From a memory-high cut window to Europe to a self-proclaimed cultural capital, from the Cradle of Revolutions to the homeland of many of the country’s ruling elite: After all, St. Petersburg is an amazing city. Actually built by special order, for three hundred years it turned into an open-air history textbook. They say that walking along St. Petersburg avenues and courtyards-wells raiseS IQ by 5%. It definitely makes sense to check, and that each visit to the Northern capital is remembered only from the best side, it is worth staying in the boutique hotel “Rossi” – a unique hotel that will not leave anyone indifferent.
A bit of history and geopolitics
A long time ago, namely under Alexander I, it was decided to catch up and overtake – in those years to catch up and overtake planned all the same more prosperous neighbors as centuries later. It was supposed to ennoble the capital of the Russian Empire, so that London, Paris and the rest of Madrid became envious. For these purposes, a special Committee was established, which, in addition to officials, included the architect Karl Ivanovich Rossi, an Italian by birth, a Russian at heart. It was this man who made Peter’s face – monumental, solemn, somehow pompous and at the same time eclectic, almost undefinable and unclassified. As something truly alive, the architecture of Rossi was woven into the character of St. Petersburg and became its inseparable part.
Carl Rossi, among other things, developed the concept of development, under which the apartment house on the Fontanka embankment also fell. Sustained in the style of St. Petersburg classicism, since its construction in the 70s of the XIX century, it has experienced a lot, especially in the crazy XX century. Within its walls were noted revolutionaries, scientists, military, writers and poets, odious and grandiose personalities, and, according to rumors, even one great ballerina.
At the beginning of the XXI century, in 2007, his fate was finally decided – so there was a charming boutique hotel “Rossi”,a place in which history became cozy.
Exclusive design of rooms is the pride of the hotel “Rossi”
Rossi Boutique Hotel & SPA is a really small hotel, with only 50 rooms. Each of them is unique, the design is not repeated and it is humanly pleasant, especially after the standard rooms of famous brands.
Many rooms of “Rossi” have preserved ancient elements of both architecture – windows, corridor location, and decorations – corner stove with tile, open brickwork, wooden ceilings. It is not only beautiful, but also appropriate in St. Petersburg, and creates a specific atmosphere of immersion.
The entire number of rooms is divided into several categories, they differ in price and comfort:
- small (12 sq.m) single budget room for a short stay in St. Petersburg;
- practical standard (17-23 sq.m) room, suitable for business trips and romantic meetings;
- comfortable superior (superior, 18 sq.m) room is universal;
- Deluxe (25 – 30 sq.m) is decorated in non-trivial author’s style;
- as if from another era: Suite (30 – 40 sq.m) is both cozy and unusual;
- classic Grand Deluxe (40 sq. m.) is individual and conquers with details – restored stucco, wrought iron chandelier, interior of restored dark wood furniture;
- Pompous Presidential Suite is designed for ardent connoisseurs of luxury and space – 300 square meters. meters, velvet, fringe, brocade and parquet made of precious wood.
Each room has all the amenities including TV, safe, air conditioning, hairdryer. The bathroom is equipped with toiletries, rooms of the highest categories – from designer houses with a worldwide reputation (Bvlgari, Hermes). By the way, they can be bought separately at quite reasonable prices.
It’s interesting! The hotel annually renews the number of rooms, opening at least one or two new rooms. For example, in 2019, two of the superior category and two suites were updated. If you consider that the design of the rooms is not repeated, regular guests are waiting for a pleasant surprise.
Olga, Moscow: “Very nice place. Was with a partner in the spring of 2018, stayed in the Suite. Snow-white linen, everything is clean, new, the bathroom is sparkling. The staff is perfect, breakfasts are nothing, the restaurant is not bad, but there are not enough stars from the sky. I was pleased with the service “One international call for free”, I called a friend in Munich and spoke for more than an hour. We also booked an individual tour, it lasted 4 hours, and it was the best impression of Peter on that trip. “
Room service in the hotel is at the highest level. Maids clean quickly and silently, trying to get into those moments when, in principle, no one interferes. But if suddenly for some reason something does not suit, it is enough to contact the reception desk – all issues are solved instantly, and a priori the guest is right.
Fiolet Restaurant with its own face
A hotel of such a level as “Rossi”, and even in St. Petersburg, and even with such competition, it is simply obliged to have a good restaurant with at least author’s cuisine. Something the hotel has succeeded, and some aspects still have to be worked on: the Fiolet restaurant (Alliance group) may not be the best place in the city, but it is definitely worth a visit.
Not so long ago, a new chef appeared in the restaurant, who is set to slightly modify the traditional menu, diversifying it with fashionable pan-Asian cuisine. True, the concept of modernization includes some narrowing of the to that very diverse choice of dishes, but the administration is optimistic.
But in general, it is not for nothing that St. Petersburg is called the cultural capital, here you can not even eat calmly, so as not to get a little education. In the restaurant spend:
- art dinners and lectures;
- wine evenings and gala meetings;
- thematic brunches (for example, at Easter);
- concerts with live vocals and music;
- gastronomic culture parties.
The design of the restaurant dominates to modesty, which in St. Petersburg is called the classic style. Most of all, the interior of the restaurant reminds of good sanatoriums for party bosses of the late USSR era – that is why everything looks cozy, and it is comfortable to sit there. The restaurant is not designed for large companies, the fact that you need a table for more than 4 people, you need to warn in advance.
Miroslava, Chisinau: “For the first time I was in St. Petersburg recently, last year, I was impressed, of course. In Rossi I stayed on the advice of my brother, took the smallest cheapest room, I did not need three days more. Quite decent everything, great service, attention to detail. Breakfasts only I did not like, I do not eat this in the morning. The restaurant also on a five-point scale of three plus, no more. Not very tasty, and tired of everywhere this fake for Asia. We call it pan-Asian cuisine, but in fact it is ersatz, just a set of stereotypes about Asia. But the staff in the restaurant is gorgeous, friendly, and the music is very nice, and there are few people, you can’t hear the hum of human voices at all. That’s a huge plus.”
Please note: Breakfast, which is included in the guest house, is served in the restaurant from 7.30 to 11.00 (on weekends breakfast stretches to 12). The choice is no frills, but fresh bread is outstanding. Interestingly, on weekends, everyone is offered a glass of dry wine for breakfast.
Spa services in the hotel
Like every decent boutique hotel, Rossi strives to deliver its guests as much happiness as possible, and this can be achieved in two ways – good food and high-quality relaxation. And if with food while there is where to aspire, with the SPA everything is fine. The hotel has A2SPA – a center of anti-ageing services, cosmetology and aesthetics. And, without too much modesty, it’s a great place.
A2SPA provides a range of basic cosmetic services, an emphasis on procedures that give the immediate effect of a beautiful body – made and stood out of the chair updated without redness and long rehabilitation.
Procedures:
- SPA for women, pregnant women and men, emphasis on relaxation and anti-stress, including massage and wraps.
- Hammam with several types of peels.
- Cosmetology – injection, hardware, care, biorevitalization.
- Exclusive procedures for body aesthetics – all types of massage, hardware weight loss, lipolysis, body contouring, depilation, peeling.
- Nail service, including pedicure and SPA techniques.
All procedures are carried out on premium cosmetics, sterilization with ultraviolet. The center employs certified specialists.
Please note: the SPA center works as a separate organization, attracting visitors from the outside – this is a fat minus. When signing up for procedures, take into account the possibility of a small queue and an influx of visitors before the holidays and on weekends.
Children and Rossi Boutique Hotel & SPA
Hotel “Rossi” is aimed at adult guests, although it accepts children and even provides them with very pleasant discounts:
- children under 5 years free of charge, cot on request;
- children 5-12 years old – breakfast is paid.
There are no nannies or educators in the hotel, although they promise that it will soon be, animators especially (not the same format), a children’s room is not provided. The library has board games and you can find classic adventure literature. But a modern child in such conditions will be bored – it is obvious that while waiting for parents, the teenager will hang either in the phone (free very good WiFi), or in the TV with a full set of cable.
To go to “Rossi” with a child or not, the choice of parents, but, according to reviews, there will be many problems. Lyudmila, Kaliningrad: “We used to go to Russia with my husband, but in 2019 we decided to take our 3-year-old son with us. We stayed in a two-room deluxe. With a child, especially restless, it is difficult there: all these figurines, floor lamps, sharp corners, slippery parquet, everything is high in the bathroom – my parents will understand me. With children’s food is also not very good. If for breakfast I took my son muesli and yogurt, then in the restaurant the children’s menu – well, about nothing, even on the menu there is a coloring book. And in general, the restaurant is good, just an adult.”
Tip: When booking a room, be sure to specify that you will be checking in with the child. Please note to the staff that it is important to you how the windows open (preferably not wide) and that the bathroom is separated by an opaque wall.
However, the undeniable advantage of Rossi Boutique Hotel & SPA is silence, tranquility and grace, for which you need to say thank you to the beautiful sound insulation. And yes, there is no smoking on site or in the rooms.
Excursions
The feature of the hotel “Rossi” is the location, after all, the center of St. Petersburg itself is a tourist pearl. Five minutes from the Nevsky Prospekt Hotel, from the windows you can see Lomonosov Square and the Fontanka embankment – where you do not go, culture, architecture and history of the Russian Empire are everywhere. However, the hotel administration is in favor of well-planned and structured excursions, so it cooperates with professional guides and travel agencies.
At the counter, you can book both the usual sightseeing tours of the iconic sights of St. Petersburg, and coordinate an unusual event – for example, a helicopter ride, yachting or Segways.
In addition, at the request of guests, the hotel staff will help to organize any cultural program – book seats, rooms or tickets, book tables, or even just advise where to go and what to see.
Hotel “Rossi” in St. Petersburg is a good choice for those who are tired of the facelessness and plastic luxury of network giants that have long occupied the banks of the Neva. The hotel with its own face, individual approach to each client and pleasant staff is suitable for a business, tourist or romantic trip, it is ideal for a couple passionate about design and history. By the way, in “Rossi” you can buy almost any piece of furniture, even paintings and antique furniture. Paintings, however, need to be additionally decorated, since they are originals.
