“Moscow's Best Kept Secret”
My anxiety about what I would find at the hotel, or even if it existed, were quickly dispelled as we made our way up the shabby four floors of stairs. The receptionists spoke excellent English and helped us hoik our bags up to our room, which was everything we could wish for - clean, warm and comfortable. I was impressed with the way the whole system at the hotel had been carefully thought out. It was no problem to share the clean showers and loos with other guests and the dressing gowns and slippers provided were a excellent touch, as was the room safe. I run a holiday home in England and am hyper critical about service and cleanliness but I could not fault them at the Petrovka. The staff went above and beyond to help us find our way around Moscow, look up Bolshoi availability, recommend museums and showed us on a big map how to get to all these places. It was a wonderful introduction to Russian hospitality. The hotel is also on the Oxford Street of Moscow and within easy walking distance of Red Square, Zum, the Lubiyanka and the Metro. The only faults I can think of were that I was a bit cold in bed at night, the outside temperature hovering around -30, even though the heating was excellent. And also the breakfasts were a bit underwhelming but I found that in St Petersburg as well. Croissants and toast instead of old bread might be better suited to Western tastes. However, I would not hesitate to recommend this hotel and hope to go back there next summer.
Area recommendations
I was only in Moscow for four days with my son and we had no car, so we did not travel widely in the city. We were able, in thick snow and on icy pavements, to walk to the Kremlin, which I would highly recommend. We spent the whole day there, which was not enough. We walked through and past the Zum, the original Soviet shop of Moscow, which has been converted into a series of bijou boutiques. Their window displays were jaw-droppingly gorgeous. We visited the Tretyakov Museum, recommended by the Petrovka staff, via the Metro and that just blew us away. Russian culture is above and beyond magnificent. The Tretyakov was one stop away from the Teatralnaya Metro, within walking distance of the hotel. We then spent an evening going round the Metro stations, looking at Stalin's Palaces of the People, which were beautiful but I found a bit sick, considering what he doled out to his people and that most of the marble came from blown-up churches. I absolutely LOVED buying blinis from the babushkas in their kiosks on the pavements. My son wanted to see Lenin's Tomb, which I could have done without. What impressed me most about Moscow was its people, who despite language difficulties, helped us to explore and love their city.
Must see
The Kremlin. It is worth every penny to go and see the magnificent churches and to realize Russia's immense contribution to the Second World War.
The Tretyakov Museum. My son is an art student and we have never visited a museum quite like it. Words just cannot describe the richness of the paintings and how they give one an excellent idea of Russian life.
Red Square. We visited St Basil's Cathedral and loved its brilliant colours and gorgeousness. I also loved watching the Musovites having fun on the ice-skating rink. We sat with thick, hot chocolate drinks - like melted Mars bars - warming ourselves while we watched their antics on ice.
The Babushkas. They run everything from the blini kiosks to the Metro, to the museums and are charming to a fault.
