Moscow Hotel Deals

There are some amazing deals this summer on Moscow hotels, provided you don't mind taking the Metro. I checked the price of one where I stayed about 10 years ago, the Maxima Irbis in northwest Moscow near the Botanical Garden. For dates later in June on http://www.tripadvisor.com, I found that double rooms with buffet breakfast going for as little as $46 per night. In 2007, I paid about $160 for a room and breakfast at the Irbis.

Maxima Hotels http://www.maximahotels.ru is a small chain with several other hotels in the same area offering similar prices. I liked the low-rise character of the Irbis, in a similar neighbourhood of low-rise buildings. I wonder if this is one of the parts of Moscow where many of the older low-rises are set to be demolished and replaced with much taller buildings. That would be a shame, because these neighbourhoods boast lots of small parks, playgrounds and green space for the inhabitants.

If you prefer to be near Izmailovo Market on the east side of the city, the Beta Hotel Izmailovo has double rooms for just $41 a night. I stayed at its neighbour Alfa Hotel Izmailovo in 2011 and found it pleasant and nostalgic, with a space exploration theme and Soviet-era ambiance including enormous public rooms and floor ladies who handled your room keys. Please check my former blog, http://www.yourtravelwriter.blogspot.com, for longer reports on the Irbis and the Alfa.

I check prices for similar dates in Florence, Italy, another city I have visited recently and could find little for less than $200 per night. So for savings this summer, go East.