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Old May 26, 2012 | 2:10 pm
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SanDiego1K
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I really appreciate everyone who posted in this thread, and particularly the comprehensive information by SeamasterLux and Dcislander. I found it very helpful in preparing for my visit. Let me add a few notes to their detailed reports.

Arrival at airport
We arrived on LOT from Warsaw. I expected a remote position and a bus to the terminal, but we were given one of the two positions that have a jetway. We were in biz, so were quickly off the plane and on to immigration. I did not see an immigration counter specifically for biz travelers. It didn't matter as we were first in our line, and quickly thru to baggage claim. There was no priority baggage handling, and we had to wait a bit for our suitcases.

We had booked a car with SoloEast for $40. The driver was waiting for us despite a one hour delayed arrival. It was about a half hour drive to the Hyatt.

Hotel
We had a 3 night stay booked, the first two nights with suite certs from the Hyatt credit card and a third night on points. The check in agent was very gracious and confirmed with her boss that we could stay in the suite all three nights. We were asked twice if we wanted late check out. We didn't, but I appreciated the proactive offer.

We were told that none of the suites overlooked the front square where there is one of the old historic churches. Our suite was at the end of one floor, xx13. When I walked in, I wasn't sure I liked it, but quickly warmed to it. It was a very long narrow rectangle. The hall door opened into the sitting area, with a love seat facing the TV and two side chairs on the long wall. To the right beyond this sitting area was a massive desk that could be used by two people for computers or for food. The closet beyond it housed the mini bar and the nespresso. Wireless was quite good.

The bedroom was to the left, with a solid sliding door separating it from the sitting area. A lot of Hyatts have doors with glass panels separating bedrooms from living rooms, not very sensible. The bedroom had a king bed and abundant closet space. The bathroom was massive, with a separate room for the toilet and bidet (no ToTo), a separate room for the rainforest shower, and the tub and two sinks in the main area of the bathroom. So, just trying to explain this one more way, from right to left, the suite is:

desk area-living area-bedroom-bathroom.

There was a decent fruit bowl, two bottles of water by the Nespresso, a 1 liter bottle of water in the bedroom, a box of 9 chocolates, and a bottle of wine with a bowl of olives and a bowl of almonds. Furniture was fresh and contemporary.

Executive Club
The club is on the 9th floor. It is long and narrow, along the front of the hotel with a view of the square. It only has about 8 tables each seating 2 people. Smoking is allowed on one line of the tables, which virtually makes it a smoking room. Appetizers were served from 5:30 to 7:30pm. It was a decent selection, all cold, with savories and sweets. The chef needs to come to San Diego and learn how to make guacamole. Give it a pass.

There is a stairway from the lounge down to the 8th floor bar. The bar has a great outdoor terrace with big heat lamps and blankets to wrap up in as the night cools down. You cannot take anything from the lounge and must pay for any bar consumption.

Breakfast was served in the main restaurant rather than in the lounge. It was perfectly fine, typical of that served by major international hotels.

Area Restaurant
For right now, skip Vernissage on Andriivski. It is about a 15 minute walk. 10 minutes on, the road was blocked to the restaurant due to the street being rebuilt. The guards who had blockaded the road finally took pity on the tourists. I felt badly for the restaurant staff. It is near impossible to get there by foot and it is certainly impossible to get there by taxi. This will undoubtedly change for the better within a couple months.

Sightseeing
There is a lot to see and do in Kiev as a tourist. We used SoloEast, mentioned above, for our sightseeing. We are generally great independent travelers, but decided to take the easy way this time. I was concerned about not being able to read the Cyrllic alphabet, and also the taxi drivers not using meters. I was glad I made this decision, as I did not see taxi ranks. We paid $50/hour for 4 hours (minimum) for a driver and English speaking guide. We saw a lot and had great explanations. I did see a hop on hop off bus that picked up a half block from the Hyatt but don't regret at all my splurge.

If you want to visit Chernobyl, you need to book 12 working days in advance. The tour company has to submit passport information. I had first contacted a company listed in Lonely Planet and was shocked by its $800+ price (albeit in a private car). SoloEast charged $320 for 2 on a bus. $50 had to be prepaid by paypal, and we had to walk to the starting point. Here's what the New York Times had to say just this weekend about visiting Chernobyl.

Conclusion
We were very pleased with our decision to visit Kiev and to stay at the Hyatt. We got that great Hyatt service that we enjoy, and the city had far more to do and see than our time permitted.

Last edited by SanDiego1K; May 26, 2012 at 2:23 pm Reason: grammar
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