We stayed here for two nights as part of our Transiberian Express tour. We too were a little concerned about the distance from the village until we found a lovely local taxi driver who dropped us in and out of the village, several times a day, during our stay. We carried his card and just asked any nearby hotel reception to call him and he was there in a flash. Trips cost 200 rubles which was reasonable by our standards. Ask for Ivan at the reception desk, he's 100% trustworthy and honest.
The hotel reminded us of the Overlook from The Shining - 70's kitch, surrounded by snow, lots of marble, and an errie, dark basement that housed the gothic style bar, which was open from late afternoon, and restaurant.
Bedrooms are under refurbishment, ours was modern and fairly comfortable, although too hot like all russian hotels and have to say the beds were pretty hard. We had a balcony and fantastic views of the lake and distant mountains (remember to ask for a lake view when... more