As stated in the previous review, the first impression is pretty grim. The outside door and first two floors inside are from Dostoyevsky, but the inside of the Pio itself is from IKEA.

The office staff speak good English and are VERY helpful and friendly. They had recommendations of where to eat, how to get around, etc.

The rooms are bright, fairly spacious, clean and colorful. We were fortunate that the weather was cool, because our room faced the street, which got very noisy at night due to nearby bars and car alarms that went off several times a night. With the window closed the noise was minimal, but if we had it open for ventilation this would have been a problem.

We weren't fond of having to specify an exact time for breakfast (8, 8:30, etc.) especially since that meant the food was on the table precisely at that time. If you were five minutes late your fried eggs would have cooled down. But the food was good and we had a number of enjoyable conversations with other travelers over breakfast.

None of the concerns above marred our stay at the Pio overall. Its good location, helpful staff, modern interior and reasonable price makes it a good place to stay in St. Petersburg. We were more than satisfied and would recommend it.