HIDDEN RUSSIA HOTELS,

Plios on the Volga

Dear English Speaking Guest,

I am sending you our price list for accommodation and transfers and our summer programmes for 3 to 7 day stay in Plios.

From the 15^th of May to the 12^th of September, 2010, the prices of Hidden Russia Hotels in Plios will be as follows (For Accommodation Per Night, For a Stipulated Number of Guests, in Roubles, including Breakfast):

Fortecia Rus' Resort Hotel

BETWEEN FOREST AND RIVER

(1,5 km from the Market Square, in a quiet neighbourhood of prestigious dachas and residences)

Double Room - from 2500 for two;

Volga Room,

Family Room,

Attic Room in Cottage -   from 3200 for two

Two-Bedroom Apartment in Cottage - from 6100 for four

DINNER WITH A GLASS OF WINE IN THE GUEST-ONLY TAIGA RESTAURANT - 1000 ROUBLES PER PERSON

Levitan Dachas Family Hotel

SIMPLE PLEASURES OF COUNTRYSIDE

(in a picturesque tiny street on the slope of Pankratka Hill)

Blue Domik -  a 19^th century house; a double bedroom with a 1940s bed from a Soviet general's dacha near Moscow and a small adjoining room with a single bed; a kitchenette; a restroom and a separate shower room; 6000 for two;

Yellow Izba  - a house near the Shokhonka River; a double bedroom with an extra single bed and a twin bedroom with extra attic space sleeping three; a kitchenette; a bathroom with shower and a restroom; 8000 for four;

Woodgrouse's Nest - a house near the Shokhonka River in a quiet cul-de-sac; two double bedrooms; a spacious kitchen; a bathroom with shower; 9000 for four;

Old Evsey's Hut - on the slope of Sobornaya Hill, with picturesque views; a double bedroom, a twin bedroom and two double sofas in living rooms; a kitchen; two bathrooms with shower; 9000 for four;

Dal'ny Dom -  a spacious 6-bedroom house in a large garden, with great views; four twin bedrooms and two dormitories with five beds each; a dining room with a kitchenette; four bathrooms with shower; 18000 for eight;

DINNER WITH A SHOT OF VODKA OR HOME-MADE SAMOGON IN THE GUEST-ONLY BABUSHKIN DOM - 800 ROUBLES PER PERSON

 

Sobornaya Sloboda Dacha Hotel  

FINE ART OF COUTRY LIVING

(meticulously refurbished and lovingly decorated traditional dachas with private gardens in historic Lower Plios)

Dachas Deluxe:

Angler's Luck North - half of wooden cottage built in 1947, near the boating station; with a separate entrance, a double bedroom and an extra sleeping nook for one; a kitchenette; a bathroom with shower (and a sauna -  at extra cost); 8500 for three;

Angler's Luck South , half of wooden cottage built in 1947, near the boating station; with a separate entrance, a double bedroom and a single bedroom; a bathroom with shower; 8500 for three;

Evening Bells North, half of period  house built in 1929, near Resurrection Church; with a separate entrance, a double bedroom and a single bedroom; a bathroom with shower; 8500 for three;

Evening Bells South - half of period house built in 1929, near Resurrection Church; with a separate entrance, a double bedroom; a bathroom with shower; 8500 for two;

Dostupov Dom - a wooden hut at the foot of Sobornaya Hill, with a plaque commemorating a former owner, a famous Moscow theatre actor; a double bedroom; a kitchenette; a bathroom with shower;  9200 for two;

Levitan Outhouse - a small cottage is an immediate neighbour of Levitan House-Museum, with Volga views; a double bedroom and a twin bedroom; a kitchenette; a bathroom with shower;  12500 for four;

Uncle's Dream -  a period house close to Levitan House-Museum; two double bedrooms; a kitchenette; a bathroom with shower; 12500 for four;

Sofia's Hut - a period house is a close neighbour of Levitan House-Museum; a double bedroom and a twin bedroom; a kitchenette; a bathroom with shower; 12500 for four;

White Chamber - a 19^th century merchant's house close to Market Square; two double bedrooms and a double sofa in the living room; a spacious kitchen with whitewashed brick vaulted ceiling; two bathrooms with shower; 18500 for four,

Archbishop's Dacha - a 5-bedroom 19^th century house near Resurrection Church; five double bedrooms; a dining room and a small TV room; a kitchen and a butler's room; four bathrooms with shower;  27700 for ten.  

 Dachas Grande Luxe:

Nikolskaya Izba - a neighbour of Levitan House-Museum; a suite with two double bedrooms and a single bed in the living room; a kitchenette; two bathrooms with shower; 24000 for four

Three Sisters - an 18^th century house on the waterfront, an outbuilding of a noble mansion;  three separate flats each with a double bedroom, a single bedroom and a bathroom with shower; a communal dining room; a kitchen; a restroom; 29000 for nine

Bellevue Dacha - a house dating back to 1874 high on the slope of Sobornaya Hill with panoramic views on the Volga; a double bedroom and a single bedroom; two en-suite bathrooms with shower; a living room and a dining room; a kitchenette and a butler's room; a restroom; 36000 for three

Novozhilov Dom - a redbrick Russian art nouveau house built in 1907, on the waterfront, with unobstructed Volga views; on the first floor: a double Princess bedroom with an en-suite bathroom with shower, a single Prince bedroom, a Pink study, a Dining room, a Glazed Veranda for breakfast with a dumb-waiter from the butler's flat in the ground floor; a second bathroom with shower; 42000 for three

DINNER WITH A GLASS OF WINE OR A SHOT OF HOME-MADE HERBAL NASTOYKA IN THE GUEST-ONLY LOUNGE OF THE YACHT CLUB RESTAURANT - 1500 ROUBLES PER PERSON

 

 

 

Transfers to and from Plios

Plios is in five-hour drive from Moscow and in one-hour drive from two regional centres - Ivanovo and Kostroma. One can choose one of the three routes from Moscow to Plios:

1. By Gorkovskoe Highway (official Golden Ring) via Pokrov (a pit-stop in a clean restaurant)-Lakinsk (some fresh local beer from the small brewery)-Vladimir (beautiful churches dating back to 12^th and 13^thSuzdal (the local Kremlin, monasteries, nunnery, churches)-Ivanovo-Plios; centuries, namely Dmitrievsky and Uspensky cathedrals and Pokrov-na-Nerli church)-
2. By Yaroslavskoye Highway (official Golden Ring) via Sergiev Posad (Troitse-Sergiev Monastery) - Pereslavl' Zalessky (ancient monasteries and mysterious prehistoric stone near the lake) - Rostov VelikyYaroslavl' (the 1000-year-old capital of the Golden Ring) - Kostroma (the birthplace of the Romanov dynasty) -Plios (the local Kremlin) -
3. By Stchelkovskoe Highway (off the beaten track and to avoid possible traffic jams on weekends) via Chernogolovka, Kirzhach,      Kolchugino, Yuriev-Polski (with a famous Georgievski Cathedral built in 13^th century), Suzdal, Ivanovo, Plios.

The nearest railway stations are Ivanovo and Kostroma (for night trains from Moscow, departures both ways are at about 22-00 and arrivals at about 5-00) and a small town of Furmanov in 30 kilometres distance from Plios (for trains from Saint-Petersburg).  The nearest airports are Ivanovo and Kostroma (both in one-hour flight from Moscow).

The Prices for Car Transfers:

Moscow-Plios-Moscow by Ford Focus or similar car (FF) - 11400

Moscow-Plios by Ford Transit minivan or similar car (FT, one way) - 7600

Kostroma-Plios by FF - 2300, by FT - 3800

Ivanovo-Plios by FF - 1800, by FT - 3000

Furmanov-Plios by FF - 1600, by FT - 2500

The Prices for Transfers by Train:

Moscow-Ivanovo - 950 (in a compartment sleeping four)

Moscow-Kostroma - 1950 (in a compartment sleeping four)

Saint-Petersburg-Furmanov - 1950 (in a compartment sleeping four) or 4050 (in a compartment sleeping two)

The Prices for Transfers by Plane:

Moscow-Ivanovo - 1450 (for advanced bookings)

Moscow-Kostroma - 1300 (for advanced bookings)

The Charm of Hidden Russia

(A travel to the smallest Russian town)

3 to 7 nights in Plios

(from May to September)

Arrival in Plios. 1^st day.

8-00

Leaving Moscow Airport for Suzdal by car or by bus.

12-00 to 15-00

Lunch in Suzdal (a good restaurant in the Kremlin or in Nikolaevski Posad Hotel; 350 per person), Sightseeing  (the Kremlin, Spaso-Evfimiev monastery and Pokrovsky nunnery, Boris and Gleb church in Kideksha; 3000 for the party). Leaving for Plios.

17-00 to 18-00

Arrival in Plios, check-in to a Hidden Russia Hotel (www.plios.ru ).

19-00 to 21-00

Sundowner Picnic Dinner on a private Panoramic Deck (1200 per person).

21-00 to 24-00

A walk in the historic town. Informal Entertainment: Russian tea ceremony (Posidelki)  at Granny's House (Babushkin Dom) on Pankratka Hill slope (300 per person).

Plios from Dawn to Midnight. 2^nd day.

5-00 to 10-00

Nature Experience. Dawn on the Volga River. Fishing (small boats, 1 or 2 guests in each), or Expedition to Komarovo Marsh to see northern orchids (in June, up to 8 people in small boats or up to 20 people in Cape Town River Boat) - 5000 for the party; or visiting Russian forest for strawberry-picking (in July) or for mushroom-picking (in August and September) - 2000 for the party.

9-00 to 11-00

Breakfast in Kuvshinnikova Tearoom, Babushkin Dom or in Taiga Café.

11-00 to 14-00

Sightseeing and enjoying vistas in Plios: Sobornaya Hill, Levitan House-Museum, Landscape Painting Museum (700 per person).

14-00 to 16-00

Lunch in Tyoplaya Izba Restaurant (600 per person).

16-00 to 19-00

Informal Entertainment: Visiting local inhabitants - an architect, an Orthodox priest, an archaeologist (3000 for the party up to ten).

Or Russian Wellness procedures - going to local SPA (Russian steam baths, ice-cold Chuvil'kin Springs, sauna and herbal baths and massages; 3000 per person).

19-00 to 21-00

Dinner in the Tavern of Yacht Club Restaurant (1500 per person).

21-00 to 24-00

A walk along the Waterfront, a drink in Two Anchors Bar (a veranda by the riverside), Musical Entertainment - a concert of Russian classical music (Romance Songs) in Shalyapin Dacha Theatre (3000 for the party).

Visiting Kostroma - the Birthplace of Russian Tsars. 3^rd day

9-00 to 11-00

Breakfast in  Kuvshinnikova Tearoom, Babushkin Dom or in Taiga Café.

11-00

All Day Excursion to Kostroma by car or by bus (by Mercedes Sprinter; 8000 for the party).

12-00 to 16-00

Sightseeing - Visiting Ipatiev monastery and St. Anastassia nunnery in Kostroma (3000 for the party up to six). Lunch in a local restaurant (350 per person).

16-00 to 18-00

Nature Experience - visit to a unique Elk Farm near Kostroma (1100 for the party up to six).

19-00 to 21-00

Dinner in Fortecia Rus Hotel (1000 per person).

Russian Countryside Safari: Privolzhsk and Saraevo. 4^th day

9-00 to 11-00

Breakfast in Kuvshinnikova Tearoom, Babushkin Dom or in Taiga Café.

11-00

All Day Excursion to Privolzhsk and Saraevo by car (Mercedes Sprinter; 6000 for the party).

12-00 to 16-00

Sightseeing - Visiting Privolzhsk Bakery to see how Classical Russian Rye Bread is baked. Visiting local Jewellery Plant and Nikolsky nunnery with Tikhvin Saint Springs (500 per person).

Lunch in a private home in Privolzhsk (500 per person).

16-00 to 18-00

Nature Experience - visit to a faraway village of Saraevo once owned by a great Russian military leader Count Alexander Suvorov, making acquaintance with the locals and sampling food and drinks (350 per person).

19-00 to 21-00

Back in Plios, Dinner in Tyoplaya Izba Restaurant on the Market Square (700 per person).

Riviera on the Volga: visiting Krasnoye, Rusinovo and Bosporus Dacha. 5^th day.

9-00 - 10-00

Breakfast in Kuvshinnikova Tearoom, Babushkin Dom or in Taiga Café.

10-00 - 14-00

Expedition to Krasnoye, the village of jewellers on the opposite (left) bank of the Volga within 40 minutes distance by motorboat or by Cape Town River Boat. Ancient church, private jeweller studios (5000 for the party).

14-00 - 17-00

Sunbathing and Lunch in Bosporus Summer Dacha, a private residence of the Shevtsov family on the left bank of the Volga opposite Plios (1000 per person)

17-00 - 19-00

A visit to a private village of Rusinovo on the left bank of the Volga opposite Plios in 15-minute distance by motorboat (the village is owned by a Russian real estate millionaire remodeling rural pastimes of the bygone era (300 per person).

20-00 - 22-00

Dinner in Levitan Dachas Family Hotel (800 per person)

City of Kineshma and Shchelykovo Mansion. 6^th day.

(another option for an all day excursion on the 6^th day: visiting Orthodox centres of Dunilovo and Lukh and a famous lacquer miniature artists' village of Palekh)

9-00 - 11-00

Breakfast in Kuvshinnikova Tearoom, Babushkin Dom or in Taiga Café.

11-00

All day Excursion to Kineshma and Shchelykovo Mansion by car (Mercedes Sprinter, 8000 for the party).

12-00 - 16-00

Sightseeing - visiting Dormition Cathedral in Kineshma (architectural monument of 18-19^th centuries; 500 for the party). A walk along the Waterfront with a magnificent view of the Volga.

Lunch in a local restaurant (400 per person).

16-00 - 19-00

Visiting Shchelykovo - a country estate of the great Russian 19^th century playwright Alexander Ostrovsky. Visiting the landmarks - Yarilina Valley, Blue Source and Nikolsky Church in the village Nikola-Berezhki (400 per person).

20-00 - 22-00

Back in Plios, Candlelit Dinner in the Turquoise Room of Yacht Club Restaurant (1500 per person)

Plios - Rostov Velikiy - Pereslavl' Zalessky - Moscow. 7^th day.

7-00 to 8-00

Breakfast in Kuvshinnikova Tearoom, Babushkin Dom or in Taiga Café.

8-00 to 9-00

Check-out and leaving Plios for Rostov Velikiy (by Yaroslavskoe Highway).

11-30 to 16-00

Lunch (450 per person) and Sightseeing in Rostov Velikiy (the Kremlin and monasteries; 500 per person).

16-00

Leaving  for Moscow by Yaroslavskoe Highway (via Pereslavl Zalesskiy and Sergiev Posad, with optional stops to see the monasteries).

20-00

Arrival in Moscow

PLEASE NOTE: This Programme is tailored for very active travellers willing to learn as much as possible about Hidden Russia - that is, provincial Russia of small ancient towns, far from cosmopolitan capitals, slow and poetical, knowledgeable about traditional and inimitable Russian art of living.

In real life travellers to Hidden Russia are strongly recommended to pay adequate attention to the best and least expensive kind of activity - nichegonedelaniye (Russian equivalent of dolce farniente). So you are free to choose some of the most interesting events and expeditions from our Programme, not trying to participate in everything.

Latest research shows that the healthiest holiday is

-          at least a week long;

-          with minimum travel through time zones;

-          free from any obligations (even from strictly following the itinerary);

-          rich in new acquaintances;

-          with regular walking tours prevailing over lounging;

-          with spending more time outdoors.

You see now how healthy our Plios programme is!

The Programme covers the complete Golden Ring Route - the most popular Russian provincial tourist destination. Seven unforgettable days in real Russia, in saint Russia, in Hidden Russia!

The first guests of Sobornaya Sloboda Dacha Hotel were Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Michael of Kent in October 2005.

Sobornaya Sloboda was listed as one of Russia's 10 best countryside hotels (by Forbes Style Magazine in 2008) and named "the most luxurious Russian country hotel" (by Afisha-Mir Magazine in November 2009).

Fortecia Rus' Resort Hotel in Plios was listed in 2009 by Afisha-Mir Magazine as one of 65 Russia's best hotels.

Our Dear Guests are welcome  to choose appropriate options  from our all-embracing 7-day programme. Please let us know if you need any additional information to make your choice. There are a lot of excellent photos of our rooms and houses on our website www.plios.ru. 

Best Regards,

Alexey Shevtsov