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Feedback on Masha and her babushka friends. Note that Maria and Masha refer to the same person. Entries are in a counter-chronological order. I've made addresses dered unrecognizable to spamming robots by replacing @ with [at] etc. but you may contact most of those who left their feedback here or on any of my other feedback pages. These pieces of feedback are from my e-mail or from my Notice Board. I will enjoy hearing about this or other offers presented at my sites.  - Pasha

MORE STUFF COMING UP

From my mailbox:

Cosy, friendly, clean and well-heated.
 
Well located - a mere 10-15 minute mini-bus ride from just-across-the-street to smack-center town
where all the excitement awaits.
 
No point in mincing words - go stay with Tamara and Masha
 (and ask for the porridge with berries for breakfast).
 
Dror Segev,
Stayed 12-15 December 2007

 

From my Board

Re(1): Feedback On Masha And Tamara's Homestay
Posted on December 22, 2007 at 03:09:25 AM by Don

STRONG WARNING: SAVE YOUR MONEY AND STAY AWAY FROM MASHA'S HOME STAY!

Masha quotes one price and then doubles the fees after arrival. Her grandmother lives in the flat and she yells at the guests. When we stayed at the apartment Masha collected 7000 rubles and made us leave after two nights. Her reason? We told her that we would not stay the entire scheduled time due to very uncomfortable living conditions.

This homestay is highly unprofessional and their behavior is criminal.

Replies:
 

PLEASE DO NOT NECESSARILY
TAKE THE ABOVE AT ITS FACE VALUE.
MASHA'S REPLY COMING UP.

January 20, 2008  Masha's reply posted on my Board

What "really" happened (about Don feedback)
Posted on December 26, 2007 at 12:24:10 PM by Masha

I am grateful for any feedback, positive or otherwise. I am very grateful for Pasha for his help in creation and support of my page and in a writing of this answer.
This complaint,
however, says more about the writer than me or my mother (mistakenly called
grandmother) Tamara. I would disregard this complaint was it not made in
open air. Here is what «really» happened:

The rate quoted (45 Euro per night with breakfast for both rooms) was based
on the assumption that two guests would stay for 20 nights.

The regular nightly rate is 25-35 Euros per room, so the guests were given a
substantial discount.

Shortly after arrival these clients had informed me that they found another
apartment and will only need my rooms for three nights instead of originally
planned 20.

Thus I applied the regular nightly rate: 2 rooms x 3 nights x 25 Euro/night
= 150 Euro

So, what's the issue? I haven't even requested any compensation for
business lost because of their reservation for 20 days. I've applied the
lower range of my nightly rate.

Masha

PS.

Please, when complaining, especially publicly, reveal ALL the relevant
facts. Otherwise your story amounts to a false accusation.

Let me take this opportunity to remind guests that last-minute cancellations
do hurt hosts financially, and absurd stories of this sort, with abusive
telephone calls and such, do no contribute to good relations between
travelers and local hosts.

Check thoroughly that what you are taking meets your needs. If in doubt ask.

If things still don't work out, part gracefully.

If there is more than one of you, make up your collective mind. In this case
one person was paying but not complaining, one complaining and not paying,
and one, who wasn't even a client, butted in with abusive language.

Replies:

From my Board

Hello Pasha,

To be constructive, may I suggest:

A picture of the actual room - neither 'French Brothel style' nor spacious, would be fair and representative.

Glam pics of Masha are misleading. Presumably she has to move out when there are any guests. That's usually how homestays operate.

Smoking isn't permitted. But you can go out into the stairway. No big deal. Most Russians don't smoke indoors.

Letting people make themselves at least the odd cup of tea would add value. If Tamara doesn't wish to do this, then don't include a picture of a kitchen. It conjours false promise.

Scrub the picture of the lounge, since you aren't invited to hang around there or watch TV.

The Jacuzzi is great, but warn people that the water is often, in true Russian style, dark brown.

Useful information to include:

Funnily enough, nowhere do you mention that you do get a good breakfast. Take a picture of that instead.

Directions would be useful. It's a huge building and foreigners aren't used to skulking around in courtyards looking for the right door. It's also a long way from any metro and visitors will find the minibus system hard to fathom. Remember, Tamara does not speak English and you may not see Masha at all.

I can accept that, as an agent, you received rather preferential hospitality. Visiting as a 'mystery shopper' is another thing.

As long as places are not misrepresented, there is no reason for dissatisfaction. It's a perfectly adequate place to crash for a couple of days. However, I do think that for a couple, in comparison with an apartment for around 60 dollars, it's overpriced.

As I mentioned before, eating out makes the biggest hole in any budget traveller's pocket - particularly somewhere like St. P. Without even the facility or space to make a sandwich, such a homestay is false economy. As it is, it's a stay with very little home.
 

From my Board

Feedback On Masha And Tamara's Homestay
Posted on November 12, 2007 at 10:13:20 AM by copydude

Dear Pasha.

I think it might help people if you describe places more accurately
and define what people can expect from a homestay.

I did stay at Masha and Tamara's place on Vassilievsky after visiting your site. The picture of the room
looked inviting. And the kitchen appeared good news too.

What actually happened was not expected. The actual room (not shown) is entirely
taken up with a double bed. There is nowhere to sit. It is not possible to cook in the kitchen or even
to make a cup of tea yourself. (A real hardship.)

Given the money you can spend eating out, such a homestay is not a cheap option.

This homestay is 50 dollars for a couple. For another ten dollars, there are
apartments to be had where you can cook, relax, enjoy some privacy. With the money
you save on eating out etc. you have a much cheaper stay and much better
value for money.

The helpful English speaking Masha might be around if you are paying for services. I don't know. In our
experience she was not to be seen. She only turned up to badger for the money up front.
Mother doesn't speak any English at all - not even enough to give directions from
what is a very long way to the centre.

Oh, and the dog pees on the floor, which is not great news in a Russian household
where you always have to remove your shoes.

After this experience, I have never stayed at a homestay since. Compared to an apartment
it really isn't cheap - just inconvenient. Someone like Irina Borisova has low
cost apartments, you should check her out.
 

August 16, 2007

Dear Pavel:
 
My wife (Vita, whom you helped find an apartment in Moscow last year on a short notice) and I just had a wonderful homestay in St. Petersburg. Maria Vasilyeva, whose contact information I found on your site, arranged it for us. I hope you won't mind placing the following feedback on or about http://www.unclepasha.com/homestay_masha.htm.
 
==
In July 2007, my wife and I stayed for a week in one of the two guest rooms -- the one with a view of the Gulf of Finland -- for ˆ40 per night, which included breakfast (I believe that the price becomes ˆ35 without it). Light yet satisfying, it would magically appear moments after our morning activity would become apparent. Total freedom of breakfast hassle sets this B&B far apart from any US one, at least any of those we've lived in. Breakfast was the time for engaging conversations with Tamara Petrovna (NB: we are native Russian speakers) on topics both lofty and mundane. Experiences from the day before were relived, our plans for the day ahead laid out and soundly critiqued, and we could always count on getting good advise on any logistical issue.
 
Not only did we not mind the "Euro" remodeling and original interior design of the high-ceilinged flat, we enjoyed it, but especially the Bathroom in Red with a warm floor and a jacuzzi. (Unfortunately, we indulged ourselves only once because for most of our stay there was no hot water. Taking a shower was still possible by using the ingenious electrical heater Tamara Petrovna has for just such occasions.) There's even a contraption to the left of the toilet that evoked the word "bidet" -- but I can't be sure and there were no French guests to consult.
 
The computer in our room was not connected to the Internet, so we did not use it at all -- not a big problem since there's a cheap Internet center near Vasileostrovskaya Metro station. Other little inconveniences included: not having a closet in the room (we kept some clothes on the provided freestanding hanger), not being able to put perishables in the refrigerator without disturbing the hostess, and having to hand carry our garbage to the yard. The two latter issues are due to the fact that the kitchen is in Tamara Petrovna's room and is off limits to tenants.
 
Busy as she is, Maria was quite responsive. We needed her services most when arranging the stay -- I made initial contact by telephone, then exchanged several emails with her. To hold the room, I transferred one night's cost to her via Western Union. She was there when we arrived and was patiently waiting while we were edging in a friend's car through the dense traffic jam most of the city is at 7 PM on a weekday.
 
Verdict? We shall come back!
 
Gleb & Vita
San Jose, USA
gls [at] sonic [dot] net
==
 
Thank you in advance.
 
Regards,
Gleb

 

June 5, 2006

> I thought I had sent my feedback regarding my interesting home stay with
> Maria (Masha) Vasilyeva and her Mother. It was in the winter a couple of
> years ago. She met me at the Airport, was very attentive to all of my needs,
> and introduced me to a very well educated professional tour guide and a
> driver. Their services were friendly, very economical, and made my trip
> there better than I had imagined. Maria also helped me with last minute
> travel plans to fly to Odessa. I enjoyed visiting with her mother and
> another guest there also. In fact, I want to go back to St. Petersburg
> again. Only this time it won't be sooo dang cold!

Received September 28, 2005

rom: Kevin Duddy [mailto:kduddy   at  naims  dot co dot uk]
Sent: Friday, September 09, 2005 9:23 PM
To: maraia@mail.ru
Cc: Bob Work; Bob Home
Subject: Back in England

Hi Masha

Just a short mail to let you know that Bob and I got back to England OK.
We did not have any trouble at the Estonian-Russian border and did not
need to pay any fines or bribes. After I had explained that we entered
Russia through Belarus, the border guards were satisfied and let us
through.

As promised, I attach some pictures of Bob and myself with your mother
(and Susie, of course). I am the tall one with hair.

Thanks once again for all the help we received from you and your mother.
We were very happy with our stay, and would happily stay again on
Nalitchnaya Ulitsa on any return visit - we might get to meet each other
then!

All the best,

Kevin (& Bob)

--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.10.20/95 - Release Date:
09/09/2005

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, that sort of smile gets on some people's nerves. In this case her the two gentlemen are obviously of her ilk so everyone was happy. Sensitive souls of a certain sort are advised to stay in "Soviet" hotels which I find to be the least oppressive of all the available options. Read a page on types of accommodation somewhere on my www.staritsa.info.

- Pasha

Received July 2005

....
we stayed in the infamous Masha's apartment on Vasilievsky island... as you
put it "overdesigned"... well she wasn't there at all and we were left at
the hands of her mother... who despite the sweet intentions, couldn't
communicate with us in english.... or even a broken version thereof at
all... also as some other people had experienced, despite advertising the
use of the entire apartment, we were confined to our rooms and the lavish
bathroom... complete with underfloor heating... but a trickle of a shower
and no hot water... the large spa bath was not functional either... we
weren't allowed keys... so we had to come and go as masha's mother wanted...
had to pay for use of the washine machine... etc etc... the list
continues...

a bit of an institutional experience for us....

as i said i'll spell it all out later... just thought i'd give you a
preview....

david

"david louis" <gumboot_dave [ at ] hotmail [dot ] com>
 

Hello Paul

I hope you have some space. It is my last hope in Moscow.

About Maria Vasilieva's mom and her place. It is not bad but the
prices need to be updated...Maria told me by e-mail that she asked 25
USD per night, but her mom charged me 35 USD per night when I arrived.
Of course Maria was not there and her mom does not speak english.

It is a place just for sleeping and having breakfast, that's all. For
all those ones who seek for interaction with russians and to make
friends, it is definitely not the right place.

Of course for those ones who want to see Maria, it seems she does not
live there  and her image is maybe used in your website just for
atracting customers, just like the good looking girls which you can
see in the beer or cigarettes advertisements.

Anyway it is not bad place but a little expenssive. Too late I have
found that for less money you can find good places in St Petersburg.

thanks

Boris CC

Received May 7, 2005

October 27, 2005

I've been assured the misunderstanding with prices has been cleared. It is $25/night per person. But do double check before going, and call Maria, who is orchestrating this whole project, in case of any discrepancy.

- Pasha

 

 

November 30, 2004

I would suggest that people avoid staying at Maria's place unless they like feeling isolated and uncomfortable.

I spent 13 nights there - hoping things would improve. In that time I probably saw Maria at most 5 times. The flat is nice & the room is adequate - but that's it - you just get a room & use of the bathroom. No interaction with a Russian family & certainly no opportunity to be shown around.

I was left to fend for myself right from the word go having newly arrived in Russia.

I got extremely fed up with having to avoid the dog shit - and dog wee in the hall every day.

After about a week the mother did say it was OK to use the kettle & kitchen facilities - but the kitchen was not very clean.

The homestay is just a business for them. When she was around, Maria was not interested in holding any kind of conversation and I felt like I was in the way all the time.

I'm sure there are other homestays which are more suitable. Even a hostel would be preferable because you would get more interaction.

Ruth Cawston
ruthcawston1 AT hotmail DOT com
England

 

Maria and others,

Please don't take this one too seriously.

She went to my dacha right after she left you, with similar results.  In addition to a substantial discount (from $25/night rate that includes food and unlimited horse riding, which is already a charity) she wanted to be met and taken back to the city (25 km each way, thus 100km travel distance, part of which over terrain that required tire chains - and she got half of it). One of the reasons for a discount she demanded was that she "cooked twice herself". Also blathered something to the effect that receiving guests, feeding them, and providing them with well-equipped horses to ride just can't possibly cost $25/day.

Write off this complaint as being from one of these perpetually unhappy British characters. When you have a choice think twice about the Brits, 1/3 of which will not be happy no matter how hard you try. I've also noticed that discount-seekers are likely to complain or to generate problems. Give discounts if you can and if you feel that your guests deserve it, and you can do that without hurting your interests but I advise you against giving discount to those who seek it aggressively. The irony is that I often find myself offering better deals to people with money - simply because they are less of a pain in the neck.

Low season now so I am sort of forced to take just about everyone who wants my services, and suffer the consequences. Just got rid of a group of Spanish musicians - also discount seekers - that were so loud that neighbours complained. And they pocketed the mobile phone I kept as a courtesy to my Moscow guests.

I need a real job away from people. Any offers will be gladly considered. House/farm sitting will probably be ideal for me.

- Pasha

 

I just returned from a two week excursion through St.Petersburg and Russia. I stayed in a well located part of the city called Vasiliyevsky island with Maria and her mother. The apartment was well kept and had an easy landmark to use to identify it from anywhere in the city (LenExpo). I would recommend their apartment to anyone over a hotel. Maria was well informative about the city and things to do. I will be more than happy to answer any questions future guest have of the my stay or the apartment through email. My stay was a memorable one due to my stay with her and her mother.
 

David
newyorkartist4 AT
hotmail DOT com

 

homestay St Petersburg
Posted on July 1, 2004 at 10:03:11 AM by roblaird AT bigpond DOT com

Had planned to stay at Maria's homestay for 5 nights, stayed just one. Modern decor apartment, but its a business, not a homestay. You rent a room and use of bathroom. No connection with russian culture - its not what we expected from homestay, we didn't feel welcomed into the house and therefore comfortable. We moved to Nord Hostel in center and would highly recommend there.

Replies:
 

feed back

----- Original Message -----
From: <markkujarvenpaa AT suomi24 DOT fi>
To: "Maria Vassilieva " <maraia AT mail DOT ru>
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 2:06 PM
Subject: Greetings for Finland !


 Hi Maria,

 Thank for YOU and Luba is very good hostess. Keep good care
 of me. So You can said a greetings for me and I am now in home !

 But are You still interested in future to rent your own room
 because there one very good advantage Internet !

 

 Best regards, Markku

[A REAL BAD PIECE OF FEEDBACK FROM AARON & ???  SEEMS TO BE LOST, TO BE ADDED WHEN FOUND, BUT I THINK IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH ACCOMMODATION WITH ONE OF MASHA'S BABUSHKA NEIGHBOURS    - PASHA]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ute Spoehrer" <spoehrer AT hotmail DOT com>
To: <maraia AT mail DOT ru>
Sent: Sunday, June 20, 2004 3:37 PM
Subject: Thank you very much!


> Dear Maria,
>
> I am back to Germany for some days and I had already to work a lot in my
> hospital.
>
> But I don´t want to forget to thank you and your Mum so much for your
> support. I was so happy that there was no need for registration in the end
> because of my short stay in St. Petersburg.
> Your mother was so kind! She recommended me a very good connection to the
> airport by minibus. I reached the airport in time although not much time
was
> left (I arrived there only 15 min. before closing time of the check in).
> The city of St. Petersburg is precious. I appreciated it very much.
>
> Thank you so much for everything! I hope we will meet again one day. I
will
> save your address.
>
>
> With kind regards,
> Ute
>
>
> P.S. Give also my best regards to Tanya please.

----- Original Message -----
From:  demirltd AT yahoo COM com
To: <maraia AT mail DOT ru>
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2004 12:52 AM
Subject: Thanks a lot honey

 
Hi Maria,
Thank you so much for everything ,you are so wonderful!
Warm regards,
Hakan

> Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 12:05:35 +0200
> From: MarÌa JosÈ TamÈs <m.tames.000 AT  recol DOT es>
> Reply-To: MarÌa JosÈ TamÈs <m.tames.000 AT recol DOT es>
> Subject: RV: Safe trip back. Thanks
> To: maraia AT mail DOT ru
>
>
> Dear Maria:
> I am back again with a lot of work after one week of holidays (This is
> usually the problem when one is off of work, nobody does your work).
> First of all I would like to say thank you to you for my nice stay because
> we could not say good bye each other personally. Tell your mother that the
> trip to the airport was perfect and I got there by 16,15 h. so with plenty
> of time. the problem came later because this flight to Francfurt was
delayed
> for almost 1 hour and I could not connect with my flight to Spain. I had
to
> stay overnight in a hotel near the airport and flight on sunday morning.
But
> finally I arrived safely at home for sunday lunch.
> I hope you will have also nice holidays and hoping to seeing you in a
future
> Kind regards to you, Tatiana and "suzie"?
> Maria Jose
 

From: "Mechele Leon" <mleon AT ku DOT edu>
To: <maraia AT mail DOT ru>
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 10:28 PM
Subject: Greetings from Mechele


> Hi Tamara and Masha,
>
> I arrived safely back in the USA.  Thank you for a wonderful homestay!
> Here are two pictures I thought you would enjoy.
>
> Regards,
> Mechele

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