Good night, Babushka!

Odessa's filled with so many hostels, hotels and rental apartments that it's hard to know where to stay and get value for your money. It always surprises us how accommodation prices can be nearly on the same level as in Finland in a country where the average income is something like a tenth of our own. The locals probably stay in entirely different places or pay entirely different prices…

We ended up in Babushka Grand Hostel by accident, after the very enthusiastic but not super helpful tourist office tried to send us to a hotel four or five kilometers from the center. We decided to try once more to call different hostels and see if we could even find a dorm bed in the center. And Babushka just happened to have the perfect room for us: a private double big enough to fit three persons.

The small hostel's located in an old apartment building, in a grand apartment with chandeliers, gold decorations and wooden floors. They have everything a traveller needs: wi-fi, a washing machine, a communal kitchen with a fridge, hot water in the clean bathroom and a balcony for bikes. But most importantly they have friendly staff that's willing to help you out.

But what they don't have is a lot of space. So after one night in the private room we had to move to the dorm, and after one night in the dorm we had to move to their other location, the Babushka Beach house close to the beach but 8 kilometers from the center. So if you're going to Odessa, book ahead, people!