This was my first time at the Garden Ring and I was pleasantly surprised. I booked online to benefit from the discount on a three-night stay, achieving a reasonable - by Moscow standards - breakfast-inclusive rate.

The hotel is set back from the busy Prospekt Mira on which traffic is eith stationary or zooming along at 60mph+ and so was pleasantly peaceful. Arriving early evening after a two-hour drive from DME airport, there was a moment of slight panic when I was told there was no booking for me, despite an email confirmation of my reservation. However, the reception staff quickly solved the problem and checked me in. My suggestion, if you are booking here, is to double-check that the reservation has definitely been made on the hotel computer!

I had a good-sized double room, nicely appointed with effective air conditioning (it was around -20c outside) that kept the room warm. The bathroom was excellent with a generous size shower cubicle. The flat panel TV provided most free-to-air Russian channels plus international news channels including RT, Euronews, CNN and BBC World News. I slept well throughout my stay on a very comfortable bed.

Breakfast was fine, with a choice of cereals, eggs, bacon and so on, plus pastries and breads. There's a good coffee machine and a variety of teas, as well as a good selection of juices.

The bar in the lobby is perhaps not the most relaxing place to have a drink, but the price of calvados, for example, wasn't over the top for this expensive city. The wi-fi was free and worked well in the room and public areas.

Given the ridiculous traffic problems in the city, it was good that the hotel is in easy walking distance of two metro stations. And I can also recommend Vapiano, an Italian restaurant a few minutes walk north on Prospekt Mira that you reach a little before the metro station.

I think I may well ue this hotel agaiin in the future.