Classic weekend rest in nature is not just a tribute to overseas fashion, but an urgent need for a resident of a big city. An avalanche of information garbage, muddy to yellow air, sound and light noise has a devastating effect on the psyche of even the most stress-resistant person. Unpretentious, but quite comfortable recreation centers – for example, “Ladoga Lake” near Priozersk – an ideal option for St. Petersburgers, at the same time convenient and quite democratic. In addition, it is not necessary to adapt to the climate and fight with jetlag.
To get out for a day or two from a stuffy city somewhere not very far away, to live a day or two in a pleasant house next to the water and, preferably, in the forest is not a whim, but a therapy. And the lack of internet and poor mobile communication is sometimes not so bad: some things in our time are more of a bonus than a disadvantage.
How to get there
The recreation center “Ladoga Lake” is located in the Leningrad region, near the village of Burnevo, about 140 kilometers from St. Petersburg to the north (almost on the border with Karelia). You can get there by rail to Priozersk, from there you can order a free shuttle to the base.
Of course, you can get there on your own, most of the guests of the base arrive by private vehicle – fortunately, there is free parking on the territory. The administration warns that motorists should be guided by Yandex-navigator, Google services simply do not see them and the road will not help to find.
History
Lake Ladoga is the largest freshwater lake in Europe and the second largest after Lake Baikal in the Russian Federation. Dozens of rivers flow into it, and only one flows out – the Neva. There is an opinion that the lake appeared at the site of the meteorite impact, experts even found the remains of the crater, which is about 38-40 thousand years old. Lake Ladoga is cold, deep and very rich in fish, which, however, you need to be able to catch.
Unlike the same Baikal, the area around Ladoga is many times more civilized and inhabited, with a good road infrastructure and a rich history that can be explored by independently visiting local history museums and memorable places.
Houses vs apartments
The entire number of rooms of the base “Ladoga Lake” is insulated frame houses built according to Finnish technology with good warm windows, reinforced doors and wood cladding. Rooms can be divided into a motel type (apartments) and a cottage (houses). Each of them is autonomous, with all amenities and with the ability to adjust the heating.
Double apartments (nine in total) are under one roof, combined with walls, but the entrances and mini-terraces are different, and the mangal area is common. Compared to cottages, this is a budget option for recreation, but the place is much smaller – only 29 square meters. meters. You can check in with a child, on request they will give a crib and a high chair.
Vladimir, Yaroslavl: “We were in 2019, took an apartment on the first floor. Impressions are not very good, since the neighbors are not visible, but very well heard – how they snore, cough, go to the toilet. The beds were quite up to par, but you need to sleep in a helmet.”
Individual houses are scattered throughout the territory, can accommodate from 4 to 12 people and are devoid of such shortcomings. Each of them is stylized according to the name, but without any obsessive excesses.
On a cozy pine alley there are 11 small, 40 square meters. meters, houses. They receive up to 4 guests and are equipped with everything necessary – this is a mini-complex “Sosnovy Bor”.
Other accommodation options are slightly more expensive and depend on the number of guests.
Two-storey cottages are designed for 4 – 6 people:
- House on a rock (120 sq. m)) on the very shore of Lake Ladoga.
- House at the pier (85 sq. m.) near the boat shed.
- Mushroom picker’s house (85 sq. m.) near the playground.
- The hunter’s house (120 sq. m.) is the most secluded.
- House by the stream (120 sq. m.) by a real stream.
- Fisherman’s house (120 sq. m.) with a view of Ladoga.
The company of 6-8 people will comfortably be accommodated in the House with three bedrooms (165 sq. m.), and the Forester’s House will receive 12 guests (2 floors, 217 square meters. meters, 5 bedrooms).
There are offers of luxury category:
- The General’s House accommodates up to 12 guests – 205 square meters. meters and 5 bedrooms.
- Admiral’s House – accommodation for 4 people, a full set of amenities and services on 120 square meters. meters. The only house in the kitchen of which there is a coffee maker.
All cottages of any class are provided with the necessary appliances, furniture and related things to make a short rest or a long stay comfortable and relaxing.
Each house has terraces and its own sauna on wood-burning pallets, they must be bought from the administration or you can bring with you. Bed and towels are provided, but bath and toiletries are better to bring your own. According to reviews, sometimes the administration saves on them.
Attention! On the base still, almost like in the 90s, use deposits, and all services on the spot are paid only in cash. On the basis there are no cashless payment terminals (however, like any bank terminals or ATMs). Rent is usually for a set period, which can be extended, but can not be reduced.
Own kitchen or barbecue?
What is bad at the recreation center “Ladoga Lake” is with food. Due to the autonomous format of the number of rooms from stationary points of catering, whether it is a dining room, a restaurant or at least a cafeteria, it was decided to refuse. The nearest canteens are in Brigadnoye, and even there they leave much to be desired. At the base, you can order breakfasts in the room, but this is a little-demanded service (according to reviews, because of tasteless and not always fresh breakfasts), so you should not count on yogurt, muesli and overcooked scrambled eggs.
The only option is to cook yourself. And there are enough opportunities here.
In cottages and apartments kitchens are adequately equipped with appliances:
- electric hob;
- dishwasher;
- refrigerator;
- kettle;
- microwave.
There are also all the necessary utensils (cups, glasses, plates, cutlery), including kitchen utensils – pots, pans, cutting boards, knives.
All cottages have their own coal grill, but the coal base does not provide. During working hours, there is a shop on the territory where you can buy it, but it is better and cheaper, of course, to bring with you.
Attention! The guests are not only food, but also water. On the basis of quite tolerable water for technical purposes – washing dishes, washing and bathing, but there is no drinking water. Do not forget to bring drinking water at the rate of at least two liters per day per person.
Things to do
In the campsite in nature go to sleep, eat kebabs in obscene quantities and walk along the shore of Ladoga. Such a weekend program will not have time to get bored or tired, but if you need to stay a little longer, you will have to figure out what to do. And that could be a problem.
On the territory of the base there is no common Internet, but there is a cable. The base does not offer any entertainment events – the format is not the same, the administration appreciates the privacy of guests and provides a secluded holiday without animators and mass entertainers. Therefore, there are books, board games, needlework, fishing and long walks.
On the basis you can:
- rent a rowing or motor boat, raft to the island of Burnev or Zayachy;
- walk along eco-paths – boardwalk along the perimeter of the base, where you can walk in any weather;
- for an additional fee to take a steam bath in the Russian bath overlooking Lake Ladoga.
In addition, at the reception there are contacts of professional fishermen, with whom you can go fishing (they promise to discover the terrible secrets of good fishing in Ladoga). Sometimes fishing is organized on the boats of the base.
Probably, rest on the basis of “Ladoga Lake” can win all the medals in the world for meditation and the ability to properly configure the internal mechanisms of self-regulation. This format is very useful for people who are recovering from injuries, stress or professional burnout.
Note: On the base you can rent a banquet hall for 70 guests and a tandoor room, which can accommodate up to 20 people. A good option for a family event – a wedding, anniversary, and for a small corporate party, training or gatherings.
Children at the recreation center “Ladoga-lake” in Priozersk
Clean air, water surface of Lake Ladoga, pines: nature is useful for children’s health and development. However, the recreation center “Ladoga Lake” is not the place where you can relax from children with children. In such places, with rare exceptions, everything is quite the opposite: children’s leisure is a problem for parents. And do not forget about safety, after all, in fact, an open forest belt and a huge lake.
On the territory of the complex there is a children’s playground – a small standard slide with an imitation of a rope wall and ropes, designed for children up to five, maximum seven years. For children a little older – a free rope mini-park with ten stages. According to experience, the child will agree to pass it once, the second time to drag there is almost impossible.
On the territory there is a special game house where you can play table football, ping pong and billiards (for an additional fee), but they do not come here for this. Rest in “Ladoga Lake” is an additional chance to be with the children, sit together near the grill, talk about nothing and about many things, laugh, wonder how quickly they grow, get upset and… approach. Everything that modern parents and their even more modern children so desperately need has a price tag. And this is renting a house somewhere on the shore of a cold lake, where it is bad with the Internet.
Hiking, fishing, just walking along the shore or the forest – do not think that modern children will not appreciate it. The meditative mood of Ladoga captures even teenagers who are angry with the whole world – you just need to wait until the breakdown from the disconnected Internet passes. Usually after a day he lets go of the Instagram-dependent teenager.
Elmaz, St. Petersburg: “We came with the whole family, four of us, to Ladoga Lake ten times. We always order the Mushroom Picker’s House, we are even used to it. In fact, very conveniently, loaded the car, a couple of hours – and on the spot. The road is normal. The only thing I recommend to stock up on mosquito repellent, food and charcoal for the grill. You can cook on the spot, the kitchen is average, for a couple of days without much frills is enough. “
Tip: The infrastructure of BO is actually set up for three formats of rest: a romantic meeting, a noisy company and a family weekend. And so that no one bothers anyone, does not creak beds and loudly does not drown, for a family holiday it is desirable to abandon the rooms and choose a cottage (one of the 11 on the pine alley or from thematic houses, depending on financial capabilities). Apartments for families with children are categorically not suitable – cramped, disgusting sound insulation.
Interestingly, at the recreation center “Ladoga Lake” they accept guests with dogs up to 10 kg (payment is standard, for 2021 – 1000 rubles for the entire period). Large dogs and all other animals are not accepted. Especially do not like cats.
A little bit of excursions
The administration of the base organizes mini-excursions on boats to the nearest attractions. Usually the trip lasts about three to four hours, no more than 6 people are taken on board. The event is memorable, but it is difficult to guess it: it is necessary that the number of people (no more, no less), and the weather, and the possibilities of the fleet of boats coincide.
In any case, in Brigadn there are excursion routes (both private and museum) in Karelia with different thematic colors – and dedicated to the Second World War, and historical, and cultural, and even with a mystical color. Remember: to comfortably travel around the region, you need to have appropriate clothes and strong shoes, as well as means of protection against gnus.
“Ladoga Lake” is designed primarily for residents of the Leningrad region and St. Petersburg itself. This is both its strength and, unfortunately, weakness: to enjoy the rest to the fullest, it is worth considering the potential for room occupancy depending on the time of year and calendar. And, of course, how lucky you are with your neighbors on vacation: the rules of the BO do not prohibit smoking, drinking and revelry (yes, what is there, many people come here only for this), so unpleasant surprises very much happen.
