• Written August 12, 2011

Baikalchalet

2 more images

---

Was this review helpful?