Some kind of French association for some reason arises at the first acquaintance, when you read on the pages of tour operators: the hotel "WaterLoo" in Loo. The address of this hotel complex, however, is purely Russian: Krasnodar Territory, the resort city of Sochi, the resort micro-district Loo, ul. Pogranichnaya, d. 3.
The name of the microdistrict - Loo - is borrowed from the Abazin language of local residents, the rivulet flowing here is also called. Outwardly, it rather resembles not a city microdistrict, but a separate village, stretching along the Black Sea coast. About 10 thousand people live in it. From its continental side, Loo rests on the picturesque foothills of the Caucasus, and its wide strip of beaches indicates a significant resort potential.
Hotel Location
From here, it is 18 kilometers to the center of Sochi, and the villages of Vardane and Dagomys are located in the neighborhood. Loo is built on a fertile place, which has been inhabited by humans since the 8th century AD. Here during the slave trade there was a large slave market, it was rich land. And it was ruled for many centuries by the Abkhaz feudal clan Low, who gave the village its name. The ruins of the Abkhaz-Alan temple serve as evidence of past greatness.
It is no coincidence that a whole block of hotel complexes (including the WaterLoo Hotel) in Loo was erected here. "How to get to it?" - Often asked in a hurry, newcomers. They are in a hurry to get better at this resort, which hosts up to one million people annually. The tourist infrastructure of Loo is not inferior to Sochi.
There are several options. From Sochi airport, where airplanes from all over Russia land, it is advisable to get to Loo by regular bus. As an option, you can first come to the Sochi railway station, and then take the train. In Loo there is a fairly large railway station, located along the route to Adler.
Weather features
The climate of this resort is humid subtropical, favorable for growing persimmons, tangerines, pomegranates, kiwi, medlar, figs. The stuffy, hot summers give way to wet and cold winters. The average annual air temperature in Loo is 14.2 ° . This resort is one of the few in Russia operating year-round.
In April - May, a revival of the local resort business is felt, and prices rise by 20%. The high tourist season in Loo is observed in the summer months, when the cost of hotel tours, as well as food, increases by 50 -80%. And after a lull from the second decade of October to the third of November, the resort opens its ski season.
About hotel
The transfer from the train station, which the WaterLoo Hotel provides to its guests in Loo (Sochi, Russia), is paid and costs 250 rubles per person.
The hotel area is safe and fenced. It is landscaped with lawns, palm trees, topiaries, seated masters of landscape design. Alleys along it are convenient for walking.
The building of the hotel complex is three-story and has an L-shaped shape, in the bend of which is located the pool and the surrounding recreation area. Arriving tourists are immediately accommodated in the rooms they paid.
In the pool area there is a terrace and lawns.
Service and Facilities
Guests recognize cozy "WaterLoo" - a hotel in Loo. Their reviews mark the conscientious work of its staff, the cleanliness of the rooms and the territory, the active and constructive position of the owners.
The service provided by the hotel complex includes the classic services of a three-star level: 24-hour reception, daily housekeeping and towel change, bed linen change twice a week, hotel guests breakfast in the hotel restaurant, transfer, beach equipment rental, car parking.
However, a review of the WaterLoo Hotel in Loo, conducted by guests in their reviews, revealed that in addition to the standard services, additional services are also provided. In particular, the evening bar is regularly organized, themed evenings (adult and children's discos), barbecue, and animation programs are held.
Rooms
The hotel has two types of rooms: standard (economy level) and superior (classic level). Both modifications are quite spacious. Each room has a bathroom with a shower and a balcony with a table and a pair of chairs. The furniture in the rooms (wardrobe, table, beds, chairs, bedside tables) is new and worn out. Removable bedding is also unworn, it is made from pleasant to the touch natural fabrics.
In addition to the refrigerator, telephone and TV present in standard rooms, the AirLoo rooms (hotel, Loo) are additionally equipped with air conditioning and a hairdryer. Photos of client rooms are not considered for economy class, but the economy comfort class of the rooms offered for settlement.
Beach
Hotel WaterLoo in Loo was built a three-minute walk from the municipal beach. According to the appropriate classification, this is a first line hotel. Its beach is pebble. Moreover, pebbles are somewhat large. The hotel employees periodically clean the beach (municipal!) From construction waste (he was here before) and dangerous stones. However, for the lack of significant refinement of the beach through the importation of small pebbles, one cannot blame the owners of the hotel, because this is the competence of the municipalities.
In the meantime, it is more comfortable for beach goers to walk on it not barefoot, but in beach shoes, and for a comfortable tanning it is better to stock up on a rather thick mattress or use a rented sunbed.
Water, according to reviews, in the water area of the beach is extremely clear. It is viewed to great depths. Bulls and other fish, shrimp and crab are visible. Swimming here is a pleasure.
Nutrition
By purchasing a tour to the hotel “WaterLoo” in Loo, the spa can count on three meals a day full board (boarding house). Breakfast from the restaurant of the hotel complex under consideration is relatively light: scrambled eggs, fried eggs, two types of cereals, two types of cheese, sausages, vegetable salads, coffee, tea, milk.
Lunch is more dense. Two or three soups to choose from, several salads, a second dish (meat or fish with a side dish).
Tourists - connoisseurs of real Caucasian barbecue - recommend the cafe "Sail" with a companion barbecue Uncle Vova. Neo cafe on Decembrists Street deserved good recommendations. They cook soundly and at the same time do not overestimate the prices in the dining room "Lada" on Razin Street. Fans of original dishes praise the Madagascar cafe.
Children rest
Hotel WaterLoo in Loo (Sochi) provides additional services for its smallest spa residents.
In the restaurant they take food at a special "children's table." An extra cot is provided in their room. In addition, parents have the opportunity to temporarily take a break from the control of their children, having hired a trained children's animator from the hotel for classes and games with them.
Excursions
Excursions to holidaymakers who have purchased tours to the WaterLoo Hotel in Loo are varied and exciting. The most enthusiastic reviews deserve a visit to the Sochi Aquarium with 29 aquariums on an area of 6000 m 2 . Also in special demand:
- excursion to the dolphinarium;
- visiting waterfalls and temples of New Athos (Abkhazia);
- inspection of the arboretum with relict trees of the Caucasus and the Mediterranean;
- contemplation of the Valley of Legends, which has a second name - "Thirty-three waterfalls"; Akhtyrsh cave; Cool Canyon;
- The program “Evening at the Circassians” with a hearty dinner and contemplation of folk dances is impressive.
Leisure
The resort niche of the hotel in question is a measured rest for families with children and for citizens of advanced age. Loo is a small village, and young holiday-makers who come to hang out and enjoy club life are a little boring here. However, if you go here in a small company and with a positive attitude, then “WaterLoo” is what you need! After all, a good traffic intersection solves the problem of outdoor activities. 15 minutes by train - and they are already in Sochi or in Adler.
Most tourists leave the territory of WaterLoo by evening. The hotel in Loo is a great starting point for walking. A 15-minute walk from the hotel complex is Loo embankment, where dozens of shops and restaurants are sheltered, where you can have fun in the company.
Relaxing on the beach in Loo, you can ride a jet ski, a "banana", feeling the taste of speed and sea spray. Professional instructors will devote those who wish to the secrets of surfing, because the open, devoid of estuaries coast of Loo seems to be created for this sport.
And, of course, one of the most popular places in Loo is its water park with dozens of diverse water slides and attractions.
Where to buy products, souvenirs
The WaterLoo Hotel in Loo itself is built on the outskirts of the village. However, not far from it there is a market, two shopping centers, shops. Both shopping centers are built from the Magnit retail chain. One (which is closer) is located on the street Decembrists. In the same area (Dekabristov St. and Vesennyaya St.) there are both small shops recommended by tourists and a market. The second shopping center "Magnet" was built away from the hotel, on the street. Razin, and it is more convenient for the local population. In the same area is the majority of ATMs.
Local adjika, honey, nuts, tea are in demand. Of Caucasian sweets, it is worth trying churchkhela made from nuts on a special grape syrup. Souvenirs reminiscent of a spa holiday can be purchased at local shops. These are shells and products from them, various ceramic figurines, clay and wooden crafts, magnets.
Nuances of relaxation in Loo
Tourists, as a rule, have no complaints about the hotel most described in the article. He is comfortable, his food is wonderful. However, the infrastructure of the village of Loo should be further developed. Hotel WaterLoo in Loo, like other hotels in the region, could attract more customers after solving the problem of dumping sewage into local rivers by local authorities. For a long time, rivers should be turned into another tourist value of the resort, and it will become even more attractive. This all-Russian resort has the potential to become international.
Also, the WaterLoo Hotel in Loo (Russia), like its neighboring hotels, loses customers due to the rocky and uncomfortable walking surface of the municipal beach. On the part of the hotel, work was done to improve the beach. But this is not enough, we need a long-term municipal project for the gradual replacement of large pebbles and cobbles with a more convenient coating for beach people.
Conclusion
Hotel "WaterLoo" in Loo (Sochi) corresponds to the "three-star" level. Families with children and senior citizens like it. Its number of rooms, a recreation area by the pool, food in a restaurant, room and territory maintenance by staff deserve high marks. The guests of the hotel complex are provided with all the possibilities, including transfer and rental of beach equipment, to improve the local healing climate and familiarize themselves with the national color and classic life of local residents.
Prospects for the development of the hotel "WaterLoo" are associated with further improvement of the beach by the local municipality, overhaul of the drainage systems.