Hotel Renaissance

Opposite the stadium at 18/1 Olympiski Prospekt, in the north of Moscow, beyond the city's ring-road. The closest metro station is Prospekt Mira, but this is a good 15-minute walk away. Sheremetyevo 2 International Airport is located about 16 mi away, with a transfer time of around an hour, whilst Domodedovo International Airport is some 31 mi south-west, so allow an hour and a half transfer time.

Film buffs will be happy to learn that the Renaissance houses a very beautiful cinema, not what you might expect in a hotel! One of the drawbacks of the hotel is its location in an outlying district of Moscow, far from any metro stations, but luckily a free shuttle service is provided to take guests to Pushkin Square in the city centre. If you're planning on bringing your laptop with you, you'll be pleased to know that a free Wi-Fi Internet connection is available in the hotel lobby. There is also a bureau de change and an ATM machine here, and the hotel has a free car park for guests arriving by car. The rooms in the club lounge area on the top floor have free Internet access and guests can help themselves to complimentary snacks.

The Renaissance Moscow, part of the Marriott group, opened in 1992 and was last renovated in 2008. The 481 rooms, including 11 suites, are spread throughout a modern 12 storey building. The decor and architecture are very modern, with the stylish reception and lobby setting the tone for the rest of the establishment. Guests are welcome to make use of all the latest fitness equipment in the gym 24 hours a day, or else relax on one of the cushioned deckchairs set out around the large heated 1m70 deep indoor swimming pool. This relaxation area also contains a sauna and a bar. In addition, the hotel boasts 14 conference rooms.

The rooms in the Renaissance Moscow have a fitted carpet, desk, armchair and two paintings in the way of decor, whilst amenities include individual air-conditioning, a small, free electronic safe, a large plasma-screen television broadcasting 43 channels, a minibar-refrigerator with tea and coffee-making facilities (and a complimentary bottle of water), an iron and ironing board, a telephone and Wi-Fi and ADSL Internet access (charged). Room service is also available 24 hours a day. The bathrooms, for their part, are fairly small and contain a bathtub with a flexible shower, a hair-dryer, a toilet, tissues, a magnifying mirror, scales, cotton buds, a bathrobe, slippers and hospitality products.

The cuisine at the Renaissance Moscow is one of the hotel's strong points, starting with the fantastic choice of no less than five restaurants! Breakfast is served at the Vienna Café from 6:30am to 11:00am, and the 495 in the lobby is open 24 hours a day for snacks and light dishes. Then there is the Summer Café, an outdoor grill serving Russian cuisine on a pleasant terrace surrounded by greenery in the summer months. However, in the harsh Russian winter, you will probably be happier in the La Stazione restaurant in the basement of the hotel, which serves a selection of Italian dishes for dinner, preparing the food in front of you in its open kitchen. Our favourite, though, was the Transsiberian restaurant, which is decorated in such a convincing manner, you could almost be on board the legendary train. Even the rails are originals, and from the imperial logo to the silk and the Swarovski crystal, not a single aspect of the detail is left to chance. The decor is exactly the same as that in the restaurant car on the Transsiberian Express, and the fine map of Russia hanging on the wall shows the route and the different stages of the journey from Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok. Delicious Russian cuisine is on the menu, including that famous Russian treat, caviar! The restaurant is open from 12:00pm to 11:00pm, and after dinner you can put the world to rights over a brandy and cigar in the Metro bar. For a tasty treat, the head pastry chef prepares delicious cakes in the 7 Sisters Café (a reference to Moscow's 7 Stalinist skyscrapers) from 9:00am to 11:00pm.