Pros:
- Staff: The staff in Reception spoke good English and were always helpful.
- Location: The apartments are right on the main street, Nevskiy prospekt, and convenient to a popular canal boat tour; walking distance to many smaller museums; and about 25 minutes to the Hermitage.
- Apartment: You have a small stove, microwave, refrigerator, dishes, and cutlery so you don't have to eat out every meal.
Cons:
- Location: Nevskiy prospekt can be crowded and gets annoying quickly.
- Internet: The wireless Internet access was free but worked only about half of the time; sometimes I had to position myself right by the door to my room. They really need to improve the placement of routers, which is easy to do!
- Smoke: While the apartments themselves are non-smoking, people are allowed to smoke on the landing between the 4th and 5th floors. And they do. And the stench comes up to the apartments on the 5th floor.
Notes:
This place can be a little hard to find. I hope the following helps.
First, save yourself a bundle and take the bus and Metro from the airport. You can board the bus at the airport; an agent will eventually come around and charges you 21 rubles for a ticket; change can be provided.
Get off at the Moscovaya stop [where almost everyone else will probably get off] and buy a token for the Metro for 25 rubles. Signs are in Russian and English. It is a pretty easy system to follow.
The apartments are located on the 5th floor of a building on the northeast corner of Nevskiy prospekt and Liteynyy prospekt. The entrance is on Liteynyy prospekt, about 50 paces down on the right. There is sometimes a paper sign on the door. If not, it is the first door that is not leading to a store.
The foyer is dimly-lit and looks kind of scary. Watch out for the step down that comes early. The stairs have cracked tiles. There is no elevator, so you have to haul your bags up to the fifth floor.
Your heart will sink when you reach the 4th floor landing and see a locked gate. Don't worry, there is someone in Reception 24 hours-a-day. Press the button and, when buzzed in, pull the door on the left toward you.
Summary: While a little hard to find, these very basic, small apartments are cheaper than the typical overpriced St. Petersburg hotel rooms, and the location is fairly convenient. They need to improve the Internet access.