The 15-Room Shelfort Hotel occupies two floors of mid-19th century building located on Vasilievsky Island in a quiet area away from the beaten tracks, but still very close to all the main city attractions. The interiors are quite nice but not classy, meeting the standards of an average three-star hotel. A few rooms face the street while others provide only a courtyard perspective, which is not very exciting. Ceilings are high so the rooms feel larger than they are, but in reality they are quite small. The obvious benefit of accommodation on Vasilievsky Island, which was once meant to become a center of St. Petersburg according to Peter the Great’s initial plan, is fresh air coming from the sea that you can only dream of when staying somewhere close to Nevsky Prospect. The main drawback here is a busy navigation season (late spring through late autumn), which is a key reason why bridges across Neva open up every night isolating the place from the downtown area.

Location: It’ll take you less than 5 minutes to walk to Vasileostrovskaya Metro station (which is only one stop away from the main street) and about 15 minutes to get to the Hermitage and the Palace Square by foot. Shelfort Hotel is a great choice for out of center accommodation for a good price. There are plenty of historical buildings in the area including The Academy of Fine Arts, Kunstkamera museum, Menshikov's Palace (early 19th century Russian culture exposition of the Hermitage), an old food market and one of the first churches built in town in the 1740's - St. Andrews' Cathedral. Two currency exchange offices are located on the same street; supermarket and an ATM are around the corner.

Facilities: Shelfort Hotel provides just basic services and facilities. WiFi internet connection is available in all rooms. Laundry services are provided. There are two common rooms, one on each floor, where breakfasts are served in the morning. The first floor common room boasts large screen plasma TV; the room on the second floor has an old fireplace, which is a nice extra during a winter season. There are no working places for those on business-trips, no bars or restaurants either, but there are quite a few nice eateries around the block. Visa registration is free for guests & visa support service is offered for $20.

Interior & Rooms: There are a few types of rooms: two standard & two comfort singles from 1950 to 2700 rubles (60 to 85 EUR), nine doubles from 3150 to 4000 rubles (95 to 125 EUR), and two air-conditioned luxury doubles (one with a fireplace) from 4500 to 5400 rubles (130 to 170 EUR). Price vary depending on the season. All prices include breakfast, which is served in common rooms on both floors. All rooms have separate bathrooms with showers; luxury double also has a bathtub. All rooms offer 24h room service, WiFi internet access, telephone, TV (Local channels and Satellite BBC News only), air-conditioning (luxury doubles only). The hotel is only three years old so it doesn't have a feeling of an ancient soviet inn with flea-bitten furniture upholstery. Payments by major credit cards accepted.

Comments: A nice alternative to larger hotels of comparable offering the same range of services but lacking the personal attention to customers needs typical for smaller or family-run businesses.

Area Features: park nearby, supermarket nearby, quiet area.