Saratov Hotel, Money and Other Information

Hotel Slovakia

The situation with the hotel was already a little bit more difficult. At the beginning a phone call was made to the Hotel Volga. At this hotel the German Consulate General was at least located (since 06/01/2004 this activities are switched to the Moskow Consulate). My question "Sprechen Sie deutsch, Do you speak english? " drew of the friendly lady a short and brief "Njet" and directly afterwards the conversation was finished suddenly. Well, all important was said and a continuation of the conversation would also not have increased information. In the end, I booked on-line on the web page of the Hotel Slovakia what, indeed, promptly with 'Your application is accepted and will be satisfied' was answered, however, a further inquiry after a 'Confirmation' produced the answer 'We do not know meaning (importance) of a word "confirmation"'. My given additional questions remained unanswered accordingly. I think complex inquiries are not to be managed so certainly. But then the reservation was made perfectly, but in the Reception neither with German nor with English you will be able to do a easy checkin. You can pay with rouble or credit card (Visa, Visa Electron, Mastercard etc.). You can also pay day-wise, you must appear in the first evening not with a handful of roubles (1800 per day and single room with breakfast), but pay the first night and later the rest.

About security I fast did to myself no more thoughts. You get a yellow ticket in the Reception. You shows this to a Security man in the military look at the entrance to the elevators. On every floor is the so-called Floor maiden which receives you then, who takes ticket and gives the key to you and knows you quickly very well. She is present round-the-clock, precise like the security man. I have been told that this persons work 24 hours and than they make a 3 day break. Only a little bit to think about, the hotel has 15 floors and in every floor a Floor maiden is present round-the-clock. Unemployment is suffocated thus in the germ. The hotel room was fitted out unexpectedly modern with television, phone, refrigerator and shortly renovated bath/shower. The room was in a very good state maybe with the exception of the balcony. The opening of the balcony door and at least the closing is a science for itself and I stay away from the border, for my safety. The television delivers primarily Russian program, but on one channel there is the Deutsche Welle in german and english and so you always know what's going on in the world. Phone calls from and to the room are no problem, but esteem in the room is a list with the numbers to the rooms, the room number is not like the direct dialing. It is possible to connect a modem with standard western cable for online services. There is mostly hot water, twice this week there was only very tepid water and once there was no warm water. This means that there came out on the warn side no water at all. With all colored side effects on the next day. But the cold water is really good cold, by the way, Brrr.

Hotel Slovakia Single Room

Indeed, the room is furnished rather well, but for single room typically impractical and small. Already the attempt to write something, got you to the limits of the room, because of missing so sensible inventares like a chair, not to talk about working on the laptop or something similar. This may be okay for one or two nights, for one week it was not. I should probably have asked, once again more exactly for a double room and the extra charge, maybe there is an optional chair for extra charge. Well, every room cannot be like at the Hotel Rehe in Tartu/Estonia (with sauna on the room!) .The breakfast is no buffet, but in each case two menus for the choice, one with tea and one with coffee. Equally during the first day a young employee has help for me, he spoke very well German and translated to me the Russian menu list perfectly. I chose and 2 minutes later he informed me in also perfect German my selected menu was no longer available. Then I knew at least what there was no more. Otherwise the breakfast was very good and the service obliging.

Conclusions to Hotel Slovakia: Good, clean, secure hotel with good service, good breakfast, but small rooms and balcony should be renovated.I would choose again.

One more tip, the hotel is directly on the shore to the Volga. The Volga is 3 kms wide here what has to the result that here is always very windy, and also the normal temperatures fell really icily. The Hotel Slovakia is located directly to the bus railway station, you should pay attention in the buses to the tip texts which are mainly in German language. These are imported German buses. If you think now, very well there I find the way immediately, then I must disappoint, the text 'to the back go through' helps not really, because you get in behind and get out in front and the text 'don't talk during the journey to the driver' loses with missing of the Russian language also a lot from his atmosphere. Do not expect, too much from the buses, the speed is like hell, on foot one is only unimportant quicker, and during the week it adds the experience sardine with completely free of extra charge. There the climbing out in the next stop wants to be planned carefully. To the pedestrian precinct these are about 10 to 15 minutes on foot. The Hotel Volga is located directly in the pedestrian precinct. About the Hotel Olimpia I have no further information and a town plan is also available in the Internet.

Hotel Slovakia Entry

The exchange rates in Saratov varies in the area of 30-40 roubles. All Euro information refers to an exchange rate of approx. 3600 roubles for 100 Euros. The exchange rate in Saratov was better, by the way, than at the airport. Directly in the hotel is a cash dispenser on which you can remove money with current credit cards and EC-Cards. No fear, only the start screen is Russian, on stickin the card there comes a menu where you can switch to English. Then 50, 100, 200 and 500 roubles are offered, not quite excessively. 500 roubles are approx. 13 Euros. However, you can also give directly amounts, then I have removed 2,000 roubles what was possible easily. The course of the machine was the best whom I have received and the fee amounted to 3.50 Euros. I have not tested the limit, I had as a precaution enough cash with. I was surprised about a big number (30-40) of cash dispensers everywhere in the town which were already fitted out with EC symbol.

The language shows certainly a problem, English or German do not help at first. Already at the airport Domodedovo I tried in moving of Cyrillic letters in Latin ones. I spelled the first word then, in the end, D sch a k p o t and after only five minutes, I had the Jackpot, it was an amusement arcade. This functions already quite well. The astonishing for me was that a lot of Russian noun loose their frights on moving from Cyrillic in Latin, there the words receives clearly clear, like Buchhalter, Kartoffel, Bibliotheka or Melodia. You can find your way a little, but that's all.

Mobile receipt is possible everywhere easily, however, the fees for international calls are very high, domestic conversations and SMS against it okay. We found an Internet cafe in the library, indeed, very slowly. You should take postcards better with yourself. Engineering things, like electronics, computer, DVDs and CDs are more expensive like with us, however, you get on site everything what you need. For smokers Russia is a paradise, converting 5.68 Euros for a block of Marlboro of good quality, as I have been informed, probably say everything, for it here you get even only 2 boxes. Gasoline costs approx. 30 cents per liter, I have nowhere seen german newspapers.


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Published 02/27/2004
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