Hotel Central (Vostok) — Hotel in Birobidzhan

We only stayed one night here and arrived at a quarter to midnight as our train was delayed by nearly 4 hours. The hotel is an easy five minute walk from the railway station. Reception staff were waiting for us and we were checked in with kindness and professionalism. Our smiley floor lady too was waiting for us and showed us to our room and pointed out all the light switches. We thought we'd booked a room but ended up with a full suite complete with soviet-era living room with a sideboard, crockery, fridge, kettle and 3-piece suite.||||The bedroom was cosy with a double bed and large en-suite bathroom with a shower capsule that had rain and massage jet settings. There were mosquito screens on all the windows which meant we could sleep comfortably with the window open. Although we overlooked the main street, there wasn't much noise outside during the night. In the morning reception staff registered our visas (without charge) while we went out for breakfast. ||||The hotel is right next to the main market which opens early with at least 2 kiosks by the entrance selling delicious cheap pies and Kartochkas and ubiquitous 3-in-1 instant coffee. For a decent real coffee you'll need to head left out of the pedestrianised area and over the road and green boulevardy bit past the war memorial to where you'll find an...

Stayed here for one night as a couple, just off a very long train journey so perhaps we were biased in that we found it to be a stationary and quite comfortable room. Whilst fairly charmless and chilly, the hotel is reasonably priced and very well located, around a 10 minute walk from the main train station and the staff were in general helpful and polite, although there was some confusion about my partner's visa and an extra form was demanded, which we knew to be unnecessary. However, the matter was subsequently dropped. There is a lady on every floor (ours was nice) who you have to get your room key from, presumably also for security purposes which was quite pleasant, although she was watching television quite loudly and we had to ask for her to turn it down a little, which she did immediately. The room is standardly rather Soviet and plain, and we did notice a distinct lack of cupboards in ours, which didn't matter for our purposes as we didn't unpack, but I'd imagine for anyone staying longer it could...

We stayed in the Vostok Hotel in Birobidzhan twice in 2012. The hotel was clean, well maintained and comfortable. It is centrally located in the downtown shopping area two 4 blocks from the train station. Parks, restaurants, and grocery stores are nearby. If you can afford it, spring for an Executive Suite or a full suite. The rooms are small. The staff is very friendly and will do laundry for you and fix you instant coffee or tea. Breakfast is included with your room but you will notice that Russians are not eating the breakfast. Follow their example. There are roaches in and on the food and it is not up to the standards of the restaurants in the area. If you are taveling in the Summer, bring a mask for sleeping. The curtains do not block the sun and nights are only...