Hotel East Time — Hotel in Minsk

This is a 2 star hotel located about 45mins walk from the centre. It seems to cater for coaches of tourists but strangely seems quiet most of the time. The staff do not speak English well but this was not a problem as they were still very helpful. At the end of the day I was not having dinner with them so as long as they could answer my questions (which they did) I was happy! ||I hired a bicycle from a place about half an hour away. The shop was situated within a market (the hotel staff gave me a printed map). It cost 120,000 roubles a day. I took a bike (a decent Giant mountain bike) for three days. The girl working in the place did not have any English and I was trying to ask how much is the security deposit. She thought I was asking for a discount and gave it to me for 320,000 for 3 days (I didn't have to pay a deposit). This made it easier to get in and out of the centre and get around. Minsk is a city which is spread out and it is not easy to walk from sight to sight. Not a lot of people speak English so if Russian is not your first language I would recommend hiring a bike (it is safe as you cycle on the pavement/sidewalk, it is actually illegal to cycle on the road in the centre. There is also a cycle route through the parks). ||The hotel is basic but clean and wifi was free in reception. I had a room above reception and got it in my room too so it might be worth asking for a room above reception. Breakfast had delicious porridge and pancakes. I had it included in the room but would not have paid extra for it. I did not eat in the hotel's restaurant as there are restaurants nearby (there is one if you go right on Partyzanski a few hundred yards down with English menus, I can't remember the name but it had London Pizza signs up). The hotel is located across the road from a supermarket complex with restaurants inside if all else fails. Even though it is across the road from a bus station the area seems very safe (as does the whole city).||I cannot fault East Time for the price as hotels are expensive in Minsk. The only issue was the location. That said, it was interesting to be staying out in the suburbs where local people lived.||By the way, I left an English guidebook at reception so they would have something to show other guests as they had no real information or maps (I got a map from one of expensive hotels in the centre). ||You have to remember it is a 2 star hotel in Belarus (when I arrived they gave me a list of rules to read and checked my room before I...

The hotel was located a 25-35min bus ride from the city centre, which was not bad for my stay. A short walk away from the hotel was a shopping centre with a huge supermarket, restaurant and all facilities that one may need. The check in was done smoothly and I was able to get up and down to my floor easily each time from the escalators. The room came with plenty of sockets to charge my tech products and came with a functioning TV. Shampoo and soap were provided. Hangers were provided in the narrow wardrobe and the table was big enough to sit down, eat food and watch TV. Check out went smoothly. Reception was 24/7 and they do register foreigners with the local authorities with no issues. Overall great experience, expect the hygience which resulted in a lower score. My low score for this property were based on the hygiene. The carpet of the room was in a poor state, with various dark green, yellow and brown stains which made uncomfortable to walk on the floor with bare feet or even my socks on. the pillow had stains on, but looked clean overall. The lower half of the toilet had faeces on it which made me uncomfortable wanting to use the toilet each time. It was not cleaned properly. When first opening the toilet seat, I found a small amount of faeces that I had to flush away. I think the hotel may need to invest into deep cleaning the carpets which leave a very unhygenic impressions when first entering the room. This feedback is constructive and hope the hotel will...

The hotel was located a 25-35min bus ride from the city centre, which was not bad for my stay. A short walk away from the hotel was a shopping centre with a huge supermarket, restaurant and all facilities that one may need. The check in was done smoothly and I was able to get up and down to my floor easily each time from the escalators. The room came with plenty of sockets to charge my tech products and came with a functioning TV. Shampoo and soap were provided. Hangers were provided in the narrow wardrobe and the table was big enough to sit down, eat food and watch TV. Check out went smoothly. Reception was 24/7 and they do register foreigners with the local authorities with no issues. Overall great experience, expect the hygience which resulted in a lower score. My low score for this property were based on the hygiene. The carpet of the room was in a poor state, with various dark green, yellow and brown stains which made uncomfortable to walk on the floor with bare feet or even my socks on. the pillow had stains on, but looked clean overall. The lower half of the toilet had faeces on it which made me uncomfortable wanting to use the toilet each time. It was not cleaned properly. When first opening the toilet seat, I found a small amount of faeces that I had to flush away. I think the hotel may need to invest into deep cleaning the carpets which leave a very unhygenic impressions when first entering the room. This feedback is constructive and hope the hotel will...