Great vacation in KMV!
This summer I managed to go to an unknown region of Russia, which until now was like another country for me. I visited the CAUCASUS - Caucasian Mineralnye Vody.
Initially, before setting off on this journey, I learned that this is a specially protected area and there are many sanatoriums on it, different in quality, state of repair and, not least, in cost. Studying photos and prices of sanatoriums, I chose Mashuk Aqua-Therm with a basic 14-day spa voucher. Not the cheapest option, but, in my opinion, the offer from this resort is one of the most realistic in terms of price-quality ratio.
My adventure began from the moment I landed at Ming airport. Water, when I saw the Caucasian mountains from the porthole window. At the exit from the airport, a transfer from the sanatorium was already waiting for me, the driver helped with the luggage and took me to Mashuk Aqua-Therm (the trip took about 30 minutes).
Upon arrival at the reception, I was given a room key and a map of the territory of the sanatorium. I was placed in block "C" overlooking Mount Mashuk. The map came in handy, especially the first few days when I was getting used to a new place. But the most important thing is that it had a Wi-fi password on it.
At the reception desk, I found out the meal schedule, and here they gave me an internal payment card for the sanatorium, sent me to an appointment with a therapist and then for lunch. In general, it was very unusual to see a decent hotel service in front of you with a reception, smiling staff and normal rooms, in contrast to the traditional "hospitality" with an empty watch and already slightly shabby rooms with beds.
I liked the list of procedures, I had to buy something on the spot. Especially massage, there was practically no massage in the tour itself, so I had to pay extra. Prices do not bite, but not to say that they are very small. It is better to foresee the money issue at home, so that later it does not work out, so as not to be constrained in money. Most importantly, at the end of my vacation, I felt the positive effect of the treatment, so I was satisfied that my vacation was good for me.
Impressed by the open spaces that the resort has. There is a very large and beautiful walking area. There is a small pond, or a natural pool, I don’t know what to call it correctly.
The lake on the territory of the sanatorium is very useful - as a compensation for the absence of the sea. And also has its own beach and a large number of sun loungers where you can sunbathe.
The water depth is decent (up to 3 meters), it is possible to fish and swim. There is also a place to jump from a running start. There are catamarans and boats here, so for lovers of "water recreation" there is also some entertainment.
In general, the sanatorium has a very large entertainment program for every day, where literally every hour is prescribed, both for children and adults. I was able to single out for myself watching a movie in the evenings in a fairly good cinema hall, events in a cafe by the lake, where it is pleasant to sit in the fresh air. For special connoisseurs, evenings of classical music are held on the piano and violin, I'm not a big fan of these things, but I visited several times for a change.
There are sports events, for example: playing volleyball or small tennis, but, unfortunately, not many people visit them, and there is not much anyone to play with. I think that the fact that very few young people choose sanatorium holidays is having an effect. Several times I had to play alone with the animators (by the way, this is also a novelty for me that there are animators in the sanatorium who carry out all these events).
In order to diversify my leisure time, I tried to get out of the sanatorium more often.
Mashuk Aqua-Therm is located in the village of Inozemtsevo near the city of Pyatigorsk. I learned that you can get to it on your own. And in truth, my route was about 30 minutes: 10 minutes walk to the local stop, 5 stops on the minibus and I am in the center of Pyatigorsk. Thus, I devoted all my free time to walking around the city of Pyatigorsk, which was new to me. It turned out to be quite easy to navigate. But you should just be careful with the time, because city transport stops working at 20:00, and if you are late for the last minibus, you will only have to return by taxi (by the way, this is not very expensive, it costs only 150 rubles). When ordering a taxi, it is worth remembering: if you are in Pyatigorsk, then you need to order a taxi from Pyatigorsk. And if you are coming from the village of Inozemtsevo, then you should order from Inozemtsevo, in order to avoid cheating from taxi drivers.
Continuing the theme of educational tourism in nearby cities and interesting sights, I bought a couple of excursions: Elbrus and Chegem waterfalls. A big plus is that the tour desk is located on the territory of the resort. In addition, when going on excursions, if you warn the staff of the sanatorium in advance, you get a dry ration, which includes so many things that you don’t have time to eat everything in a whole day.
Excursion to Elbrus
It is very pleasing that, having chosen one excursion, in addition to Elbrus (3.800 m above sea level), you also visit Mount Cheget (at an altitude of 3.100 m above sea level), as well as the Valley of the Narzans, where the Narzan spring hits right from underground! If the mountains are new to you, then you definitely have not received such impressions yet!
I came to the Caucasus - I must visit Elbrus!
The first trip to Mount Cheget. To climb it you will need to ride on 2 open lifts.
Excursion to the Chegem waterfalls
Like the previous one, this tour is not limited to visiting the Chegem waterfalls only: it includes 4 points:
1. Chegem waterfalls;
2. City of Nalchik;
3. Blue lake
4. Bathing in a thermal spring
First stop - Chegem waterfalls. An amazing walk between the gorges + Delicious mountain lamb shish kebab (I think very few people have tried this)!!!
And in conclusion, I will tell you that the Caucasus is indeed a delicate matter. This is the most beautiful mountainous region, where there is something to see and what to try.
There are many options to spend time here for the benefit of oneself, but in my opinion, it was a good decision to combine the exploration of new territories with the improvement of one's body. What I quite successfully coped with in Mashuk Aqua-Therm.
Much remains behind the scenes, but what I want to tell you: at an altitude of 3 thousand meters, you especially clearly understand how important it is to live actively, enjoy every moment, and not live your days somewhere in the office, and put off life for later.
Nemchinov Anton, age 26
07/15/2013 – 07/28/2013
Yekaterinburg
