Apart-hotel “Vershina” was built on the Dombay glade, surrounded by centuries-old pines and fir trees of the North Caucasus. The resort’s main ski lift is just 50 metres away, and the children’s slope is just a 1-minute walk away. The hotel rooms offer a dizzying view of the gorge and Mount Zub Sufruju.
Location and infrastructure
Dombay is a magical place for a great holiday. Where else can you ride on the snowy slopes overlooking Elbrus , the highest mountain peak in Russia and Europe? Although in fact this resort area is a whole incredible mountainous country in Karachay-Cherkessia. A small but very cozy village of Dombay is located on a small patch at an altitude of 1600 meters above sea level right on the territory of the beautiful Teberda Reserve.
Dmitry, St. Petersburg “We rested with a big company. I liked everything. The apartment is new, very spacious. The interior is modern, warm floors, clean and cozy. The location is great. Lift and slope nearby. In the evening we went to the bath, the restaurant – everything is in the same building. Had a great time!”
Room stock
“Vershina” offers 25 apartments of different types from studios (50 sq. metro) to three-room and deluxe categories (120 sq. m.). By the way, apartments in the hotel can not only be rented, but also bought for your full use.
The apartments differ not only in size, but also in design. For example, there are incredibly cozy rooms “Chalet” with a unique design and author’s wooden furniture. The rooms are well heated, have underfloor heating, plasma TVs, have a balcony, living and dining area. The kitchen has a microwave oven, fridge, stove with extractor hood, kettle, dishes and washing machine. Towels, hairdryer and linen are included.
The euro-designed rooms are modern and stylish.
Food
Accommodation in the apartments does not imply an included breakfast, but you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner in the restaurant “Alan-Ash”, which is located right in the hotel building and offers dishes of national cuisine. Try fish dishes cooked on the grill. And be sure to taste the meat of Karachay black lamb. These sheep were bred by the Karachay people living in the North Caucasus. Not only the wool of this breed is very much appreciated, but also stunningly tasty meat that simply melts in the mouth. In addition, this meat has a record low cholesterol content.
Hotel services
Aparthotel Vershina offers a barbecue area with barbecue facilities, a large table and chairs. It is located right in the courtyard of the hotel. You can have an open-air picnic at any time.
On the ground floor there is a Ski & Spa complex for those who take care of themselves. It has a large swimming pool 17 meters long. It is heated, maintained a constant water temperature of +28. There is also a small swimming pool with salty hot sea water, equipped with lighting and a jacuzzi. In the warmer season, you can swim in the rooftop pool overlooking the mountain peaks. The complex also has an infrared sports sauna, a spa treatment room and a gym. The gym is equipped with modern equipment. And it has an interactive simulator so that you can hone your skiing and snowboarding skills.
Well, if you prefer a Russian bath, then in the same building there is a common bath with a swimming pool and several individual baths with a steam room, shower and barrel. The choice of bibs and oils for the bath is large. At the bath there is a rest room. In it you can drink healthy tea with herbs.
The reception is open 24 hours a day.
The ski slope is 20 metres away and the cable car is 50 metres away. Dombaysky Market is a 1-minute walk away.
Evgenia, Moscow “This is the best choice if you need an apartment, not a hotel. In the kitchen I found a complete set. Plus, there is a dryer, washing machine, iron and even an ironing board. Wi-fi is free, TV with tricolor. One swimming pool with sauna is in the basement, another rooftop pool (outdoor), spa-services, sauna, gym. Both cable cars are nearby. The attitude is very sincere, hospitable. The view on the upper floors is magnificent.”
Dombay will be interesting not only for fans of active and extreme sports, but also for nature lovers. Centuries-old thirty-meter spruce trees form luxurious forests here. Non-melting glaciers, waterfalls, mountain lakes, amazing flora and unusual animals began to attract travelers here long before the local slopes began to run skiers. Gradually, this place turned into a modern sports and fitness center with a well-developed infrastructure and became a real mecca for tourists, climbers and ski lovers. Now here, in the heart of the mountains, there is everything you need for tourists: rental offices, bazaar, alpine camps and a huge number of different restaurants and cafes that offer dishes of traditional Russian, Caucasian, French and Italian cuisines.
Dombai has a lot of sun and a mild climate. And the healing properties of the local mountain air can not be overestimated. Here you can improve your health without making any effort for this.
Leisure and entertainment
If you are interested in skiing, it is best to come from November to May. You will be provided with skiing on trails of varying complexity on alpine skiing or snowboarding. There are trails for snowmobiles, snowtubing and slides for sledges. There is also an ice rink. And you can still order heli-ski services – you will be taken to a high-altitude slope by helicopter. The mountains here are high, so that the ski areas are located at an altitude of 1800 to 3200 meters. There are convenient lifts, and the complex of cable cars is one of the most modern in Russia.
In the New Year’s time, the town is transformed. Buildings are decorated, include street illumination, open fairs where you can drink hot mulled wine and have a snack gingerbread man. And on the festive night itself, show programs and fireworks are organized.
From the end of May to the beginning of September in Dombai it is best to spend time walking through the mountains and enjoying the dizzying views of mountains, waterfalls and lakes. It is at this time of year that hikers, climbers and climbers come here. There is a very popular Nordic walking, you can ride a mountain bike. And if you want to climb into the most inaccessible places, it is better to rent an all-terrain vehicle. Dombay offers horseback riding, paragliding and even… beach holiday. But not on the seashore, but on the shore of numerous lakes, in which the water in summer warms up well to a temperature of +20 degrees. It is believed that the local water heals and rejuvenates.
Climbers climb the mountains marka, Belakai and Alibek peak. In fact, there are a great many trails and routes in the local mountains, the categories of complexity are very different. Many of them are suitable not only for professionals, but also for beginners and lovers of ordinary leisurely walks. And if you suddenly decide to try yourself as a climber, you can take lessons in one of the local schools, and then immediately apply your new knowledge in practice.
But from October to November during the golden autumn here will appeal to those who love silence, privacy and peaceful rest. In the low season, about 600 permanent residents remain in the village.
Not far from the Dombay glade is the village of Teberda, which got its name from the local river. The same was called the biosphere reserve, which was founded in these places in 1935, the village of Dombay is located on its territory. More than 150 mountain lakes were included in this protected zone. And there is a zoo in the reserve. It contains herbivores: yaks and Caucasian deer. And bison are kept here. The very name of the resort Dombay is translated from Karachay as “bison”. Once these animals grazed in the local valleys, but people exterminated them, and now bison can be found only in the reserve. Predators are also represented here: wild boars, wolves and bears. There are also large birds of prey. Visitors to the zoo can order a horse ride, and also buy jam from spruce cones and honey in a local shop.
Be sure to visit the local bazaar. Here they sell a lot of interesting unusual things that can be purchased simply as a souvenir or as a gift. For example, unusual figures of animals that are made of fur, warm knitted things, felt hats and mountain hats. Most importantly, it is not resold other people’s products, sellers knit right at the workplace. And try herbal tea, it has a bright and rich taste. It is offered in different varieties. Tea perfectly complements delicious mountain honey or jam from feijoa, figs or spruce cones. There are many souvenirs made of wood: watches, boxes, etc. And it is also full of all sorts of paraphernalia for skiers.
Sights and excursions
Dombay is, first of all, stunning nature. And almost all the sights of Dombai are of natural origin. Beautiful alpine meadows, coniferous forests, snowy mountain peaks, rivers, streams, glaciers, lakes with waterfalls – all this together represents an unforgettable landscape. And in addition to all this, there is the freshest mountain air, which is a unique natural medicine.
The most picturesque paintings can be seen from the slopes of Moussa-Achitara. From a height of more than 2000 meters, this natural observation deck offers a spectacular view of the peaks of the mountains Sofrudzhu, Ine, Belalacaya, Dombai-Yolgen (Killed Bison) and the Sulahat ridge.
In these places you will find a huge number of waterfalls. Not far from the village of Dombay there is a gorge. Right at the entrance to it, the Chukhchursky waterfall is noisy, and from here a dizzying view of the peaks of the Main Caucasian Ridge opens.
The largest waterfall in Dombai is Alibiek. Its height is 25 meters. In addition to the waterfall, there are Turye Lake with the purest water and the Alibek glacier.
There is also the Sofrudzhuk waterfall, which is formed from the Amanauz River. In the basins of the Moussa-Achitara ridge there are beautiful lakes. One of them is Lake Kluhor more than 35 meters deep. Nearby is the Upper Kluhor waterfall. If you climb the Kluhor Pass, you will see the Black Sea.
Dombaysky resort offers a huge variety of excursions. They are suitable even for those who do not like active recreation at all, because most of the way you will travel by car. But you can visit even the most remote corners. The duration of local excursions rarely exceeds 4 hours, but extreme trips can last from 2 to 7 hours. The most popular destinations of car tours are Lake Tumanly-Kel (trout are found in it), Jamanat narzans, Shumka waterfall, Azgek and Gonachhir gorges, Turye Lake and, of course, a whole set of local waterfalls.
There are also very unusual excursions. For example, an excursion into history in the cemetery of climbers and to the medieval Alan temples of the 10th-12th centuries on the mountains of Senta and Shona.
Most excursions are organized in the summer, but there are also options for the winter.
