Narochanka

So far, everything's been good!

Narochanka is still my favorite place, and the price compared with nearby Priozersk and Sputnik makes it an easy choice for me. I've been coming for 18 years, back when it was a tourist hotel, and watched it grow from one building as the second treatment building went up. The location is ideal. The food, which used to be a problem, is now excellent, tasty, and varied. For the level of comfort and amenities, other places cost three times as much, so this is a perfectly acceptable holiday. I like the good gym with plenty of equipment, new skis, friendly instructor, and nice pool. The store had a good selection this year, though I wish the new salesperson had been friendlier. You can tell the staff are working hard to make guests' stays better. I recommend it. There are some drawbacks: not enough cleaning staff, room renovations could be much better, there's no dance hall so dancing happens in the lobby, and the irons are always burnt and charred. I also won't come for New Year's again. I went this year and was disappointed with both the program and banquet. I paid 330 rubles, and didn't want to sit through children reciting poems. A separate children's matinee before the corporate event would make more sense. The illusionist was awful, talked a lot, and yelled instead of speaking. Nobody liked him. There were contests and performers until 2 a.m.; I'd rather see the program alternate with dancing as at other resorts. By the time dancing began, many guests had left. The table setting was mediocre. The Olivier salad seemed to have been cut the day before, and its sausage was dried out. There wasn't a separate serving dish, so it seemed we'd all have to use the same plate for the salad and everything else. Broccoli was brought out on plates as a shared dish, which I've never seen before. The host announced the fireworks were in two minutes, sending people outside, to the windows, or back to their rooms for clothes. Then we waited another 15 minutes, inside and out. Afterward, cakes and candies were quietly set out by the dining room coffee machine as a dessert buffet. Guests who heard the announcement and were in the hall got some, but by the time we arrived, every candy was gone. We all paid the same for the banquet, yet those who got there late missed out. At Naroch sanatorium the year before last, by comparison, there were plenty of cakes and candies on every New Year's banquet table. I hope the organizers take these problems into account. Other guests were saying much the same thing. These are the main shortcomings.

The pool and exercise therapy were a real help, and the food was decent, but I'd call this a good holiday home rather than a sanatorium. If you're coming for treatment, this isn't the place: there was no medical staff, and no one available to arrange paid treatments. The treatment building also can't handle the number of guests. There wasn't a single concert. The coffee machines were awful, turning out who knows what. Cleaning was mediocre too. Our white towels were changed only twice in 12 days, and the hallways went several days without being cleaned.

The accommodation and meals were excellent, though the medical treatments could be better. The grounds are the main downside, with hardly any attractive spots for photos. Lake Naroch doesn't count, since that's not the sanatorium's doing. There's also nowhere to have a barbecue. Other sanatoriums have gazebos beside each building, standard grills, and sometimes even firewood stacked under a canopy. If you drive to Narochanka, bring a folding grill, charcoal, skewers, and a Bluetooth speaker, and you can have a relaxing break outdoors.