Holidays in Armenia
Big hello to those who are suffering, trying to find information about hotels in Yerevan! : )))
Not so long ago, I myself was going to go there and knew almost nothing about Armenia and Yerevan. First of all, I wanted to choose a good hotel where you can set up a temporary "base" and arrange periodic outings to explore the country from there. I was looking for reviews of compatriots who had already been there... but, to my great regret, all these fashionable travel sites simply do not contain any sensible reviews (more precisely, they did not contain them in August 2007, when I was looking for them ; )))).
Some people, of course, will say: there is a Marriott in Yerevan - we settle there without hesitation, because this network has proven itself well all over the world. This choice is more suitable for very wealthy people or traveling there for a couple of meetings in the city center - who do not care what the view from the window is, or where you can sit comfortably in the evening and get some fresh air.
In short, I set a goal to find a good hotel for adequate money. Now everything is very expensive in Yerevan. . . after all, it is the capital. Therefore, the search circle was something like this: a double room - a maximum of $ 90 / day (with breakfast), also among the selection criteria was wi-fi Internet access (many might think that now this is a "de facto standard", but on in fact it is far from it : )))) and "access" to the city center within 10 minutes.
Hotel "Olympia" was chosen by me almost "at random" (the price seemed quite adequate + I liked the view from the windows - there was a hope to live not in a hot and dusty center, but a little "outside"). Although, to be honest, the choice was also influenced by the correspondence with the owner of the hotel, Aram, who turned out to be a very pleasant person and told a lot of interesting things about Armenia and generally clearly organized our meeting, which we practically didn’t worry about, but went as if visiting relatives (I was not alone, but with a group of friends and employees, consisting of 15 people).
Of course, we were all worried about how and what would happen... The flight by Armavia did not cause any particular inconvenience ("there" everything was on time and excellent, but "back" the flight was delayed for 6 hours, which was not an accident for this airline but practice : )))).
So, I proceed to the description of the hotel itself:
1) Location. The hotel is not located in the city center at all. Having been there, I can confidently say that this is not a minus. On the contrary - it's just wonderful! Taxis in Yerevan are much cheaper than ours (the road from "Olympia" to the city center takes 7-10 minutes and costs 1-1.5$ MAXIMUM!!! ). Those who wish can use the metro (it costs a penny) - from the hotel to the nearest station "Barekamutyan" (friendship) about 10 minutes on foot (by the way, "on the way" there is a brandy store of the Ararat brandy factory - the legendary "Nairi" costs $ 50-80, depending from the size ; )))). But, with such a cost of a taxi, the metro is not very relevant : ))) (by the way, there are only a few stations in Yerevan and trains run in 2 cars - this once again proves that the metro is not a very popular transport here : )))). Close to the hotel there is a supermarket "Galaxy" (standard "supermarket" food and all standard range of spirits - from beer && chips to traditional Armenian wines and cognacs).
2) General impressions. In the photos from the hotel website it was not very obvious, but on the spot... it turns out that the hotel is literally "nesting on a rock. " Those. it was built in ledges in the gorge! From the street it is also not immediately clear: you go to the reception and immediately find yourself on the third floor : ))). Our large group occupied many rooms - I can say with confidence - the view from the windows is just great!! ! You can sit on the huge balconies in the evenings - a very beautiful view and there is even a small waterfall in the gorge, which makes a very cool noise at night (and in general there is very fresh air at night - we "slept like babies" there). Like every hotel, it has its own restaurant. Most of all, I was impressed by the hand-built gazebos of stone and wood - right on the slope of the gorge! To get to the ships, you need to go down to the first floor of the hotel, and then - even lower : ))) There is only one entrance to each pavilion. The gazebo is "closed" from all sides - it's very cozy there - you can see what's going on in it only from the bottom of the gorge : ))). The feeling of privacy and security creates a very cozy atmosphere (combined with very decent quality and prices "local cuisine" you can not even go to expensive restaurants, but try many interesting dishes). In short, we spent some wonderful evenings there (smoothly turning into nights).
3) Staff. This point is specially taken out separately, because the truth deserves a mention!! ! There are no words! It seems that they never lived "at the scoop" like we do : ))). . . everything is done in the best traditions of the Western hotel business - very friendly, kind and attentive people who are ready to help on any issue! And I won't talk about the director of the hotel Aram at all... there is such a proverb "it's better to see once than hear 100 times" - in this case it can be paraphrased "it's better to go and get acquainted... " : ))). He is a Man with a capital letter who does everything to make his guests feel at home!!!
In general, these are my impressions. I hope that my review will be useful to someone!
For those who decide that this is "PR": go in formation "wherever you want" - these are just my pleasant impressions : )))
I was very pleased with my good choice and I consider this case to be exactly that rare when the quality turned out to be much higher than the price! And when I go to Armenia next time, I will have no doubts about the choice - I will go to my new friends! ; )))
Good luck!!!