Grand Otel Rossiya

My mother and I stayed for 7 days from September to October 2025, and I honestly wish this hotel would close and never reopen. The first problem was reception. The girls looked insolent and annoyed, and they were rude too. Their attitude made it feel as if guests weren't welcome and owed them something. The 18-floor hotel has many rooms but only two elevator cabins. The queues were enormous, sometimes lasting up to an hour, and people also got trapped inside. My mother has bad joints, so several times a day we had to use the stairs to reach the 7th floor. Room cleaning was mostly just for show. The floor was vacuumed badly, then soap, gel, shampoo, and toilet paper were left behind. We had to scrub the toilet, sink, and bathroom floor ourselves. Towels were not changed, because we were told they only change them every 10 days, and ours began to smell on the fifth day. The bed linen was also changed on the tenth day. The food was another disaster. Almost everything tasted the same and was badly prepared. There was little fruit, and what was available was unripe. In the morning there was warm compote, tea, and coffee, but not even plain water. Soups seemed to be made from leftovers from breakfast or the previous dinner. The only fish was stewed pollock with a terrible smell. On the fourth day I got food poisoning and had to go to the hospital for an IV. After that, I couldn't go back to the cafeteria. The pool was freezing, cold enough to freeze fish. Its steps were the same color as the surrounding tiles, so it was impossible to see where they began or ended. I tripped, thinking they were the edge, and seriously injured my foot. Smoking was also unbearable. Smoke from people on the balconies came into our room despite the tightly closed windows and door. The stairs were dirty too, and bottles, boxes, and paper were scattered all the way to the beach. There were no trash bins, which probably explains why people left rubbish along the route. If you're planning a holiday in Abkhazia, think twice. Spending a little more to fly to Turkey, where everything is included, seems better to me. Even crossing the border is a real ordeal.

For a budget holiday, this room was a wonderful surprise. My husband and I had a lovely sea view, and it was clean and equipped with everything we needed, including a TV, refrigerator, Wi-Fi, closet, hangers, and hairdryer. The dining-room food was excellent too. And the massage therapist was a real magician, we really appreciate her care and hard work.

The only good thing was the location, with the sea close by. We stayed from September 28th to October 5th, and the whole experience was awful. The hotel looked clean and attractive, but our room on the 9th floor, number 902, was tiny, with one bed for two people. You could barely turn around. The balcony view was excellent, and the staff were tolerable. The dining room was terrible. The food was nearly identical every day, and fruit was removed after about 30 minutes. There were apples, plums, and oranges, while pears and peaches appeared twice. Everything was cut into huge chunks. We only ate there for the first two days because I got food poisoning, and I wasn't the only one. The excursions weren't worth what we paid for two people. The jeep trip took two hours each way to the waterfalls, the road was dangerous, and the driver sped. The feast was unimpressive too. The city was filthy, with cows, dogs, and horses wandering the streets, though people did clean things up. Never again. What was that supposed to be for?

Our room on the 17th floor had a great sea view, while the mountain view from the balcony by the stairs was just as impressive. It was clean, the bed was comfortable, and the white towels and linens had no stains. We booked a comfort room, which seemed fair for the price. The food was average and greasy, not suitable for anyone on a diet, although my picky husband liked some dishes. The dining room was crowded only once during our 7-day stay, at breakfast. We heard many people had rotavirus, and twice there was vomit and uncleaned mess near the elevator and on the stairs. We took Enterosgel in the morning and two charcoal tablets at night, and we didn't get sick. The elevators were the main issue. This huge hotel has only two small ones, and one was often broken. Once we had to walk up to the 17th floor and down 5-6 times. Only one morning were both working. I wouldn't bring children here. The pebbly beach makes swimming barefoot impossible. The water gets deep fairly quickly, though not sharply. There is a paid slide and paid paddleboards, and boats offer 2-hour excursions, which I liked. The hotel also has an excursion price list. A small market, stalls, and a shore cafe are nearby. We ate at the cafe three times after walking a little to the left, where I think there was a breeze, and the food was delicious, almost restaurant quality. The smelly water complaint lasted only one day and seemed to come from a river to the left, not from our hotel. Gudauta is small, with little to see besides abandoned buildings and overgrown sidewalks. For an active holiday, Gagra is a better choice at about the same price. Unfortunately, the guests' behavior was the worst part. Some were arrogant, rude, constantly hungry, and left beer bottles in the recreation area even though there was no trash bin near the hotel. I also recommend flying to Sukhumi Airport. Because we flew through Sochi, the border took two hours, then we waited another two hours for the transfer, and the trip from Sochi to Gudauta took six hours. The first four photos show the views from the stairs and our room.