Urochische Aktra

The main attraction of Urochishhe Aktra is without doubt its beautiful location; the way it was built among large, old trees, yet still with a gorgeous view of the lake. You can tell that the whole complex is still quite new, rooms and grounds are in excellent shape, and we loved how comfortable the rooms were: lots of wood, muted colours, quite a bit of space to move around in - in short, nothing to distract you from the stunning view outside the giant windows. The bed is firm, the shower is strong and hot, all as it should be. We were also pleasantly surprised by how Urochishhe Aktra manages to avoid some of the pitfalls that can sometimes make it hard to relax in traditional Russian hotels. Here, there is no noisy television playing music during breakfast, no clutter in the rooms, no frilly curtains or furnishings in garish colours. Clearly, a lot of consideration has gone into how to make a stay here as restful as possible. (On the first night of our stay, there was some kind of private function in the restaurant, which got quite loud. But fortunately, it stopped around 10 pm, and all other evenings during our visit were blissfully quiet.) The one thing that needs mentioning is the work of Lyudmila, their receptionist, who couldn't have been more helpful. From arranging transfers by car to suggesting things for us to do during the day right down to any minor questions that arose, she was unfailingly friendly and effective. When there was a minor issue with the heating in our room, it was a matter of minutes until she sent someone over to have a look and fix it. She really goes above and beyond, and the hotel is lucky to have her. The only reason why I would recommend this place for a minibreak rather than for a longer stay is their breakfast, which, unfortunately, is heavy on starch, repetitive and the coffee is instant. I completely understand that a hotel in a rather remote location can't offer a full breakfast buffet every morning. But in a hotel of this quality and in this price range, it isn't very pleasant to have so little variety - especially since their dinner menu is perfectly fine, with lots of choices including fresh, healthy options. But: There is a supermarket in nearby Yogach, and a fridge in the room, so you can do what we did: Buy some yoghurt, fruits, juice etc. and supplement your breakfast with these.