Astan Hotel in Gagra

This hotel was chosen based on random recommendations on social networks. I really liked the photos. But the reviews on Booking made me wary. All the objective negative reviews felt like they were being answered by an offended teenager. But since the photos were bribed for the beautiful views, and they really are beautiful, this hotel was chosen. The hotel was booked in advance on Booking, with prepayment. We also specified that we wanted a room with a balcony, not on the first floor. And an individual transfer from Adler. Before the trip, we checked the details with the hotel administration again, and as it turned out, the room was on the first floor, but to our indignation about this, they promised a room with a balcony. On the day of arrival, there was no transfer, not in half an hour, not in an hour. Having called the hotel, we were told that they did not have a room with a driver, wait, they will come. On our own, although this is for the best, we got there without any problems. By car and cheaper. At the reception, having clarified once again which floor the room was on, they said that it would be the first. Having explained the situation and the fact that we had booked a room with a balcony, they still allocated a room on the 4th floor. They also asked how we were met) Having learned that no one had picked us up, the administrator contacted the driver, it turns out that there was a room, but they simply forgot about us, or rather mixed up the dates. The approach is excellent, you can feel the care) In fact, we got what we wanted and expected. The view is gorgeous, the pool. At the time of our stay (July 2021), the cafe was not working. The hotel is located on a hill, we knew about this. With children and vacationers without a car, as well as older vacationers, the hotel is unlikely to be suitable. A very steep climb. Lots of steps and you often can't find yourself. You can order a taxi from the sea, 200 rubles to the hotel. The Wi-Fi is bad, it only catches on the balcony. On the way to the sea there is an excellent cafe "Besedka", always tasty and inexpensive. On the last day, since we were leaving early, a transfer was chosen, but now with personal communication with the driver. This time they did not forget. We got beautiful views from the hotel, which is what we wanted. Would we come back here again? Definitely not. There was no open negativity towards vacationers, but it felt like "We have a pool, good views, and we are doing you a favor by letting you in." Some kind of indifference from booking to transfer. And in 2022, the price has been raised almost twice. Justified? Perhaps. But when raising the price, match it both in quality and in attitude towards vacationers.

On the one hand, the hotel is not bad. Heated pool. I didn’t like the steam room, it doesn’t smell clean, most likely on the contrary, you can catch any infectious agent.
The hotel has a dining room, a cafe is difficult to name. We had breakfast once, we didn't like it. Service and attitude are not high.
The main plus is a good view of the city .. especially in the evening.
Difficult to reach, winding road ... hotel on a mountain. Normal approach, there is no entrance from the beach.
They are rude in responding to reviews.
Changed the assessment because of the boorish answer to his wife.
Learn to communicate.
Happy to stay)