Hotel de Paris Odessa MGallery by Sofitel

Everything felt well run, from the very clean rooms and excellent housekeeping to the restaurant, where you can tell the chef takes real pride in the food. It's a great boutique hotel with wonderful staff, ideally placed near the top of the Potomkin steps and within walking distance of anything you might need.

Aleksandra was especially helpful and professional, responding well to my requests and questions. I can't thank her enough. The hotel was clean and cozy, and its location made it easy to visit nearby shops and local sights. The staff were friendly and accommodating. I'd recommend it for a pleasant stay.

I left exhausted. Staff were shouting in the next room, possibly the kitchen, from 6:00 every morning, and the noise carried on. Then at 8:00 the maids started vacuuming the room beside mine, even though it was Monday morning in the off season and the room didn't need to be ready until 9:00. When I told the front desk the noise had kept me awake, they just shrugged. The hotel looked pretty, but I got almost no sleep, and the climate control seemed to be decorative. I'll stay somewhere else next time I'm in Odessa.

The staff were professional and personable at every level, which made an already lovely stay even better. The hotel has a distinctive, artful interior, carefully finished throughout, and feels elegant without being uncomfortable. It was a real pleasure, especially at prices that would be hard to match for a five-star hotel almost anywhere else in the world.