PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

The National emerged from decades of renovation in the 1990s to become the place for Russia's nouveau riche to flaunt their wealth. The frenzy has since faded and the hotel is now merely a superbly located and impeccably designed spot from which to discover Moscow. Built in 1903, it housed aristocrats and their arch-enemy Vladimir Lenin, who stayed here (in room 107, according to the hotel -- although the exact room number is debatable, a victim of Soviet revisionist history) as he imagined a Communist revolution. Perched on the edge of Tverskaya Street, the National looks directly at Red Square and the Kremlin and the throbbing heart of the capital. Rooms are decorated in dark lacquered woods and empire armchairs, and even the trouser presses match the decor. Hotel marketing materials admit that the single and double rooms are \"not large,\" though they make good use of the limited space. An afternoon break in the mezzanine cafe will make you feel pampered even if you're not staying here. Clientele remains largely a mix of \"new Russian\" regulars who never glance at their bills, and foreign investors, though the National is increasingly reaching out to tourists through online discounts. Breakfast is included in the rates quoted here.

Facilities: 2 restaurants; mezzanine cafe; bar/lounge; small heated indoor pool; health club; spa; Jacuzzi; sauna; concierge; tour desk; car-rental desk; limo; business center; salon; room service; massage; babysitting; laundry service; same-day dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms; executive rooms.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Moscow & St. Petersburg, 2nd Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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