10 Best Hotels in Sochi, Russia

Located in the mountainous heart of the Sochi National Park, this five-star luxury hotel, styled after a traditional U.S. ski lodge, is a top choice if you want to ski at the Krasnaya Polyana Resort. The hotel features attractions such as heated outside pools, spas, tennis courts, cooking classes, and a movie theater. Rooms include suites in the main buildings and 16 individual wood-sided cottages, with amenities like plasma TVs in each room, and Bulgari bath accessories.

This cozy, family-owned hillside hotel is made to look like a nobleman's estate, complete with a crest and a group statue of the Chebotarev family in historic clothing. The rooms are standard but clean and spacious, and all have a large balcony. Amenities include a sauna and a pool with a bar. The hotel restaurant, Alexander ($$$$), serves tasty Russian food such as pelmeni, dumplings kulebyaka, savory pies, and braised lamb.

This new hotel is very close to the Olympic Park. Rooms are modern, spacious, and serene, with balconies and a muted color scheme. The gym, spa, and breakfast are very good. The hotel opened in November of 2012. At press time, some restaurants in the hotel were still not fully operational and the service, while friendly, was somewhat lacking.

This elegant hotel has been Sochi's top property since the 1950s. Called Rossiya, it was once the destination for stressed-out Soviet party elites to relax and unwind. Today it is popular with politicians, oligarchs, and celebrities. Secluded on a hill and away from the noise of the city, it is still close enough to all the central landmarks without construction noise and traffic congestion. The hotel's garden slopes downward toward the property's own private beach. Rooms are individually designed by Suzanne Loggere and Patrick Brugman, the court decorators to Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Framed by palm trees, this four-star hotel is located on the beach in the Adlersky district, close to the Olympic park. Rooms are clean and comfortable, although plain, and beds are a little hard. Amenities include Wi-Fi and a spa. The hotel's restaurant Public ($$$) is cozy and serves decent food; nearby is Fusion ($$), an excellent though pricey coffee house.

This beachfront, four-star boutique hotel is a great option if you are looking for a small and stylish place to stay. Rooms are comfortable and simple, individually designed, and come with a good Wi-Fi connection, a robe, and an ironing board. Amenities include an indoor pool, gym, sauna, hair and nail salon, and 24-hour room service.

Exotic birds and a monkey greet you at this upscale, centrally located hotel. Dozens of Russian celebrities have stayed in this hotel, as evidenced by the lobby hallway, which is covered with their photographs. The hotel's greatest asset is its location, a short walk from the Winter Theater and the Seaport, with several of Sochi's best restaurants right across the street. Rooms are comfortable, although somewhat bland, and range from standard doubles to luxurious suites.

If you are traveling with children, consider staying at this large, kid-friendly resort on the beach. Amenities for younger guests include an aqua park, heated children's pool, playground, daycare center, and special dinner service. Rooms are modern but simple. For adult entertainment, there are variety show performances every night, water sports, a spa, a nightclub, a pool hall, and several bars and restaurants. The resort is located in Lazarevskaya district north of central Sochi, near the Biosphere Reserve. Fisht Mountain, to which Prometheus was chained, according to legend, is nearby.

This ski chalet-inspired property, not to be confused with the budget Park Inn, also a Radisson property, opened in early 2013 at the Rosa Khutor ski resort in Krasnaya Polyana. Contemporary and stylish suites were outfitted by Swedish designer Christian Lundwall. The hotel's restaurant, Black Bar and Grill ($$$$), offers an extensive wine collection, with international cuisine and Russian classics like borscht, or beet soup. A large buffet breakfast is served at the hotel's other restaurant, Seasons.

This enormous19-story concrete Soviet-era building looks, well, Soviet. The hotel is a well-recognized landmark, pictured on countless postcards from Sochi during the Soviet era. The mid-priced hotel offers comfortable rooms and decent service, has an Olympic-sized pool with lanes for swimmers and a private beach.