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Lately I often receive the following question: “I am going to Russia to meet my girl. Where should I stay: at a hotel or apartment? What are pluses and minuses?”
Let’s talk about it today.
First time in Russia?
If you visit the country for the first time and feel uncertain, then it is better to stay at a hotel.
What are the advantages: the personnel of the hotel render a lot of services.
Minuses: Each service is individually paid! They will cook you breakfast, wash and iron your shirt (you will pay the cost of a new short for that), make your bed, wake you up, call a taxi for you, but you will have to pay for every thing.
Next times when you come to Russia you will be a little familiar with local customs and manners, learn a couple of words in Russian: Preevyet (hi), Pakah (bye), Spaseeba (Thank you), will know the city, local sights and the exchange currency and naturally you will feel more confident. So during your next visits you can stay at an apartment.
What is your purpose: to choose one woman among some or to get to know one woman better?
If you are planning to meet with some women and make a choice between them, then it makes no difference where you will stay.
If you are meeting with one women and want to get to know her closer, then it is sensible to choose an apartment. Here is why:
1. You can live there together. (while at a hotel you must pay for one more room and at some hotels administration can even prohibit your staying together at the same room, if you are officially married).
2. Even if she doesn’t agree to live with you at a flat, she come to you at any time and even cook a supper for you :) (at a hotel visitors are not allowed after 11pm and they show the door to sitting-up-late guests).
The advantage of an apartment: you get one room at the price of two :)
Besides, some women aren’t ready to meet at hotels. It is not common in Russia. Only whores meet with men at hotels. This is public opinion. So your woman may feel uneasy.
It’s another minus of hotels: obtrusive service, I mean in many hotels you will be persistently asked if you want a prostitute. :)
What’s cheaper?
As a rule, an apartment is cheaper than a hotel.
Certainly, it depends on a kind of apartment, what domestic appliances it has, in what district it is, for how long it is rented and so on. But on average, a common apartment isn’t dearer than a three-stars hotel.
It is especially favorable to rent an apartment for a long term (2 weeks, a month). In this case the price is usually reduced. At least, you can try to agree it with the owner of the apartment. Hotels don’t reduce prices.
Advantages:
1. If you can cook, you can save up considerably on restaurants. :)
2. If you don’t like an apartment, you can move to a hotel. It is much more difficult to move from a hotel to an apartment, as apartments are reserved in advance. Hotels are many, while suitable apartments are less.
Minuses: some services are included in the cost of the room at a hotel, for instance breakfast, and at a flat you will have to spend extra money for buying foods for breakfast. As well as there is no free soap or shampoo in lodgings.
Are you an independent person as concerns housekeeping?
If making your bed, washing the dishes, cooking breakfast make you panic-striken, then it is better for you to stay at a hotel.
If you are quite capable to make coffee and toasts for yourself, wash a cup, then lodgings are suitable for you. If you are planning to stay at a flat for a long term, then find out beforehand how often they will change you towels and beddings and whether it is possible to have a cleaner once a week.
Satellite television
Would you like to watch TV? In Russia there are no channels in English. It is necessary to install satellite TV to see them. As a rule lodgings don’t have it, but hotels usually have. Anyway if it is important for you, it is better to ask a flat owner or a hotel administrator about it beforehand. However, maybe it is better to plan something interesting for a night? :)
Soon it’ll be summer – time of meetings. Think beforehand what is important for you.
And here is the question to those who have been to Russia: where did you stay? Why did you make this choice?
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