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Russian Riviera
Sochi
Sochi has been a favourite Russian holiday resort since the early twentieth century. It was Joseph Stalin who really put it on the map when he would come here to his dacha (country house). Since then every Russian leader has had a holiday home here, including President Putin.
Sochi is now very much the playground of rich and famous (and patriotic) Russians who fly to the Russian Riviera rather than the Cote dAzur or the Costa Smeralda. They build villas which rival anything to be seen in Cannes.
What attracts them is not only the fact that there are plenty of smart restaurants and outdoor cafes where one can see and be seen; Sochi has everything one could wish for in a resort. It has the backdrop of the Caucasus Mountains, a sub-tropical vegetation, pebble and sandy beaches and a warm climate (the average temperature is above 14 degrees Celsius, and the city boasts more than 200 days of sunshine a year). When you add in the many mineral springs, the parks, and tea plantations, Sochi can claim to be one of the most attractively situated cities anywhere in the world.
There are excellent sports facilities, particularly tennis and skiing; Sochi is one of the three cities competing for the 2014 Winter Olympics. The city has an opera house which attracts many international stars, and the annual film festival is now the showcase of the resurgent Russian film industry.
With so much new-found confidence to be found all the way down the coast of the Russian Riviera, it is no surprise to find in Sochi a new luxury hotel. The Grand Hotel and Spa Rodina is a boutique hotel with 40 rooms and suites. The hotel has first-class facilities and an absolutely spectacular view of the Black Sea. The hotel makes an ideal base from which to explore the city itself, and the surrounding countryside.
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