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To stay or not to stay in a homestay? By Joseph Livesey It was the second time I'd been to Irkutsk. I knew how far the centre of the city was from the train station, and I'd checked out the price and location of a cheap hotel and then a few back-up ones in a new Lonely Planet. I wanted to walk to the centre of the city, as it's a great walk; crossing the Angara in the heavy snow along the bridge from the train station, and then immediately on to the near empty streets of wooden houses. By the time I got to my destination, the Hotel Gornyak, it was about eight in the evening. The temperature, mild in February for a few weeks was only minus 10 degrees C and I was already sweating from having dressed too much on the safe side. The Lonely Planet lists the hotel as costing 600 roubles for a single room (They reckon 30 roubles to 1 US dollar in the LP, and when this happened it was about 28s roubles to the dollar). It wasn't open for business that night. "So… okay," I thought, and I headed back across town, sort of on my way to Hotel Agat, but dropping in at Hotel Rus, which is listed in the LP as costing 922 roubles for the night. I told the receptionist I wanted to stay for two nights and she got her calculator out and offered me a price of 100 US dollars. On my way again then, onwards to Agat, which was also not open. It being about 9.30pm at that point, I trudged back through the snow towards Hotel Angara pondering at how difficult it could really be, and also at how typical the whole situation was. The Angara offered me a price of 60 dollars a night, at first, and then dropped it to fifty. I had stayed here two years before and decided, as it was the same price, to try again at The Rus. It then became apparent shortly after, that the magic number on the receptionist's calculator was not indicating the room charge for two nights, but only one! So, as I put my hat and gloves back on, and got my rucksack on my shoulders I was out on the street again, ignoring the sniggering of the security guards on my way out. Ten thirty now, and back at the Angara the receptionist had a little heart and gave me the room for 35 dollars a night. The next day I called Jack (3952 336 240), and walked
down the road to his apartment and checked everything out. Considering
how crap the room at Angara was, how expensive it was in the terms of
a backpacker, even for Russia, that Jack's apartment is cheaper to stay
in, even more centrally located and also how there's no need to unplug
the phone in your room because you end up receiving half-hourly calls
from prostitutes, I would recommend arranging a homestay in Irkutsk instead
of not planning it all like I did. Jack's homestay in Irkutsk: unbeatable
location, clean and roomy. More than a place to stay! Price:
500 Rub/night/person, double (NO breakfast). How
much is it? Currency converter is here |
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