[Chris3148]

If anyone has stayed there can you tell me your experience. What are the rooms like, what is in them? Is it typically hot or cold in the rooms-thinking of pjs. What about stores or restaurants in the vicinity?

We are starting to pack and are not sure if we are overpacking or underpacking for our nights in that hotel. Thanks!!!!

BTW: It looks like we will be traveling the week of 10/16 or 10/23 to see our girls!! We should find out a definite on Monday!!!

[TripleL]

Here is the website for the hotel that is used in Novosibirsk http://gk-sibir.sibnet.ru/index_eng.html. There really is no reason why anyone should stay in the 'standard twin' unless you like Soviet-style accommodations - there's a lot of furniture crammed into a tiny space, the drapes don't really exist (bring eyeshades), the blanket is scratchy and the bathroom is very, um, retro. The 'twin/double superior room' is much more like western styles with blonde wood, lighter colors, updated bathrooms, A/C, 'hair dryer' (using the term loosely). If you click on "accommodation" you can see pictures of the rooms. We stayed in the standards the entire first trip, a few days on trip 2, then the superior for one night before getting the Flower-patterned Junior ('half') suite for 4 nights. I think the heat is probably radiators in the Soviet rooms and baseboard in the others.

The New York Pizza, New York Deli, and Levi Strauss 501 restaurant are all on the same street, about 2-4 blocks from the hotel. It is fairly basic US food at low prices and the menu is in English and Russian (except for the pizza place). We found, for our last night, a Tinkoff Brewery restaurant that was closer to the hotel (out front door and turn left to street, turn left at street and go 1 block). It is a microbrewery that had live music and was very popular with the new 'fashionable' locals. The menu was also in English and covered the whole gambit of tastes from roast beef sandwiches with fries to brats to Italian dishes and salads. It also had a really extensive sushi menu. The sushi was going out to patrons as fast as the sushi guys could make it so I had no qualms about its freshness. The Tinkoff is comparable in price to nicer establishments in the US and had a stainless steel and blonde wood interior.

Travellers in summer should definitely ask for a fan at check-in. They are constructing a new office building in front of the hotel and in June the welders were working well past midnight and started early again (5 am) the next day. You may want to ask for a room that faces the back of the hotel. And definitely check weather.com or similar to help with packing. It was very warm (85-92) in Novosibirsk, yet 50s and rainy in Moscow. It might also be helpful to pack a half roll of toilet paper (use half at home and then zippy bag it to pack). The rolls at the hotel are deceptive and you might run out at 11 pm and they don't leave an extra roll anywhere in the tiny bathroom.

Internet use is charged at 110 Rubles/hour (about $4). Be sure you tell them when you are done too. The computer on the left as you enter is the "English" one, although you can punt with the Russian one if you are familiar with Windows layout. A direct connect to the front of the computer box with a USB cable worked great for our digital camera, but we could not size the photos and our doctor's mailbox quickly became full. Phone calls to the US were easy and each room has a direct dial phone line that is listed at the front desk. Just have the translator help you find it, so family/friends can call directly to your room. When you dial out, it is set for the older 'pulse' system, but there is a switch on the left of the phone that you can slide to 'tone' so you can enter pin codes or work through voice mail trees. They have 2 long distance rates to the US, 50+ rubles/minute during most of the day and 38.40 rubles between midnight and 8 am (which is when you'd probably be calling home anyway).

Each guest receives a card when they check in. I thought it was just a card to flash at breakfast to get into the buffet, but it is also used to get past the "Men in Black" who guard the elevator. After 3 days, one of them stopped me as I was walking in with the spouse...apparently I looked like a working girl that night???

Here is a link for a website on Novosibirsk for more info...http://www.allsiberia.com/novosibirsk/ .

The grocery store is about 3 blocks away and is user friendly. There is the 'pink baby store' that many rave about, but I was underwhelmed with that is katty-korner to the hotel. On the way to the Brewery is a small shoe store that had ok prices on kids shoes and good quality snow boots. The 'mall' is really a 3 story building with a lot of small kiosk departments. The Sibir gift shop has good prices on interesting wooden boxes.

[linae]

Hello! After TripleL's response, I am not sure I have much to add! We stayed in the Hotel Sibir last year. We had the standard twin room for our first and second trips. It was not bad for just the two of us, but really wish we had booked a larger room for the second trip with our daughter. While you are there you can ask to see the other rooms in case you want to book a different room for the second trip.


If you are traveling in the next few weeks, chances are that it will be cool or cold in Novo. We were given an additional radiator/heater for our room when we had our daughter as it had turned much cooler by then.

I agree with TripleL's view of the Pink Store (I was beginning to think I was the only one who thought the same). It still doesn't hurt to go in, but I really didn't find anything too unusual there.

The laundry service at the hotel is great! It is very cheap and it was nice to have clothes that smelled fresh and clean! There is a person on each floor that will do laundry, get hot water, etc. for you. They also helped us rearrange our little room once we added a crib! It was a big help!

We ate at the same restaurants as TripleL. In addition to these, we ate at an Irish Pub down the main street from the hotel that was very good as well as a Russian restaurant down the same street (on the right if coming from the hotel) that was EXCELLENT!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to PM me!

Best wishes and enjoy Novo- we loved it!

[swmphoto]

We are staying there but on my day to day schedule
it says we are goint to Novokuznetsk. Is that
the same place?

[TripleL]

Novosibirsk is the capital city of the Novosibirsk region. I think, maybe, that Novokuznetsk is a city in the region of Kemerevo. (Since that is where your referral is from, per your signature).

It is very easy to confuse the Novo's... even the Federal MOE department did that and sent one of our release letters to the wrong city. We had to refile paperwork for one child and wait (again) for it to be received.

About the Hotel Sibir, forgot to add that there is an additional charge of 75 rubles ($2.50) for each crib.

The New York Diner serves pancakes if you really don't like the free breakfast at the Sibir.

The airport is also very interesting. You deplane and take a bus to the arrivals area, where everyone is standing behind barbed wire. Then you wait a while for luggage to come to an ancient small building with the luggage 'belt.' But when you leave, the departures hall is completely renovated and very upscale.

Here is a different link for info on the city... http://www.e-novosibirsk.com/index.php This is a little bit more outspoken about the city.

The Russian restaurant that Linae mentions is close to the GIANT intersection by the ballet house. It has a wooden carved sign in front of it and also has a window display of a children's folk tale with a grandfather and grandmother. The inside decor is very rustic, but the food was very good and the menu also comes with English subtitles. I've heard it called "Once Upon a Time" and also "Shirli-Mirli", so I'm not sure of the exact name, but you can find it by the description and it is on Lenina street.

And one last thing... watch out for traffic, everywhere. The new office building in the Sibir parking lot has created a weird 'street' that everyone drives through and the Russians have no qualms about driving against one way traffic to get to the street they need. Use the underground staircases to cross major intersections (and be amazed at where you 'surface'). When in doubt, cross with a babushka or someone with a baby stroller .

If you have time, be sure to get to the chapel of St. Nicholas which is in the middle of Krasny Prospekt near the ballet house. They say it is the geographical center of Russia. Even if it's not, it is a great vantage point to take pictures.

Lucky

[Chris3148]

Thanks everyone for your honest and thorough descriptions, and for all the tips on best food! I'm a very picky eater and am really worried about what I'll eat. And I added a new folder in my "favorites" section called Novosibirsk with all the sites you all gave me! Thanks!!

We are actually having some troubles booking a room. On-line it says no rooms are available. I took off on Monday from work because we have a travel meeting with our agency, so I'm going to see if we an call them direct?? or if our agency can help out with the reservations in some way??

Thanks again, I may have more questions later. My list of questions keeps growing and growing. I'm starting to panic, now that this is actually seeming real!!

[Jim_in_PA]

Christine, the New York Pizza place mentioned above is owned by an American man with a Russian spouse (and kids). He was in the documentary aired by the History Channel awhile back about Siberia. We were originally going to Novo until we had to switch programs and were tickled to find that out at the time as well as a lot of other interesting things. Novo is a very nice area...

[linae]

Good luck with your trip and please do not hestitate to ask any questions you may have. Best wishes with the reservations.


I think you will be fine with the food. If all else fails the second floor restaurant in the hotel has a good dessert menu (if you like desserts!). I have to be careful about what I eat so I was a bit worried before I left. I was fine with all that I ate and actually really enjoyed it all! In the grocery store you will find things that are familiar to you as well.

Keep us posted on how things go!

[Amysue1112]

Is this near Polysaevo in Kemerovo? I don't know the layout of this area...and we just received a referral from Polysaevo

[Jim_in_PA]

Different region, AmySue. Novosibirsk.