Review: Hotel Akvarel Moscow, Russia

Konrad Tillman
16 hours ago
4 min read

Intro

When I visit places, I tend to find a hotel/homestay that feels like home. Whether that be in Senegal, Syria, or Russia, I found a place that truly blew me out of the water: Hotel Akvarel. If you are looking for a hotel near the historic downtown, at a great price, there is no better place than Hotel Akvarel, and I mean that with my whole heart.

Location+Booking

Perhaps the greatest part about Hotel Akvarel is the location. Located a quick 10-minute walk to the Bolshoi Theatre, a 1-minute walk to the Louis Vuitton shop (closed temporarily), and a 20-minute walk to the Red Square, there is truly no better location to be in for the price point.

A brisk 12-minute walk to the Four Seasons as well, close by to Dr. Zhivago

And when it comes to booking and cost, it's extremely easy to book. As an American, it's sort of difficult to use your card in Russia, but I was able to use Wego to book many nights here at Hotel Akvarel. However, if you have Rubles, you can use them to pay in cash at the hotel or a local card.

Prices are reasonable, but fluctuate slightly. The lowest I paid, including tax, was about 154 USD per night, and the most expensive sat around 170 USD. Not bad considering how nice the interior and service are.

My advice is to book early, as the hotel often sells out the night prior due to the limited capacity that they have!

Rooms

Throughout my two times staying here, for a total of five nights, I stayed in two different categories of rooms (they only offer two). The first one was the most basic, and a touch smaller than the upgraded rooms. Featuring a very comfortable bed, air conditioning, and all of the amenities you need, this made for a very comfortable stay.

Each bathroom came with all of the amenities one would need, minus a shaving kit. Interestingly, not a single hotel in Russia I stayed at featured a shaving kit, which I found to be a bit odd...

Hotel Akvarel Moscow Basic Room (Bathroom)

Finally, I also stayed in the "upgraded" room, which was about an extra 20 USD per night. While it was virtually the same in terms of what was offered, the room was a touch bigger and had a larger curtain separating the living room from the bed.

I have to say, considering the price and the location, this was an absolute steal for what was offered. Everything was branded, the place has chic decoration, but what was lacking was the on-site amenities...

Amenities

So let's get into that then, shall we?

What you pay for at Akvarel is the chic rooms, friendly service, and the location. But when it comes to amenities, about the only thing you will find is the lobby downstairs. There is a small waiting room off to the side, alongside a boutique restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Every morning, if you are a guest, they will happily prepare you a coffee free of charge. Cocktails came out to about 12 USD, while a local beer was about 8 USD. However, huge shoutout to the people working at the restaurant, as they made the experience just that much better. Extremely friendly and offered plenty of recommendations

But yes, if you are looking for a gym and a swimming pool? Look somewhere else. About the only amenity they have is free wifi...

Final Thoughts

Throughout my time in Moscow, I found a second home at Hotel Akvarel. While not the most cutting-edge hotel in terms of amenities, it was reasonably priced, in an unbelievable location, had friendly staff, and some extremely comfortable beds. If you happen to be spending a few days in Moscow, I cannot recommend this hotel enough. Just keep in mind that you should book early as it often sells out!