Just Got Back

Guest: Eddie (Los Angeles)
Date of Stay: 06/07/11 Review Submitted: 06/17/11

All-in-all my wife and I were happy with the apartment. Edward has a new rep who does speak English and was very helpful. She picked us up from the train station (R1,000) and took us to the airport at 3:15 a.m. for R1,200. She also got our registration papers (R1,000 each person and R1,000 her fee) which, by the way, is a complete rip-off by the Russian government. The air conditioning is only in the living room; so on a hot day it might not adequately cool the bedroom. The internet worked just fine and there were some English TV stations. Edward said that he disconnected the telephones because some guests were calling long distance. Actually the bedroom phone had a very slight dial tone that rang with wrong numbers (twice); there should be a way to stop any calls but local. We has no water the first night, and we were VERY UNHAPPY! Edward explained that the whole block? lost water; it was restored the next morning. More importantly, he sent the rep and a plumber just to verify all was fixed, and set-up the local water heater if needed. This showed us that he cares about his guests. (You gotta have a computer and SKYPE; also it's a good idea to have a GSM cell phone and a Russian SIM card [R200].) We did hear some noise from the bottom floor construction, and the boat's loudspeakesr can be heard with the windows open. But, no, you can't see the canal -- nor the people drinking by the canal -- lying in bed. The Hermitage and Nevsky Pr. are 10 minutes away and the big market is 5 minutes away. Considering the cost of hotels, the excellent location, the spaciousness, this is a good value and we recommend it.

Recommended for:Tourists without a car.

An apartment with atmosphere and great facilities

Guest: Twizzle (London)
Date of Stay: 10/26/10 Review Submitted: 11/28/10

A beautiful, secure, atmospheric and comfortable apartment! This is a great base from which to explore a fascinating city. We’ve stayed at Home-Away properties all over Europe, and the standard of this one is high, it has wonderful views and excellent facilities. Our stay commenced in late Autumn, when you might expect the weather to be cold, but the apartment was always cosy and welcoming. We found Edward reliable and quick to respond to our emails. He arranged for a taxi driver to escort us from the arrival and departure points, and this all went very smoothly. Alla, the rep who met us at the apartment, could not have made us feel more welcome. She promptly sorted out our registration documents and arrived at short notice on a rainy night when we wanted advice on how to light the gas oven. There are several reasons why we considered this apartment a good choice, some practical, some aesthetic. In practical terms, we liked the reliable internet connection, comfy beds in both rooms, easy-to-use washing machine/dishwasher, convenient location close to Nevsky Prospect, the Hermitage etc., and clean, efficient cooking facilities/utensils. This was important to us as we are vegetarian and like to cook our own food. There are two small supermarkets very close by where you can stock up on things like bottled water, fruit, sirock (a local sweet cheese) and bread. But we often went to a larger supermarket on Nevsky Prospekt near the metro, for some good vegetarian options. We are not TV fans, but tried out the TV and found it had a wide range of interesting channels in many languages. Perhaps what left the most lasting impression were the views of the canal. We hope to stay at this apartment again and definitely recommend it.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Hope this review will help the owner to better his services to North American foreigners

Guest: Sid (Los Angeles)
Date of Stay: 09/16/10 Review Submitted: 09/23/10

The location is good, within walking distance to the Hermitage and most parts of the city. The canal in front of the apartment is not too busy with boats, making it a bit dull. Dont be put off from the appearance of the building, outside and inside. It feels like we were back in the Soviet times. However, I found it quite safe and interesting. It is a large apartment indeed, perhaps too big for two people. The apartment is located in the third floor, no elevator, so if you travel heavy like I did....good luck. What I did not like was that the charming lady whom waited for us, did not speak a word of english, and worse off, I don't speak a word of Russian. I always like to know how things work, specially when you are in a private apartment. Internet, TV, garbage days, how the keys work, supermarkets, etc.... I find very important to have clean sheets and bed linens. Towels were damp as they were recently washed and not fully dried, there were clothing being dried inside the flat and, personally I prefer white linens. Edward was not accomodating as said in previous reviews. Perhaps he got upset for, I complained about the linens and towels. TV never worked properly, only islamic channels and portugues. Wi Fi never worked. DSL did. I asked him how to get a taxi to go to the bus station, his email reply was that he did know and I should call information for the number.Asked for a second set of keys, his email answer was "impossible". I never learned how to buzz the bell at the flat, so I had to open my window and throw the keys downstair for my friend to enter. Edward should make a complete list how things work and/or have someone that speak English to help the guest. I felt "not welcome".

Owner response:I would not recommend a person like the one describing himself above to go to Russia and even more to rent an apartment and live by himself in an unfamiliar environment. There are many big Western countries and islands like Dominican republics, Mexico, etc., where you can receive a lot of attention: a smiling and good English speaking personnel, where you’d have only American TV channels, changed WHITE linen every day, with an espresso coffee machine in the room (never mentioned on the site btw but requested by the client in the email), a taxi service on demand and of course a room service so there would be no need to go to the supermarket or a deli store which is just in front of you building. You could surely get a small room for 2 people in the hotel if the apartment is "too big' for two people" and surely you could get a room on the noisy street so that it would not be so “dull” to overview a water canal from your windows. Instead of learning how to turn the key and open the door lock, a magnetic hotel card would be much easier to use in the hotel. And, yes, where you could endlessly complain if something is not to your level of satisfaction and demand the refund. May be even try to get a moral compensation for the moral damage that you were robbed on the street. Actually I feel sorry for the poor guy that it happened with him. This was the first incident for the past three years that I’ve rented the place. Anyway I’d prefer not to rent the apartment to a person like that and if you are – please pass on my flat. There are many others available.

Recommended for:

Fantastic flat, very professional and helpful owner

Guest: Margaret (London UK)
Date of Stay: 07/18/10 Review Submitted: 08/02/10

Just returned from a very hot week in St Petersburg, the flat was amazing to come back to in the evenings, very spacious, well equiped, great views over the canal and central enough to be able to walk to most places. Edward was excellent to deal with, always responded promptly to e mails, organised transport to and from the airport, nothing was too much trouble. I would strongly recomend this flat to anyone who wants the freedom that renting a flat gives.

Owner response:Hi, Thank you very much for your feedback. I am really glad the apartment has met your needs. A satisfying accomodation is a big part of any trip and it can make the trip memorable or frustrating and a nightmare. I am sure your positive feedback will help other people to make the right choice and it will encourage me to keep up with the same standards. Sincerely, Edward

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing, families with young children.

Our St. Petersburg experience

Guest: ngc (United States of America)
Date of Stay: 05/31/10 Review Submitted: 06/17/10

The apartment is exactly as listed in the description. It's beautifully decorated, comfortable, quiet and has all the amentities of home and perfect for relaxing after a day of touring the city. The location is excellent, within walking distance to the tourist sites, grocery stores, restaurants as well as the Mariinsky theatre. We absolutely loved our stay in this apartment and Edward was wonderful to deal with from the rental aspect as well as helping with transportation to/from the airport. Thanks to Edward and his beautiful apartment our time in St. Petersburg was exceptional and made our time there memorable!!!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Guest: Hector3 (New York, New York)
Date of Stay: 10/28/09 Review Submitted: 10/28/09

Renting this beautiful apartment in the heart of St. Petersburg was the best idea I had while planning for our trip. My best friend and I really called it home for the 2 weeks we were there. It's tastefully renovated and had everything you can ask for in a home away from home.

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