Chaika Gostinichny Kompleks

This is a formerly Soviet hotel that was clearly built for entertaining important guests. The junior suite I had was huge and rooms like the morning room (3 stories high!) were beautiful and a great place to sit and read in the morning. The breakfast was good, if unexceptional; however, in good weather there is a nice terrace outside the breakfast room surrounded by the hotel's own grounds. The hotel is also directly adjacent to Central Park which makes it quiet and very pleasant, especially in warm weather. Many of the staff were very welcoming and helpful, a couple though at the front desk couldn't be bothered to ever look up from their phones. But generally a good experience with the front desk and restaurant staff.

Although the bathrooms had been renovated, the drainage in the shower was a problem. Also, the furniture was very old fashioned (but oddly suitable for the hotel) and obviously had been very nice when the room was originally furnished, but the carpet also looked original and needed to be replaced. Also, the bed was beautiful, but the mattress was very hard ... not a problem for me as I prefer it that way, but it could be an issue for some people. I think the biggest issue though was that over half of the grounds was off limits, even to guests, and unfortunately those were the prettiest parts of the grounds with benches and gazebos where one could sit and read.