My friend in Yekaterinburg found the Hotel Malachite for us as it was near her flat, and a tram ride from the city centre. I got a relative to fax the hotel for us, as they do not look at their E-Mails very often. The confirmation came back in Russian and we got a friend to look over it.

The Hotel takes its name from a lovely green stone Malachite which was mined in the area from which you can get beautiful jewellery in Yekaterinburg and area.

We were impressed by the lovely marble entrances and staircases and the hotel was spotlessly clean. Our rooms were beautiful and spacious with lovely tiled bathrooms. Reception was manned 24 hours. There was TV in the rooms but we could only find Russian spoken channels. On the other hand we didn't ask if other languages were available.

The cafe where breakfast was served was not very impressive, though the breakfast improved.

At first I was served with unpleasant instant coffee, there was no milk or... more