PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

The entrance alone earns this hotel its "golden" epithet, with its blinding awnings and lobby fixtures (the name really refers to a ring of historic and religious cities north of Moscow). A 1998 renovation brought the Golden Ring into Moscow's executive-level hotel class, one of the few that's not part of a chain. Now the Golden Ring caters more to discriminating Russian clients and their often opulent tastes than to the ordinary tourist. Still, it has a range of room styles and standards, and the decor grows calmer as the prices drop. The hotel towers over the Moscow River and Smolenskaya Square and is nearly adjacent to the Arbat pedestrian zone. More intriguing is the sleepier district of once-prestigious residential blocks behind the hotel, perfect for a quiet tour of "real-life" Moscow. Guest rooms and bathrooms are spacious and flawlessly equipped. Look out for online discounts or group tours that stay here. The hotel is much taller than the neighboring buildings, so many of the rooms enjoy broad views of the city and/or the river. Facilities: 4 restaurants; 2 bars; health club; spa; Jacuzzi; sauna; game room; concierge; tour desk; transport desk; 24-hr. business center; shopping arcade; salon; 24-hr. room service; massage; 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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