Hotel Druzhba — Hotel in город Выборг

The hotel Druzhba in Vyborg Russia is a nine story building designed to look like a cruise liner and the reception was made of marble clad floors and walls with thick navy velour drapes, silver white rope and dark wooden furniture. Clocks below the a wooden ship’s wheel showed the time in Moscow, Peking and Helsinki.

As I waited to check-in the ship’s cat attracted to my rather unusual smelling clothes took position on the reception desk for a stroke and purred as I scratched behind her ears.

The receptionist processed her customers efficiently and the queue shortened quickly. And then, when it came to my turn, she left her post and entered a back room. I stroked the cat some more.

When she returned the cat was purring like an aircraft about to take off. But the receptionist continued to ignore me. In her late twenties the short, brown haired woman with a button missing from her black waist-coat had taken on the persona of an ice queen, who had never spoken to anyone in English before. It was time for some fun. I began to speak random sentences and once I had her attention I began to raise my eyebrows like windscreen wipers whilst crossing my eyes. We finally established that the reason that I was standing in the hotel reception that evening with five bags was not to stroke the cat, but to have a room for the night. She didn’t like the idea of me taking my bike to my room and she asked me to leave it in the car park. I didn’t bother try to negotiate a store room.

Outside, I made my way over to the attendant’s hut, where I met the most jovial carpark attendant in the whole world. He was so friendly that his hut should have been a five star rated attraction on Trip Advisor. He said that he was there all night and that the bike would be safe locked to the lamppost where he kept his own car. He said that it would be a hundred roubles and because I hadn’t exchanged any money yet that I could settle up in the morning before ten. As we shook hands and exchanged laughs, watching us from the hotel’s loading bay I caught the receptionist having a bold cigarette and contemplating the concept of customer service. When she saw me look over, she dismissed the idea as foolish, and tossed her butt into the carpark.

And for my thirty pounds I had brown running water, a lamp that flickered and a window without a curtain. It was a Soviet hotel with Soviet hospitality and pound for pound it...

And this should be done publicly, to snare drums' roll and with a verdict read out loud - "for foraging instead of preparing food". Because he or she hopelessly ruins reputation of this hotel which saw better times.||I wanna stress that I have nothing against its service - to the contrary: when I was reserving a room by phone they helped me to make the best choice, chech-in was quick, room cleaning was good, two extra pillows were delivered by request, late check-out provided free of charge, staff were polite, ready-to-help and professional. Even at that restaurant with hardly edible food waiter girls did their best to correct multiple cock-ups - in vain. (It should be noted, by the way, that in all three places where we dined in Vyborg staff presented their condolences when they heard that we had tried that hotel's restaurant. It says a lot!)||Well, to hell with it - I'll write a separate review 'bout them. ||The major problem of Druzhba is its age. At least forty years old. Though constructed by Finns it bears all the birthmarks of the late Soviet empire - a heavy lobby, characteristic smell in the Sea Wolf bar, shabby furniture and a mandatory night club with carnivorous babes inside. ||Our room was renovated, equipment was new and a king-size bed was broad and very comfortable. But air-conditioning was at best retarded - at least after a couple of minutes of showering the whole space kept on turning into a Turkish bath. God knows what awaits guests in summer...||When we entered our room no welcoming note expected us and when we were leaving no-one asked us about our impressions. There was no questionnaire availabe either and no e-mail enquiry followed. Indifference?||So, judge by yaurself. But if you make a try then do take a room as far from the night club as possible! Better on the...

Hotel Druzhba is the best choice in Vyborg by far. Don’t even think about staying at any other hotel in a similar price bracket! Opened in 1982, this 6-storey 102 room hotel was built to a high standard by a Finnish construction company. It thus has a 35 year heritage from its days as a Soviet-era Intourist hotel. It has maintained high standards with friendly, helpful, well-trained staff. It's not for nothing that the hotel name means ‘Friendship’. It has been popular with Finnish visitors for decades.||||The location is great, on the bay just 5 minutes walk from the main railway and bus stations, very close to the historical city centre.||||The rooms are a decent-sized 17m², with twin beds and a non-flat TV. The bathroom has a bath tub & shower. Drinking water is available from a dispenser by the lift.||||A big plus is free use of an excellent sauna between 7.00-10.00am. It will give you a good appetite for a hearty Russian-style breakfast that includes kasha (porridge), curd cakes, omelette, ham, cheese, cabbage & beetroot salads and salted cucumbers.||||There is a cosy bar called the Seawolf.||||Outside the hotel are 2 Viking ships, used in the 1985 Norwegian-Russian co-production, “Trees grow on the Stones too”. You can watch it on Youtube. The story tells how Vikings attack Kuksja's village, and end up bringing him along on their ship because they believe he is good luck. After proving himself in a battle against the dreaded Danes, chief Torir bestows upon him the name of Einar and takes him in as his son. Back home in Norway the men are received as heros, but new trouble arises when Kuksja falls in love with the beautiful Signy, who is already betrothed to the...