Holidays in Krasnaya Polyana (Sochi) in winter - 2021: prices, my experience

Travel dates: February 2020

And haaaaaa! Holidays in Krasnaya Polyana in winter in 2021 are in full swing! Freezing temperatures, a three-meter layer of soft snow, mulled wine by the river and a party of interest. Just returned, brought GB of photos and the freshest information on the situation and prices at the coolest ski resort in the country.

I'll tell you about the differences between alpine skiers (there are 3 of them here), places where to eat and not go broke, and hotels where I stayed for one night - and I took pictures for a month in advance :)

But before: Krasnaya Polyana is mainly the name of a large village in the mountains and, at the same time, of the entire Sochi alpine skiing. This includes 3 ski resorts:

1) the most developed and popularized Rosa Khutor - most of the trails, expensive hotels, expensive food.

2) Krasnaya Polyana - but it is NOT in the village, just the mountain ski of the same name.

3) Gazprom.

How did we get to Krasnaya Polyana?

This is me - checking out the possibilities of participating in the March bugelwugel. But no. I'm not ready to go down in a bikini. Either the level of hardening is not the same, or spring is not as close as it seems😅
We, as often happens with us, got to Polyana by roundabout ways. First, by plane - from Moscow to Stavropol. Then 10 hours of the night drive by car, and we were at the goal - in Sochi. Krasnaya Polyana is waiting for us in a couple of days, but for now we are walking along the embankment, yachting and enjoying the sun and + 12 ° С after the Moscow winter.

But you fly directly - fortunately, now there are flights to Sochi from every major city, and in winter they cost very reasonable: from 4,500 rubles round trip for Moscow, from 7,000 rubles for St. Petersburg. Where are the candy prices? At Aviasales, of course.

Tours to Rosa Khutor

I am a supporter of buying tours if you plan to travel from point A to point B, without looking for adventures to point P. In some directions (Sochi among them) it is really cheaper (in rare cases - the same price), but not so energy-intensive.

This is not the first time we have been resting on Rosa Khutor, but this year, due to circumstances, I bought air tickets and a hotel separately. As a result, 10 times I lost our reservations in the mail, then frantically searched for them, found them, lost again ... It's good when everything is at once, in one letter!

If the trip is supposed to be more walking and tourist than rolling, then it makes sense to save money and watch the tour on aggregators:

• Travelata
• Level.Travel
• Onlinetours

Tours to Krasnaya Polyana from Moscow for 5 days for two start at 20,000 rubles. Yes, this is a hostel with a shared bathroom and no breakfast, and it's far from the cable car (about 6 km), but why not? You can hang out in the Polyana and relatively budget.

✓ Decent options - so for sure together, without neighbors - from 35,000 rubles

✓ The most popular, like 3 * Gorki Gorod Apartments - from 60 thousand

What to do on vacation?

Don't ask me who these optimistic striped dudes are. I dont know. When they began to look predatory in my direction, clearly with the intention of dragging me to their merrymaking, I bravely fled!

Releasing my inner captain Obviously, I want to say: you need to rest on vacation! No nerves, fuss, rush. Take mulled wine - a fixed price of 350-400 rubles in most establishments on the Rose! they conspired there ?! - to stretch out in the sun ... And events will unfold around by themselves (well, not without the help of local workers).

To begin with, we will examine the local ski resorts from all 3 sides (slopes):

• Rosa Khutor - do not want to choose, go to the Rose. Suitable for beginners, old people, children - everyone, and is equally expensive for everyone. You pay for the developed infrastructure (from hotels and coffee shops to instructors and schools) and the number of people: where there is great demand, prices are the same there (the logic of the Russian tourism industry). Well, they also love Rosa for its altitude (2300 meters +), it melts less, and for the length of the routes - more than 100 km compared to about 50 km at Polyana and Gazprom. And all this with plus or minus the same cost of the ski pass.
  Ski pass cost for 1 day: from 3450 rubles.
• Krasnaya Polyana - it is "black and white", that is, either for beginners or for professionals, especially for freeriders. Of course, there are different tracks for different categories of skiers :)
  Ski pass cost for 1 day: from 3750 rubles.
• Gazprom - consists of two resorts Laura and Alpika. Previously, they existed separately, but now you can buy a single ski pass and drive along the extreme freeride slopes of the Alpica, and along the gentle Gazprom for "beginners".
  Ski pass cost for 1 day: from 3600 rubles.

In general, before the 2020-2021 season, I had to make a choice where to ski - the three resorts lived autonomously and did not recognize each other. And this year FINALLY they introduced single ski pass to Rose, Polyana and Gazprom! You spread from 3,500 rubles per day or from 20,000 rubles per week (there are subscriptions for 2-3-4-5-6 days) - and cut along the tracks anywhere.

Further - you can participate in ski parties:

For those who do not have enough skis and snowboards, there is also this:

The villages of Estosadok and Krasnaya Polyana

And-and-and-and the most "year-round" ski resort of Krasnaya Polyana - Krasnaya Polyana :) Local routes "Circus" and "Circus-2" because of some climatic peculiarity there are often snow-covered in June. So, theoretically, skiing in Russia is quite real not only in December, January, February, March-April-May, but also in summer.

What's interesting in the villages? Estosadok is one main street with shops and restaurants. The building, of course, is beautiful, but I took a picture once or twice, sat in a cafe - and that's it, I got bored.

➢ Trampoline center Art of Flight - located at the lower station of the Alpika-Service cable car, in Estosadok. Cost: 400 rubles per hour.

➢ Mountain Beach Water Park - Estosadok boasts a piece of summer with a sandy beach amid snowy winters. Ticket prices: adults (above 1.40 m) - 1500 rubles; children - 1000 rubles.

Krasnaya Polyana is more spacious, here at least you can walk along ten streets. And you will also be able to walk around in food - a little cheaper and there is more choice:

• Baking Apples - rustic cuisine with pancakes, dumplings and duck in oranges with a non-village average bill of 1000-1500 rubles per person. The check clearly includes an Instagram view of the mountains and an outdoor terrace, but let's think it's free. There is also a bakery with bread fresh from the oven.
• Bake'n'Brew - specialty coffee shop without a surf at the entrance (who knows, he will understand :)). And there is also an outlet for vegans - here is tofu scramble, tofu syrniki and vegan honey cake. Coffee and dessert will cost 400-500 rubles.
• Rolls - a network of good bakeries, with coffee and - even !!! - vegan croissants for 75 rubles (the rest of the assortment is familiar, don't worry).
• And a bonus: indoor 25-meter pool with mountain views - at the hotel Belarus. Entrance for visitors "from the street" 450-600 rubles for 1 hour of sailing.

Entertainment on Rosa Khutor

What can I say: I didn't ride buns. For me, a black track is better than a kind of extreme!

What to do if skiing and snowboarding are not yours? Well, or are you a skier on a day off from skiing 🙂

The main entertainment of Rosa Khutor:

➢ Cable cars. Chairs and booths, under the clouds and below. Taking into account the constant photosets (because: look how cool! Take a picture of me soon!) Here and in a day you will not have time to inspect everything.

Prices for the Rosa Khutor ski pass in 2021 (walking tickets): Rosa Dolina (very bottom) - Rosa Peak (almost the very top, an observation deck at an altitude of 2320 m, further only on foot) 1450 rubles for adults, 900 rubles - children 7- 14 years old.

➢ Penguinia skating rink - if you prefer flat ice to snowy slopes.

Cost: 360 rubles daytime skiing (from 11.00 to 14.30), 450 rubles - evening skiing (from 15.00 to 22.00), children: 180 rubles and 225 rubles, respectively. Skiing time is 2 hours, rental of equipment is included in the price.

➢ Sled - or, as they say in the price lists of the resort, toboggan. 45 minutes of skiing with the rental of all the necessary equipment and the use of the cable car - 1300 rubles. Every next 20 minutes +200 rubles. Everyone pays, including children from 10 years old.

➢ Cheesecakes - they are tubing. 500 rubles 3 runs. Children below 1 meter are not allowed to ride. Adults over 80kg too (yiwu!).

Mountain panoramas, walking areas, clean air - free 🙂

Adler, Sochi

Guys, yachting is van love! Dolphins dived under our boat !!!

We always plan our rest on Krasnaya Polyana in winter so that we can walk in Sochi and Adler for a day or two. And we advise everyone. It is worth visiting a resort city in the off-season at least to understand how good it is without tourists.

Many people like to come to Sochi for the New Year, but my favorite time is March: the gurney is still in full swing, and below + 15 ° C (and even more), the sun. You can walk in sneakers and a sweatshirt. Charges great! Especially when you live somewhere where it is still April and half of May before the real spring (in Moscow, that is).

What to do in Sochi in winter?

➢ Olympic Park - in summer, walking along a huge, asphalted area is some kind of test for those strong in spirit and in body! Heats up, probably up to +50. It is cooler at night, but dark. So winter is the time to enjoy the legacy of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

➢ Sochi Park - well, everything is clear here, Russian Disneyland is good at any time of the year. Moreover, it is cheaper in winter. The park awaits visitors every day from 11.00 to 18.00. Monday, Tuesday - days off, until May.

Price: 1500 rubles for adults, 1300 rubles for children.

➢ Outdoor pools (heated!) - swim in the winter outside. There are many options, at prices ranging from 200 rubles to 5000 rubles per day. I liked the Arctic (1000 rubles) and Sputnik (300-400 rubles).

Prices at Krasnaya Polyana in winter 2021

So how much?

Important! When resting on Rosa Khutor, I highly recommend getting a My Rose card. This can be done in the information center on Rosa Plateau (in the same building as the Berloga restaurant). It allows you to accumulate points for purchases at the resort, which can be used to pay for up to 30% of your next purchases. Points do not expire for a year and a half, i.e. they can be used next season as well. You will need a passport and 5 minutes of time. The cards are personalized, they will take a photo on the spot.

Hotels on Krasnaya Polyana

Most hotels in Krasnaya Polyana - which are directly hotels, and not guest houses or apartments - located in the village of Krasnaya Polyana. This is understandable, this is the largest settlement. In Estosadka and on Rosa (see the map above, marked with a blue icon) there are about a dozen hotels and several in the mountains - that's the whole hotel base. See, select and book a room on the search engines:

• Booking
• RoomGuru - aggregates both Booking and a dozen more hotel search engines, it can be more profitable

Temporary, but very good offer: want to save 20% on Krasnaya Polyana hotels? As you probably know, Rosturizm has resumed tourist cashback for trips across Russia (here you can read more and familiarize yourself with the terms and conditions). You buy a tour or just a hotel - and you get rubles back. However, Booking and Rumguru do not participate in the promotion, so a separate hotel must be booked on the Onlinetours aggregator (yes, this is a tour search engine, but check the "only hotel" box and it will turn into a hotel search engine).

Prices for hotels in Krasnaya Polyana in the season start with terrible numbers: from 5000 rubles / night for 3 stars - and this is located in the village of the same name or Estosadka. At Rosa Khutor, the amounts become even more significant: from 8500 rubles / night and also in a three-star. A hotel in the mountains costs at least 6,000 rubles / night.

By the way, about the hotels created for photos on Instagram (mainly because there are open heated pools against the backdrop of snowy mountains):

• 4 * Hills Polyana Hotel
• 4 * Valley 960
• 5 * Grand Hotel Polyana - you can enter here "from the outside" for 600 rubles

We paid 29 250 rubles for accommodation in Riders Lodge (5 nights, double room, breakfast included). The hotel was built for the Olympics, now it is a little podushatan, but:

✓ The cheapest option on Rosa Plateau

✓ Convenient location - the track goes directly to the hotel, you can slide down to the front door

✓ Downstairs there is an excellent coffee shop Surf Coffee - drink a latte, unusual tea or smoothies - it's the most after the ride!

✓ In the evening, the movement - people play consoles, board games, communicate

However, all the hotels on Rosa and in Gorki Gorod are new, not yet killed, so you can choose any one. Check the location on the map and book within budget.

Last seasons we also stayed at Rose, in the Ski Inn apartments. One of the cable cars leaves the front door - just a fairy tale. Below is a great equipment dryer. At a cost this season for two came out 47,000 rubles for 5 days. It seemed a little expensive.

Private sector in the villages (Esto-Sadok and Krasnaya Polyana) in winter it gives some advantage to tourists who come with "non-rolling" purposes:

✓ Public catering with humane prices

✓ The cost of housing is several times lower than near the slopes

✓ Infrastructure of guesthouses is usually adapted for barbecue / bath and other pleasures of outdoor recreation

You can book on Sutochno.ru. Apartments for 5 nights for two cost from 15,000 rubles.

But: if you drive on a gurney every day, remote living is annoying and it turns out not much more economical. In addition, you will have to pay for travel from the hotel to the ski lifts:

• inexpensively by bus (# 163 - 22 rubles, # 105 and # 135 around 35-60 rubles depending on the distance, # 105e and # 135e - ATTENTION !!! - 250 rubles and 180 rubles, respectively), but walk in boots (especially ski!) to the stop ... phew!
• taxi in the region of 500 rubles

And if you change your shoes on the spot, you need to rent a storage room (from 200 rubles). Or driving all day with boots in a backpack is still a pleasure! What about time costs? No-vo-half-no-we !!! For these reasons, we immediately choose the height, and since we love the Rosa Khutor slope, we settle on Rosa Plato. Although when I was a student I lived almost in Sochi, so that it would be cheaper 🙁

Our guest) is preparing to be at the center of events at the rose fest)

One of the bonuses of a holiday in the off-season is affordable prices for accommodation. in Sochi and Adler... For example, 5 * Hyatt Regency Sochi - from 7,800 rubles per night, 4 * Bridge Resort (next to which the Olympic Village is located) - from 4,000 rubles. Exactly half of the summer price! We chose the convenient from the point of view of logistics (1 minute to the train station in Sochi) Park Inn - 3800 for two. All options include breakfast.

Transport - how to get there?

Back shots are especially good for me! But how can you turn your head when there is such beauty in front of your eyes!

The most advantageous geographical location for trips to Sochi (as well as to many other domestic and foreign cities) is near Moscow. A round-trip flight will cost 5000-6000 rubles per person. Many companies in the winter season offer free transportation of ski equipment (S7, Red Wings, Aeroflot - 100%, personally flew. The rest should be checked, although I suspect that they are not lagging behind their competitors).

If the trip is short-lived, and you are without children / dogs / three evening dresses, you can safely buy tickets without luggage. In addition to a board and boots, for example, fit into one snowboard cover: jumpsuit, thermal underwear, fleece, gloves, a couple of sweaters, T-shirts and sneakers. The rest of the small items easily fit into your carry-on baggage. Alas, one liter cans of shampoos will have to be left at home!

You can get to Polyana by car or train:

➢ Martin from Sochi to Rosa Khutor costs 355 rubles (maximum fare: from final to final). There is a free shuttle from the railway station to the Rosa lift.

➢ Buses # 105, # 105e (from Sochi, the price is around 250 rubles), # 135 and # 135e (from Adler, 180 rubles) are slightly cheaper, but they travel longer, there may be traffic jams. If you do not sit on the terminal, sometimes you have to stand. I prefer rail travel if possible.

BUT! The swallow, whose schedule can be found in the table below, runs only 6 times a day. When bass is the only option, 105e and 135e are more comfortable - they do not call into settlements, there are fewer stops, faster and less crowded.

From Sochi (Adler) airport, you can leave by train 1 time a day, it departs at 10:59. For those who arrive after 11:00 in the morning, the best way to get there is by shuttle (many hotels, tours offer to buy in the complex). Well, or buses ↑. Yandex taxi is about 1500-2000 rubles.

Our personal experience - holidays with children

The most mimimi skiers go to conquer their first slope)

Frankly speaking, our devotion to Rosa Khutor is largely due to the fact that we travel with children (one of our own and 2-3 relatives / friends with whom we are planning a joint vacation). No matter what enthusiastic reviews of tourists about foreign resorts I have not met, and no matter how the Krasnaya Polyana ski resort has broken prices, at home I am calmer with my baby.

Well, the setting contributes to:

✓ A large number of children's activities (ski school from 3 years old, children's rooms, sledges, slides)

✓ Infrastructure (playgrounds, pharmacies, medical centers, play areas in restaurants)

✓ Meals - the children's menu was in ALL restaurants from those where we were