Sochi is a blossoming garden city. I have been to the resort twice, and both times the resort left pleasant memories. In this review, I talk in detail about the pros and cons of the resort, prices in Sochi in 2021, give advice and suggest when to go and what to do on vacation.
What the resort looks like
Sochi is a green and blooming city, and all year round, so the first impression is very pleasant. Palm trees, flowers and shrubs compensate for the chaotic ugly buildings and are pleasing to the eye. We have never seen such a green city in Russia!
I have been to Sochi twice with a break of 10 years. And both times he left only pleasant memories: many flowers, warmth and sun, blue-blue sea, sweet Turkish delight, salted pebbles, beautiful Seaport, snow-white yachts in the marina, stunningly beautiful nature around. It was striking that there were more cars and more noise, but fewer Caucasians.
Many trendy cafes and coffee houses, modern hotels have appeared, and the beaches have changed dramatically! Now they are decorated in the same blue and white nautical style. The only thing that reminds of the "scoop" - ugly breakwaters.
The city has become more convenient for motorists - tunnels and dedicated roads have been built to drive past the city center.
Alas, there are not so many pre-revolutionary or Soviet architecture preserved in the city - you still need to look for them among the dull five-story buildings and modern buildings. If you love architecture, I advise you to see what has survived in Sochi.
Housing prices in Sochi
In the summer in Sochi, hotels and the private sector are almost one and a half times more expensive than in other resorts of the Krasnodar Territory. The highest prices are in hotels in the city center and by the sea.
First, I'll tell you about hotels... Rooms in good 3 * hotels cost at least 3500 rubles per day. A lot of good reviews and a high rating of the hotels 3 * "ARTapart", Sanremo, Portofino, Dolphin Resort Hotel & Conference. All of them are on the first line, so there are many rooms with sea views.
Accommodation in 4-star hotels costs from RUR 7,700 per day. According to tourists, the best 4 * in Sochi: Marina Yacht with a view of the port, Mercure with a spa area and the brand new Grace Horizon.
5-star hotels start at RUR 20,000. The best in Sochi: Pullman, Swissоtel, RODINA Grand Hotel & SPA and Hyatt Regency.
We stayed at the Grace O'deen Congress Hotel 3 * not far from the train station and the Central Market. The hotel is good: brand new, with excellent service and adequate price. We were given a room overlooking the city and admired the sunset and night lights.
Look for hotels and guest houses on the Hotelluk service - it will be safer and more profitable, because he is looking for discounts on different sites. Find out how to book a hotel cheaper.
See what are the prices for holidays in Sochi in the middle of summer 2021 (double / triple room per day):
| Housing type | Price for two |
| Apartments | from 2 000 ₽ |
| Decent guest house | from 2 000 ₽ |
| Hotel 3 * in the center | from 3,500 ₽ |
| Hotel 3 * on the first line | from 6 500 ₽ |
| Hotel 4 * by the sea | from 7 700 ₽ |
| Hotel 5 * | from 20 000 ₽ |
If you are going on vacation to Sochi with your family or with friends, it is more convenient and more profitable for you to rent an apartment. Prices for apartments start from 2000 ₽. Lodging in the private sector search on Daily and Airbnb - these are convenient and reliable services with real photos and reviews of tourists. There you can rent an apartment, room or house directly from the owners. Do not expect to easily rent a house upon arrival at the train station - usually they offer apartments at inflated prices, in an inconvenient area and with a minimum of amenities. Book your accommodation 2-3 months before your trip.
Buy profitably trip to Sochi you can visit Travelata or Online Tours - this is a reliable and convenient online store where we ourselves buy tours for our vacation. Find out how to buy tours for less.
How to save money? In the season, choose housing not near the sea. You can live in a good hotel at a low price if you are resting in the off-season or low season. For example, in large hotels like Pullman, prices fall by half in winter. The same goes for sanatoriums.
Vyacheslav: "In the sanatorium" Zapolyarye "you need to visit at least once in order not to go anywhere else. The animation is just at the highest level."
Alexander: "Hotel" Zhemchuzhina "4 * in the city center on the seashore. Excellent view from the balcony, well-groomed area, outdoor pool with warm sea water, gym - everything is included in the price."
Food prices
There are many trendy coffee shops, cafes and restaurants in Sochi, and the prices there are Moscow. For example, the Seaport has a beautiful Barceloneta restaurant, and the average check there is 1,500 rubles. And nearby - the Syndicate steak house with a check of 3000 ₽ and the Weeping Willow fish restaurant with a check of 1500-2500 ₽. In a prestigious restaurant in the Mamai-Calé forest, you will pay an average of RUB 2,500 or more.
However, there are also cafes with average prices. For 700-1500 rubles per person, you can have a delicious meal with a sea view in Del Mar, Parus and Black Sea Beach Club.
We did not eat in expensive restaurants, but chose a cafe with the uncomplicated name "Severnaya 7". It was located right outside our Grace O'deen Congress hotel and the reviews were overwhelmingly good. The average bill is 500-700 ₽ per person. There are delicious khinkali in the cafe, we advise!
But I especially appreciated the canteens in Sochi, which are open almost from 6 in the morning. This is very convenient when you have a busy day, especially a hike. We often ate at the Patisson, Coriander, and Did All Have Eat canteens right outside the Seaport. In canteens, we spent about 300-400 rubles per person.
Beaches and the sea in Sochi
Almost all the beaches of Sochi are covered with small and medium pebbles with an admixture of sand, so if you have sensitive feet, buy coral slippers right away. Getting in and out of the water is uncomfortable without them.
As in Adler, the depth increases smoothly, but rather quickly. There are many breakwaters, so there are no big waves. There are always lifeguards on the beaches, but keep an eye on small children.
By the way, according to tourists, rescuers are too zealous for safety and reinsure themselves - at any hint of a storm warning, even if the sea is calm, they fly a red flag. And after 20:00, swimming is prohibited and escorted from the beach. Therefore, locals prefer to relax outside the city, on wild beaches.
The beaches of Sochi are beautifully arranged, in the same maritime style and blue and white colors. There is everything to relax in comfort: changing rooms, toilets, showers, wooden flooring, awnings, water activities. There are a lot of cafes, bars, restaurants, stalls with food, souvenirs and clothes on the embankment.
The best beaches in Sochi are the beaches "Riviera", "Primorsky", "Mayak", "Albatross", "Lastochka". I liked the cozy Riviera beach.
Prices in 2021 on the Primorskiy beach:
- chaise longue - 300 ₽ per day
- mattress - 100 ₽ per day
- swing - 200 ₽ per hour
- gazebo - 500 ₽ per hour.
Prices for different parts of the Primorsky beach differ. For example, on the beach of the Del Mar cafe, a sunbed with a mattress for a day costs 700 rubles, and a "shell" with a mattress - 500 rubles per hour.
The food in the beach area is adequate for the resort: a scoop of ice cream - 80 ₽, churchkhela, depending on the size - 40-150 ₽, mango shake - 400 ₽ for 350 ml.
The beaches in the center of Sochi are very busy in summer. In addition, some are filled with sun loungers and gazebos, and there are few free places. If you want to sunbathe on your towel, you will have to take a seat at 7:30 - this is what tourists write in reviews. We were at the end of October, and the shore was free.
The sea in the center of Sochi is not so clean, so tourists choose beaches closer to the outskirts or go to smaller resorts - to Dagomys, Khosta, Imeretinskaya Bay, Lazarevskoye.
nataschkin: "There were concerns that the beach in the city is dirty, crowded and expensive. But the Riviera beach is well equipped. There is a lifeguard tower, a police post and a first-aid post, volleyball nets and places with paid sun loungers. There is also a free toilet on the beach. ".
kuzu kuzu: "During even a small storm (well, very childish waves), they can arbitrarily block the entrance to the beach, and even to the sea. They pulled a red ribbon right by the sea. And again they yelled if someone wanted to wet their feet at least."
How not to catch an infection at sea
Intestinal infections are a really big problem in southern resorts.Rotavirus and norovirus are more often caught by children and are seriously ill, but adults also suffer from them. Be sure to collect a first-aid kit for rest and do not forget the compulsory medical insurance policy. Young children need to be vaccinated against rotavirus.
In order not to catch an intestinal infection in the Black Sea (and indeed in any sea, even abroad), you need to follow the basic rules of hygiene:
- Do not swallow seawater.
- Wash fruits, vegetables, and hands thoroughly before eating. Wash with running water or bottled water, not in the sea!
- Drink bottled or boiled water.
- Do not buy food from street vendors.
- Do not take perishable food to the beach.
- If you cook yourself, be hygienic and boil and fry food well.
- Make sure your child does not put stones, sand, dirt, or dirty hands in his mouth.
What to see
There are so many attractions in Sochi and its environs that you won't have time to see it in a week!
First of all, take a walk around the city - go to the Seaport, look at the eclectic dacha of Khludov in the Riviera Park, take a walk in the Seaside Park, go to the arboretum. There are two interesting abandoned buildings in Sochi - the mystical dacha Kvitko and the luxurious sanatorium Ordzhonikidze. This is definitely worth seeing!
Take a boat trip - Sochi looks pretty from the water. Prices in 2021 for boat trips are as follows: 1 hour in a group of 10 people costs 1000 ₽, and an individual trip only with the captain - 3000 ₽.
Go to Mount Akhun and Stalin's dacha, go hiking in the Agurskoye gorge, Navalishchenskoye gorge and the yew and boxwood grove in Khost. Be sure to go to the canyon of the Psakho River - I think this is the most beautiful place in Greater Sochi.
From Sochi, drive to Krasnaya Polyana and Imeretinskaya Bay to see the Olympic venues.
All of the above can be easily visited on your own, but excursions are also organized to these places.
