Street Address: Krasnopresnenskaya Nab., 12A - Moscow, Russia

Location: Good - views along the river, next to World Trade Center

Nearest Metro: Ulitsa 1905 Goda

Staff Speaks English? No, I don't think so.

Would I Stay Here? Hmm... the rooms are small. I don't know? It's clean. Security is good.

* A Place To Party *

This is boat along the Moskva River with views of the Hotel Ukraina and a factory. After arriving on board, their security people check you for metal objects (with a metal detector). The lobby area and corridors are nice. The rooms are small, especially the bathrooms. You can even get a room with a waterbed here. There is a spiral staircase that isn't too scary. Other stairs are steep. I really liked the atmosphere in their sea-themed restaurant. I think it would be pleasant to eat there with views of the river, although part of the view includes a large factory. The restaurant has interesting fish tanks. Prices range from 2200 to 6300 rubles for a room (as of 3/26/2004).

This is a kind of place where you can have fun at the casino and nightclub, have food, and use a room.

Hotel Alpha     J    +7 (095) 166-0002         www.alfa-hotel.ru 

Street Address: 71A Izmailovskoe Shosse - Moscow, Russia

Location: It's excellent if you plan to spend all of your time at the souvenir market. It's fair if you want to go to the center of the city.

Nearest Metro: Izmaylovsky Park

Staff Speaks English? Maybe a little.

Would I Stay Here? Out of the 3 large hotels in this neighborhood, this is where I would stay because they have the best rooms.

* Great Rooms. Best Rooms In This Area *

Izmailovsky Park is a tourist attraction because they have a giant souvenir market there. There are 3 very large hotels here. Alfa has an old, not really impressive lobby. So I was very surprised to see that they have fantastic rooms. I first saw room 1809. It was fine. Everything is new. Then I saw room 1811, a luxury suite. Wow! It's great. Interior decor is creative and very pleasant. The room even has a computer, scanner and printer for guests to use. Next I saw room 2040 on the 20th floor. It wasn't a fluke. They've got a lot of good rooms. Step by step over the last 4 years they have been renovating the hotel. By summer they hope to have 2 story rooms available. Almost every floor has a sauna. Older, standard rooms have new carpet and wall paper. Furniture and bathrooms in those rooms have not been updated. But the rooms are not that bad. The beds are not as comfortable as in the new rooms.

Alpha was a pleasant surprise. My expectations were low after I was first denied a chance to see their rooms. When they changed their position, I was quite surprised to see such nice rooms.

Each floor has a modern version of the key lady. You must turn your room key over to the floor attendant when you leave. Snacks, drinks and smokes are available from the key lady. And each key lady I saw looked approachable, professional and interested in providing service.

On the ground floor is a pharmacy, currency exchange, pharmacy, cakes and sweets kiosk, and a casino. Plus they've got an internet cafe and the rate is only 80 rubles per hour. However, if you want to view porno sites, then the rate is tripled.

Check out my info on nearby Gamma Delta and Izmailovo Vega hotels.