· I had a good stay at the Matisov Domik at one end of the Fontanka. Although slated in the guide books, it was just completing a facelift last summer and provided a quite acceptable level of accommodation. The staff were helpful and the food was good. Although not at the fashionable end of town, it is convenient for the Marinsky Theatre and St Nicholas cathedral, and is a comfortable stroll to the centre of the city. I booked through the very helpful Nota Bene Travel . If travelling independently, be warned about the visa department of the Russian consulate in London - not the most helpful, to put it mildly.
Ian Thompson

· I had a wonderful trip to St Petersburg in 1998 and was satisfied with the Hotel Moskva at the far eastern end of the Nevsky Prospect. It's a big old Intourist block, but the room I had was quite clean (although at the time, the hotel was reluctant to book 'unimproved' rooms to non-Russians), safe and big enough for my needs. There was plenty to eat at the daily breakfast buffet, and there was a visa registration office right in the hotel's lobby. The hotel also is more or less attached to a main Metro station, Alexandra Nevskovgo, and there were plenty of buses into the city centre. I booked through FinnSov Travel Services in Helsinki; the best part was that they obtained my visa (including letter of invitation etc) for less than I would have paid for a visa only here in Canada. Visiting Russia is wonderful, and if a traveller prepares sufficiently, he or she will have a great visit.
M B Swiger