Want to go to Russia 2nd week in December. Which is better to stay at (niceness of room, location) - the Radisson SAS or The Astoria?

I have not stayed at either hotel, however both are considered to be very good.

Here is a review from http://www.russianguidenetwork.com

Radisson SAS
Location Rating: Excellent. It's in the heart of the city.

Proximity to Metro: Very good. A 7 to 10 minute walk in either direction. Gostiny Dvor or Mayakovskaya Metro Station.

Lobby Appearance: Beautiful and spotless. Constantly cleaned.

Room Appearance: The hotel is brand new as of July 2001. And all the rooms are brand new and well appointed. Street views cost extra.

Useful Nearby Businesses: Everything is here, and a McDonalds is right down the block.

Hotel Restaurants: They've got one restaurant and also one bar with nice views of the sidewalk action. The entire hotel looks dynamite.

Other Amenities: Internet access is available for 50 cents per minute. They have a small fitness room with all new equipment and the elevators require a key card to use. After seeing nearly 100 hotels, this was the first time I saw this security feature in a hotel here.

Would I Stay Here? Absolutely! The maximum in comfort and luxury.

Staff Speaks English? Yes, of course.

Comments: It's a beautiful and very classy hotel. And the location is great. During our visit, a crowd grew outside the front door in anticipation of seeing somebody famous. The hotel has 164 rooms. Here are two industry press releases about it:
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2...02_RadSAS.html
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2...alStPetersburg


Astoria Hotel
Location Rating: Excellent. Extremely interesting views with Saint Isaac's Cathedral being right across the street. Palace Square, The Hermitage, and the interesting Neva waterfront are within easy walking distance. The Angleterre Hotel is also right next door.

Proximity to Metro: Fair. It's probably a 15 minute hike to Gostiny Dvor Metro Station, but what do you need it for when everything interesting is right here?

Lobby Appearance: Spotless. It has an antique look.

Room Appearance: The decor is tasteful antique style. A room refurbishment program will soon be completed (as of March 16, 2002).

Useful Nearby Businesses: Busy Nevsky Prospekt, where you can find everything, is right around the corner.

Hotel Restaurants: They have a restaurant and bar. Next door at the Angleterre Hotel you can find other dining choices, including a nightclub and casino.

Other Amenities: Everything you would expect from a top notch hotel.

Would I Stay Here? Yes. The location is great. The views are very interesting, yet it is not that busy with people and traffic. Ask for a cathedral view.

Staff Speaks English? Yes, of course.

Comments: The hotel was opened in 1912. It has two very elegant ballroom type areas. It was nearly completely booked during our visit. See also the Angleterre Hotel review.

We stayed at the Astoria and it was fine - if a little eccentric. the location is great - we were able to wlak to the hermitage and our room overlooked the Cathedral (St. Basil's?). However, because the hotel was built a the turnof the century some of the rooms are eccentric. Our room - a basic double - was a large living room (sofa, chairs, desk, TV/stand etc.) with a small cubicle off it. The cubicle was just slightly larger than the queen size bed and you could approach the bed only from the bottom and one side since the top and other side were flush against the wall. We asked about this in the hotel and were told that when it was built - around 1900 - heating was not that great and it was warmer for the bed to be in its own little room - which at that point would have been shut off from the rest of the room by heavy draperies.

If you stay there make sure your room is not right above the entrance to the casino - the drivers of the local mafia hang out there and it's fairly loud, smokey and the gas fumes are awful. (The hotel fills an entire square block so getting a different room should not be an issue.)

Otherwise the hotel can be beautiful, the bath was fine and the breakfast was large if not delicious (you do not go to russia for the food).

You will have a great time in Russia. I have not stayed at the Astoria. I have stayed at the Radisson SAS many times. I can say that the rooms at the Radisson are very nice. The staff is as good as it gets. They all speak perfect English and are very courteous and helpful. The location of the SAS on the Nevsky Prospekt is very cental very convenient. On the other hand, the Astoria seems to be the new vogue in place to stay. It is located directly across the street from St. Issac's...and not far from Nevesky Prospekt and the Hermitage. Each location has it's advantages over the other. You can not go wrong with the Radisson. I assume you can not go wrong with the Astoria either..in fact I may choose to stay there next time. have a great trip.

President Bush stayed at the Astoria during his visit to St Petersburg in 2002.

Thanks everyone for the great tips. The Radisson is cheaper as least for internet rates than The Astoria. If I buy 2 first class tickets on the train from Moscow to St. Petersburg, will that assure me of having the compartment to myself on the all night train? Is the Red Arrow the best one to take?