Olga's Homestay - Ulan Ude, Russia

Olga's Homestay is like staying with your grandmother...except you're paying to stay. She is an older woman who only speaks French and Russian, so Emily had to draw on what she remembered from high school to communicate. She loves talking and will entertain you. When we arrived it was late evening, but she still offered to make dinner for us. The cost for a large and amazing dinner was $9/person (she makes her own pepper/onion/tomato preserves and dumplings). Her accommodation is basically her apartment with an extra room. The twin beds were soft and comfortable. The bathroom was very clean and large. Her apartment is extremely nice and large, and has very nice decorations. For breakfast, we were served a hard boiled egg, toast with jam or cheese, a cake pastry, and tea. Everything was lovely, Olga was wonderful (if you can speak French), and it's very close to both the train station (15 min walking) and the center of the city (10 min walking). If you can speak French, you will highly enjoy your stay. If you don't, you will still enjoy the accommodation and she can make a call to someone who will speak English.