... in response to Re: Re: Anyone been to Yalta?..., posted by Frank O on Apr 12, 2003My fiance lives in Simferopol which is about 90 minutes or so from Yalta. I spent a few days in Yalta last September and I spent a few days in Alushta (Also on the Black Sea ) up further from Yalta. The Oreanda is nice but too expensive for the Crimea. In Yalta we stayed at the Hotel Yalta Holiday Resort. This is a very nice high rise hotel on the Beach. If my memory serves me right I think I payed about $80 per night and that included a very nice buffet breakfast. I liked Yalta very much. Yalta is a bit more expensive then other Black Sea resort towns but you're paying for the name and flavor. It's a very romantic place to spend time with your woman. There are great and famous palaces, castles and cathederals to visit around the Yalta area. Coming from So. Calif. I was not too impressed with the Yalta beaches. They are not sandy but rocky/pebbles. It was painful to walk from my chair to the water because of the rocks. The sea floor along the beach is also rocky. I ended up just wearing sandels in the water. There are many artists selling their paintings along the promenade and I bought a beautiful painting for a fraction of what it would have cost me in the States.
I have great contact in Simferopol who takes care of everything for me and is a fantastic guide/driver/interpeter. He and his wife have become good friends. If you need any assistence while in the Crimea I'll be happy to pass on his contact iformation and his web sites. You'll certainly enjoy Yalta and the Crimea. It is a beautiful part of Ukraine.
