i have met a lady from siberia,we plan to meet for a weekend in moscow.would love to do st petersburg but dont have the time right now.it will be my first visit to the russian capital.which is my best option hotel or apartment.any help appreciated.
I almost always stay in apartments, including three stays in Moscow. But when I met a lady from another city who preferred a hotel, I was very surprised to find a quite nice western-standard hotel, in a decent location (not in the tourist area, but still in the center), for only about (as I recall) about $80/night.
Given my insistence on very desirable locations (say, within fair walking distance of Red Square), I found (in my small experience) that apartments are rather expensive, and range in quality from ho-hum to nice-but-not-great. I think I paid about $130 to $160 per night.
Probably a hotel is a safer option, because I think there's more risk of booking an apartment and being disappointed by it when you arrive.
I prefer hotels over apartments for what they offer! I like the restaurant(s) that most hotels have, you never know what the weather is going to be, or if you will be eating alone? I hate searching for, or what I calling “chasing” breakfast! Agencies will promote apartments with the thought of “your” girl cooking and making breakfast for you?? Sounds really great don’t it??!! You’ll end up filling the kitchen with groceries, and leaving the place with most of them left behind.
You’ll need to pay for the apartment in advance,,, how long will you want to stay if the girl doesn’t show up,, or if the two of you don’t like each other?? You can pay for hotels each night, or just a couple nights at a time.
Apartments almost never have internet,, or they will say it is close by?! How close??
If you get lost and can’t find your way back,,,, can you describe to the taxi driver where your apartment is??
I know it’s not your situation right now,, but most agency girls will say; they won’t go to a hotel to meet you,,, only in an apartment!!!! “Don’t treat me like a prostitute!!!” It is the biggest, most bogus scam the agencies run! Prostitutes don’t have that bad of a reputation in Ukraine, and many girls will go to a foreign country with a man they never met!! If a girl gives you any problems about where you are staying,,,, walk away!!
If you stay in a hotel they will take care of registering you in Russia. More than likely you will be on your own to register yourself when living in an apartment. Do NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF NOT REGESTERING!!! I did once and I would have missed my plane back home if it was not for my girlfriend volunteeting to go to the police station and pay the $50 fine.
The subway is extensive in Moscow and half the fun was watching my girl negotiate the different train stations as we traveled around Moscow. You can get a pretty good feel for how she handles stress by watching how cool(or stressed)she is getting you from point A to Point B. Therefor you can stay in more modest neighborhoods away from the city center where the cost is cheaper for hotel rooms.
Like Mini Cooper, I am careful about registration. I don't want to offer any excuse for trouble.
That being said, the registration time limit is now 7 working days, so if your stay in Russia is less than 8 calendar days, you no longer need to register. If you stay longer, the hotel will take care of it for you; otherwise you need help from a travel office.
I should have written, "not more than 8 calendar days". You are supposed to register if your stay exceeds 9 working days (not counting weekends and Russian holidays).