The Kempinski Hotel Moika 22, is a gorgeous little gem of a hotel housed in a former Saint Petersburg, Russia mansion built in 1853 by Basil von Witte.
The Kempinski Hotel Moika 22 opened in 2006 and is all about luxury, beginning with airport transportation to the hotel in a luxurious BMW limo, and continuing with a friendly and professional welcome by the doormen Leonid and Igor, stunning marble lobby highlighted with a glass atrium, gracious check-in at reception, and knowledgeable Concierge team.
The hotel features a total of 197 sumptuously appointed rooms including 23 suites, and is conveniently located across from Palace Square and the State Hermitage, and a short distance from Nevsky Prospekt. The hotel takes advantage of its location on the Moika River Embankment by having a private dock for guests.
The hotel has two restaurants, the fine-dining French restaurant Beau Rivage, and Bellevue Brasserie on the ninth floor with its panoramic rooftop views of Saint Petersburg. French Executive Chef Philippe Bossert pleases the palate with his tempting recipes in the restaurants. Together with the Tea Room, Von Witte Lounge, Wine Cellar 1853, Business Center, and Rooftop Relaxation Center with sauna, Turkish bath, Jacuzzi, massage and spa treatments, and fitness equipment, the hotel is a charming and stylish oasis in Saint Petersburg.
Edward F. Nesta and I stayed at the hotel in November 2006 and had wonderful dinners at the Beau Rivage and Bellevue Brasserie, and partook of the very Russian tradition of Afternoon Tea in the Tea Room sitting by a crackling fire in the fireplace while we listened to classical music by a violin duo.
Breakfast at the hotel is an inviting affair with an eye-catching display of fresh fruits, rolls and pastries, meats, a selection of cheeses, miniature pancakes and French toast, home-style potatoes, grilled tomatoes, a variety of cooked eggs, sausage, bacon, cereals and porridge. Thoughtful details include four types of sugar, including cubed and rock sugars.
We stayed in a lavish suite overlooking the Moika River with a view of the Winter Palace. The suite featured an entry foyer with large bathroom on the lower level, and a spacious bedroom on the second level with a nautical theme, featuring navy carpeting, blue and white stripe wallpaper, and sailboat photographs on the walls.
The bed was dressed with a navy and lipstick red coverlet, nautical design decorative pillows, goose down pillows and duvets, and featured an inlaid nautical design on the mahogany headboard, with a bench placed at the end of the bed. Chinese blue and white ginger jar lamps with creamy lampshades on the nightstands and silver floor lamps illuminated the room.
White floor-to-ceiling window treatments with a sailboat motif framed the wall of windows, and there was a comfortable seating area with navy striped sofa and two royal red chairs, with two end tables and lamps flanking either side of the sofa. A wood rectangular table beckoned a warm welcome with a silver basket with an artistically arranged selection of a miniature pineapple, strawberries, my favorite cape gooseberries, plums, tangerines, kiwis, currents and grapes, a tempting plate of chocolates and truffles, and a bottle of wine.
A pigeonhole desk situated against one wall with its high speed Internet access, and a high backed wood chair upholstered in navy fabric provided the perfect place to work. Other amenities included a large Philips plasma television, and robes, slippers, safe, and a mini-bar in the inlaid armoire.
The large black and white marble bathroom featured a heated floor, and had a combination tub/shower, vanity mirror, hairdryer, and scale. Special details included a pretty green cymbidium orchid and an assortment of Kempinski amenities.
When it was time to return to the airport, the Kempinski BMW limo whisked us off in elegant style.
Read about the Kempinski Hotel Moika 22 in the Restaurants and Chefs' Recipes sections.
Kempinski Hotel Moika 22
Moika River Embankment
191186 Saint Petersburg
Russian Federation
Telephone: +7 812 335-9111
Toll-Free: 00 800 426 313-55 (Europe)
Toll-Free: 1 800 426-3135 (North America)
Fax: +7 812 335-9190
Email: reservations.Moika@Kempinski.com
www.Kempinski-St-Petersburg.com
www.Kempinski.com
Read other articles on Saint Petersburg and Russia in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Chefs' Recipes, and Spas sections.
For information on Russia, please visit the website: www.VisitRussia.com.
© April 2007. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com All rights reserved.
