"Yekaterina" 3 Zvezdy — Hotel in Pushkin

My friend and I stayed in this hotel for three nights, so we can have the best and relaxed experience with all the area had to offer.||||The location of the hotel can't be beat: it's actually a part of the Ekaterina Palace, the place where maybe the servants stayed in the past.||||The rooms are in no way luxurious, so don't expect that. But everything is very clean - which is always the most important for me. And the rooms have comfortable beds and private bathrooms. Also when you get to the long corridor where the rooms are located, you very easily can imagine the queen's court ladies walking down that corridor in their puff dresses... Also probably because the building is old, and the walls are thick - the rooms are very quiet.||||There is a common use dining room, where you can find plates, mugs, silverware, microwave, electric kettle, hot water etc. And we had a typical hotel style little fridge in the room.||||The staff in the hotel is very friendly and helpful. Though the hotel is a state property, so they have some corks - the girls at the reception were very friendly, knowledgeable and professional. They gave us a lot of great advice about sights in the area, printed for us the papers we needed, and were really accommodating. ||||The breakfast was included. It was not in the hotel itself, but in a café just couple steps away. The selection at the breakfast was very basic, but everything was fresh and tasty.||||I very much recommend the hotel if you want to have a unique experience in a historic building with a...

If you are coming to Pushkin with the intent to visit the palace and the gardens, this is the place to stay. Clean, convenient, and quiet. By far, the best hotel I stayed in Russia. If you are coming by taxi, call the hotel, because there is a way for a taxi to drive directly to the front door, otherwise you will have to walk from where the buses drop off the tourists (not too far, but keep in mind that hotel is on the opposite corner from the ticket booth). We had to walk (only 5 minutes). We stayed in the best room with the view on the palace. Our room had living room, bedroom, and a bathroom with shower and tub. Nice, clean, comfortable. Breakfast was at a café next to the hotel, same building, good variety. The staff at the hotel is the best. We did not realize that palace does not open until noon and we had to check out at noon. They offered us to store our belongings in the locked room white we were at the palace and the gardens for a few hours. They called us taxi. Hotel has a bar that I believe opens at 4 pm until 10 pm. They have water in the lobby, all dishes and utensils that you may need. Also, there are some Russian books in the lobby, a TV, and tables if you would like to sit and drink tea or have something to eat. Needless to say, the fact that you can walk in the park right outside of the hotel is priceless. We arrived in the afternoon and walked several hours in the parks (one is free and the other one is free after 7 pm, but being so far north means that daylight is much longer in the summer)....

Location, Location, Location. ||||When visiting Pushkin, also known as Tsarskoe Selo, one must remember that the main focus is the huge turquoise Catherine Palace. This "motel" is actually on the grounds. If you get a double room, or higher, your window will look out onto the palace and its front "lawn". That said, the rooms are completely basic. Think, "the spare room in poor Aunt Tillie's house circa 1977". However, they are clean and safe. The staff is kind and helpful - and it is a small joint, so they will do things like open the bar for you in the off hours - and the bathroom Western in plumbing. (I live in Russia. Trust me, you will come to appreciate Western plumbing here.) Pushkin is very small, and most hotels very basic. So I have come to opt for this sweet, but simple, one for the feeling of being sort of in the servants quarters when the Imperial family lived there.||||Not expensive and you do feel "at home" and "as one" with the palace.||||Skip the hotel/motel lunches and cross the little courtyard (as you walk out the front door you are facing it) and go to the simple cafe across the way. Nice people, will try to cook to order,...