Holidays in Russian resorts have recently become more and more popular. Especially when it comes to leave with a child. Among the local towns one of the most notable is Sochi.
The city by the Black Sea received a "rebirth" after the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Many unique objects were built for them, now the infrastructure of Sochi can be compared with the resort cities of Europe and even surpass them.
If you decide that your long-awaited vacation should take place in this particular place, you should learn more about the peculiarities of rest in Sochi with children.
Pros and cons
The essential advantages of the Russian resort are that you can go to it even with a small child. The climate in Sochi is quite mild, and is easily perceived by residents of most regions of Russia. It is not difficult to get to the place of your vacation, the flight will be short-lived, and if you want to travel by rail, then getting a ticket will not be a problem either: railways connect Sochi with almost all corners of our big country. You can also go to this city by car if you are fans of car travel.
The undoubted advantage of Sochi is that the most favorable conditions have been created here for family recreation. In addition to the sea, beaches and sun, the city has enough entertainment that will be of interest to children of any age and adults.
Among the disadvantages, vacationers often note the pollution of beaches, especially at the height of the tourist season (in July-August). On some beaches at this time, there is an active algal bloom, and therefore the water smells unpleasant and can be dangerous to children if they swallow it. By the way, in Sochi it is quite difficult to find a beach that is ideal for a child, since there is a problem with sandy ones here. Most of the bathing areas are rocky, with large and small pebbles.
The Olympics undoubtedly decorated Sochi, raised its prestige and popularity, but any medal, even the Olympic one, has a second side... The transformed city by the Black Sea, alas, cannot boast of low prices for housing, food, services, vouchers to sanatoriums and low cost of entertainment. Sochi is now one of the most expensive cities in Russia. If it matters a lot when planning your vacation, make a good count. It is worthwhile to foresee all the necessary expenses in advance and understand what exactly you can save on.
Best season
The climate in Sochi is subtropical, in summer the air temperature is kept at the level of +26 - +28 ° C, in winter - within 0 ° C. There is a lot of snow in the mountains, and therefore in winter with children you can go to one of the ski resorts. It is better to plan summer vacations with children in June - early July or in late August - early September. During these periods, the sea does not bloom, the water temperature is about 20 degrees, the weather is pleasing, and the beaches are still (and already) not crowded with people. The smaller your child is, the further away from the tourist boom he should be kept.
The best sandy beaches
As we have already found out, the situation with sandy beaches in Sochi itself is not the best. Of all the city's bathing spots, it is worth paying attention to the Little Mermaid Beach, which is located in the Central District. The pebbles on it are small; for adults, walking on it barefoot almost does not cause unpleasant sensations. For a child, you can buy special beach slippers with a thick rubber sole and open heels and toes, in which you can walk and swim.
In the resort town, where the most prestigious hotels in Sochi are collected, the beach is very clean, pebble, but not free. But the swimming place called "Swallow" is a public beach, for the entrance to which you will not have to pay. It is located in the Mamayka microdistrict. Another free city beach "Chaika" is located in Adler on the main embankment.
Almost every resort or holiday home or hotel on the coast has its own beaches. Sometimes everyone is allowed to visit them (for a symbolic fee), less often - the beaches are closed from visiting for those who do not live in this sanatorium.
In dry statistics, beach Sochi looks like this: 146 kilometers along the sea, 131 is a beach, of which 30 are municipal municipal beaches and 101 are private.
Most of the beaches have a gentle, gradual descent into the water, which is convenient for children's recreation, there are no sharp drops in depth. Descent into the water is almost everywhere equipped for wheelchairs, there are wooden decks. Every beach, even a free one, has a first-aid post, lifeguards, cafes and small restaurants where you can have lunch or dinner. You can rent a sunbed and an umbrella, and then figure out for half an hour how to stick this very umbrella into the pebbles. There is no sand, the equipment is difficult to install.
If your main requirement is a sandy beach, then you should reconsider your plans and go with your child to Anapa. There are the best sandy bathing places, shallow depth and very warm water.
Hotels, pensions and sanatoriums
For families with a child or several children, the most ideal option is a hotel or boarding house, where "all inclusive". You will not need to think about where and what to feed your child and which beach to go to.
"Pearl" (Grand Hotel)
The hotel has its own comfortable beach, an outdoor pool on site, tennis courts, a sports complex, several restaurants and cafes. The hotel rooms are different, but they all correspond to world requirements. The starting price for the cheapest room is 3700 rubles per day. It is better to book places in this hotel in advance, because there are very few vacancies during the season.
Rodina (Grand Hotel and SPA)
Hotel "five stars", one of the best on the Black Sea coast. It has its own fitness and spa centers, several restaurants, and a children's playground. The starting cost of rooms in Rodina is quite high - from 15 thousand rubles.
A separate fee for a cot for a child from 3 years old is 3500 rubles per night. But there are good children's animators, nannies, playrooms. There is no children's menu in restaurants, but this issue can be settled upon check-in, often at the request of parents, children are prepared milk porridges and vegetable purees.
"Radisson Lazurnaya"
The four-star hotel is well suited for a joint holiday with children. It has a covered water area where you can relax with a child even in winter, a special children's menu, a kids club, a heated pool, 300 meters from the sea.
Cots for children under 6 years old are provided free of charge. Children from 6 to 12 years old will need to pay about 2 thousand rubles for an extra bed. The cost of a standard room in this hotel is about 10 thousand rubles.
There are many boarding houses in Sochi, the prices for accommodation in which are significantly lower than the cost of a hotel room. On average, accommodation in a boarding house will cost 2000-6000 per day.
Sanatorium "Golden Ear"
On a full board, with meals and transfers for excursions, you can stay here. The sanatorium has its own beach, swimming pool, kids club, the restaurant offers a special children's menu. The cost of rest in the sanatorium this season has grown somewhat: a family of two adults and two children will give about 20 thousand rubles per day, and 339 thousand in two weeks.
Sanatorium "Svetlana"
There are family rooms and a children's play area, the restaurant offers a children's menu, and it's about 5 minutes to walk to the sea. Near the sanatorium - Sochi arboretum, circus, several amusement parks. The room rate has the ability to include three meals a day. A day's stay for a family with two children will cost about 10 thousand rubles.
We rent private housing
Independent rental housing in Sochi is very popular. Whichever way you get to the resort city, at the entrance, at the train station, at the airport, you will surely be surrounded by locals with signs “Rent a room”. This is not the best way to rent an apartment in Sochi. You can become victims of fraudsters, criminals, or move into an apartment you don't want to stay in for a minute.
It is better to look for an apartment, a room in a guest house, a private house long before leaving. You can contact any real estate agency in Sochi, or you can do it yourself, without intermediaries. Analyze all the proposals, look for reviews of those who have already rented an apartment from this or that owner. It is not difficult to do this in our time of the almighty Internet.
Take the choice of housing seriously, your vacation with a child should not overshadow anything.
Be sure to look at the distance from the sea and the beach the house is, because you and your child will have to do this path several times a day, are there any parks, cinemas, shops, pharmacies nearby. In summer, it is important that the house or room has a working air conditioner, refrigerator and a bathroom.
Some rental home owners provide Internet and satellite TV to their customers.
The farther from the sea housing, the cheaper it is. This year, on average, a one-room apartment near the beach will cost 3-8 thousand rubles per day. Housing on the second and third coastlines - starts from 750 rubles per day. Call the owner of the option you like, specify the date of your arrival, ask to send additional photos of the property, ask all your questions, be sure to write down the address. Never send any prepayment!
Some owners of such resort apartments, I know from personal experience, can even meet you at the train station or at the airport. True, not all of them.
It is better if by the time you set off on the road you have several such options, with the addresses and phone numbers of the owners, because not everything is true that is written on the Internet. In fact, the apartment may be "killed", and the photo - made in a special graphic editor. The owner can forget about you and move other people into the apartment. Situations can be different, you should have backup options so as not to run around someone else's city in search of a haven.
Entertainment
The tranquil beach holiday that most adults dream of will get bored pretty quickly... When all the cakes from wet pebbles are molded, all the jellyfish are caught, and they get tired of splashing in the water, the child will require new experiences. In Sochi, there are no problems with organizing children's leisure, there are many places to visit.
You can go to the arboretum with your baby. In the heart of the city, there is a unique botanical garden, which contains incredible plants and trees, flowers and shrubs from almost all over the world. Adults will be able to appreciate the botanical collection, enjoy the lush flowering, and the little ones will simply breathe in the fresh air, they will be in silence, little children really need just such a relaxing and measured rest.
A child of a conscious age will be interested in taking a walk in the Olympic Park, visiting the Museum of Olympic Glory, and in the evening, when it gets dark, visiting the Singing Fountains. You can go to one of the amusement parks.
There is the Riviera park in the center of Sochi. You can enter the territory without tickets, freely, but you will have to ride the attractions for a fee. The park has a dolphinarium and an oceanarium. Show programs in the dolphinarium are held daily.
Curious teenagers will love the Glade of Friendship, where the most famous people have planted trees since the middle of the 20th century. This was done by cosmonauts, artists, politicians, outstanding athletes.
More modern park - Sochi Park. It was built relatively recently, and it strikes the imagination with a variety of attractions in the style of Russian folk tales. The child will like Gorynych and Baba Yaga, he can easily recognize the images of Ivan Tsarevich, epic heroes, Vasilisa the Wise, the Firebird. The park also has a dolphinarium. A ticket to Sochi Park is bought once, it is a single one, which gives the right to enter and ride any attraction, is valid all day.
We also suggest you watch a video about Sochi Park.
Another park that cannot be ignored is the Sochi National Park... You can go to it with a baby for a short time, and with a teenager for the whole day. Your child will have the opportunity to truly explore the world by visiting caves and gorges, waterfalls and dolmens. If you're lucky, you can see a leopard, because this is a beautiful animal and many other rare animals live in the Sochi National Park. The tour guides will help you not to get lost.
SKY PARK, an adventure park at altitude, located in the Akhshtyr gorge, will be remembered for a long time by older children, adolescents, and even the parents themselves. Here you can walk along the longest pedestrian suspension bridge on the planet, from which views of the mountains and the sea will take your breath away even for the most fearless brave men!
With children of any age, except, perhaps, babies, you can go to aquapark. To be fair, it should be noted that there are several of them in Sochi. You can choose any - cheaper and more expensive, with a small number of slides and impressive in scope.
The most popular "family" water park is "AquaLoo". There are more than a dozen slides, the same number of pools of different sizes, several waterfalls. Children also like the Mayak and Nautilus water parks.
If you want to go on an excursion, select the direction of interest in advance. Tourists are driven and driven around Sochi, excursions are on foot and by car. Separately, you can admire the evening landscapes. You can see the amusing monuments of the city, visit Krasnaya Polyana, Eagle Rocks, Agursky Waterfalls, and the monkey nursery.
Important nuances
Planned vacation period. If you are taking a child to the sea, remember that the average acclimatization period for him is about a week. A baby up to a year old can get used to new conditions for 20 days. Your child will enjoy and benefit from sea water and sunbathing only after the complex biological process of acclimatization in the body is completed. So, with a child over three years old, you need to go to Sochi for at least 14 days, and with a baby - for 25-30.
To acclimatize faster, try to keep the child's usual sleep and wake, walks and meals at the resort. It is not worth introducing new products, fruits and juices into his diet after arrival.
Many local delicacies are sold on the beaches of Sochi, but you should not be tempted. Do not take or let the child eat what is offered, since no one controls these merchants, the quality of the products is not checked, and the goods quickly deteriorate in the hot southern sun. You risk poisoning your whole family.
Despite the fact that there are many local pharmacies in Sochi, do not be too lazy to collect a travel first aid kit with the most necessary funds for yourself and your child in advance. Be sure to include antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antiemetic and antidiarrheal agents in it. Do not forget brilliant green, iodine, a thermometer, drops with an antibiotic in the eyes and ears (in case a bacterial infection develops), antiviral agent, antihistamines (for allergies), a laxative, a relieving agent, an elastic bandage and a regular bandage.
Reviews
Reviews about the rest in Sochi, of which there are a great many on the Internet, are quite different. Someone was delighted, someone left with a feeling of complete disappointment. The developed infrastructure, a large selection of guest houses, hotels, boarding houses and sanatoriums of the resort town are usually noted as advantages. Most families cite high prices for vacations, accommodation and entertainment as their main drawback.
Young mothers note a strange detail - at the height of summer in Sochi, fruits on the market are more expensive than on the market in Siberia. It would seem that the south, the sun, peaches ... No, there are special pricing laws, it's useless to argue with them. Fruit is best bought in chain stores. They are cheaper there.
Many moms and dads also speak negatively about the state of city beaches. At the height of the season, it is very dirty there, the utilities are in no hurry to clean up the remnants of food, bottles, plastic dishes and everything that is left of vacationers. As a result, it is quite difficult to find a place where you can stay with your child without fear that the baby will cut the legs or arms on broken glass.
Experienced parents advise to go on excursions on their own, not to use the services of travel agents, especially those who invite clients right on the street. From the fact that you overpay the intermediary, you will not spend less time at the checkout in front of the aquarium or in the dolphinarium. You still have to stand in line.
For a successful holiday in Sochi with children, the correct attitude of the whole family is important. One should not expect from a Russian resort, even such a large one as Sochi, foreign benefits of civilization. In terms of everyday life, the popular recreation areas of the Krasnodar Territory are still losing in many respects. There will be no disappointment if there are no overestimated expectations.
For a video review of a vacation in Sochi with children, see below.
