Mini-hotel Baikal — Hotel in Хужирское сельское поселение

Overall we had a pleasant stay at this venue which also goes by the name 'Mini Hotel Baikal'. If it were somewhere else I'd probably rate it 3 stars, if not 2. It has great potential but unfortunately the owners seem content with providing a room and that's about it.||||Location is about a 10-15 minute walk from what might be considered the central part of town. The hotel is on the other side of a hill but this location affords it unrivaled views of the sunrise and a lovely panorama of the lake. Anything more centrally located is unlikely to have these views so point Baikal. It's a short walk to the lake but mind you that outside of July and August, pretty much everything in town is shuttered so pick up groceries and plan on dining in the communal kitchen area.||||Staff did not seem pleasant. Maybe it's the language barrier, but as soon as we arrived the first words were not "hello" or "welcome", but in seemingly characteristic Russian we were greeted with "Pay now". So we did and we were shown to our room which was small, but at first appearance it was clean and we had our own toilet and shower. More on the room later. No one at the hotel really speaks English and on our second day, we went back to the hotel to pick up a few things while they were cleaning the common areas. The cleaning lady (who might also be an owner) was not happy we had returned and as we were leaving she chased us out with "Go out! Go out!". So they do know a littel English. At breakfast just take a seat and wait for your food as any attempt to ask questions left me fearful they would throw a fit and refuse us our food.||||The room made up for the lack of service and upon further inspection, we found that we even had our own glass-enclosed terrace with a spectacular view of the lake. Another point Baikal! If you can, ask for room #6 as it's the only one we found that has this unique private patio. Keep in mind that it is in the main building so there is quite a bit of noise from the other guests but the sun room is pretty amazing. After even further inspection, it was clear that their definition of 'clean' is relative as we found coffee creamer capsules behind the night tables and at least a half dozen dead flies in the sun room. Also, there is wifi but it's limited to the main building and room 6 happens to be close enough to occasionally get a signal, so that's a bonus.||||The bed was a soft, squeaky antique but as long as we didn't move it was mostly fine. The shower was one of those glassed in Japanese style tubes which worked fantastically well given that we were fresh off the train and anything with warm water was welcome. We heard complaints from other guests that the water pressure in the shared shower was dismal but in room #6, it was comparable to a fire hose. And plenty hot too. ||||If you're ok shelling out more than you would at other places on the island for a hotel with a great view, terrible service, and passable rooms, you should definitely consider hotel Baikal. Options on Olkhon are limited and even though I struggle to find redeeming qualities to write about, I still give it 4 stars because you'll be pressed to find much...

My arrival at Irkutsk could not be more untimely as i reached the train station only at 1500hrs. The travel from Irkutsk central to Olkhon Island is estimated to be 4.5 to 5 hrs.

I reached the hotel late into the night. It was an expensive private arranged transport in a MPV ranged close to USD 200. The route after the ferry from mainland to Olkhon Island itself is unpaved. Expect a real bumpy ride in the dark. Would suggest if time allows, stay one night at Irkutsk central then head to Olkhon Island first thing in the morning. Transport out to Irkutsk is better at 800 rubles per pax in a schedule shuttle MPV with a single pit stop. Lunch at the pit stop there is surprisingly nice.

The hotel has 3 levels and room no.18 at 3rd storey was allocated. There is a common area at level 02 & 01. Potable hot water is constantly available at level 01 although there is no coffee and tea available, just boiled hot water.

As the whole place is wooden, the wooded floor creak when you walk about and it’s especially loud when u are walking within the building dead silence in the middle of the night or in the wee hours. Why walk about in the middle of the night or in the wee hours you might ask. Toilet maybe, for getting ready for sunrise or after sunset at the famous Shamanka.

Wifi is weak at level 03, while it’s strong at level 02 & 01.

Level 03 is eerie. There is 4 units at level 03 sharing a common bathroom. This bathroom had a partitioned area and you will wonder what’s behind that partitioned area while doing about your private business, lol. Although level 02 toilet and shower is separated the hot water is more constant and have no partitioned area for your imagination to run a-wild.

Only breakfast are served at an adjacent house. It’s decent I must comment, especially the oatmeal on day 01 and pancakes with condensed milk on day 02.

I must say that the location for the price is considered premium. Turn left and hike uphill once you exit the premises and you get to the Shamanka Khuzhir in the national park. Sunrise is beautiful but sunset is better. Hike along the coast is ok but just remember to bring something warm to wear in October. You should get a flask of tea to enjoy as well while admiring mother’s nature beauty. If you are at the famous rock you will not be alone, expect tourist like you. There are others infrastructures building on-going. There is a pamphlet of a guided tour, but not a pure English one. Was told that the guide will have the explanation done purely in Russian but with simple English will only than be explained afterwards.

There is a supermarket from this hotel 15 mins walk away. Down at the Main Street where packs of dogs are.

*STREETs In Khuzhir. It’s virtually darkness in the streets other then lights from individual premises. It’s highly not encourage to be out in the night as it could be cold and dark. Dogs are common everywhere. They usually okay but you wouldn’t want a pack of barking dogs on you while you walk in the dark street. Happened to me. Try not to be out when in the dark except for...

First of all, the price of this hotel is the lowest of several other hotels around, And the owner of this hotel is also very enthusiastic, that is, he will help you to do a lot of things and reply to messages in a timely manner. Anyway, the necessities of life are basically available in the hotel. There is a restaurant next door where you can eat. First of all, the hotel is on a hill, so if you have luggage, it will be very inconvenient because you have to climb a very small hill. The second point is that there is almost no supermarket near the hotel, but there is a restaurant. You have to walk about 15 minutes to get to the supermarket. The third point, I think, is not only the problem of this hotel, but also the problem of the whole island's hotels, that is, the problem of sound insulation. None of the hotels on the island are soundproof. But I can also understand, because the hotel has a long history of construction, and the raw material of construction is wood, so it is normal that the sound insulation effect is not good. If you come, you'd better bring an earplug, otherwise you can't...