Fodor's Expert Review Savoy

Gilded chandeliers, ceiling paintings, and polished paneling invoke the spirit of prerevolutionary Russia, as do the best of the high-ceilinged rooms and spacious marble bathrooms. The Savoy opened in 1913 in connection with celebrations commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, and this spirit is most in evidence in the ornate dining room, where a complimentary breakfast is served: a pianist serenades, a fountain bubbles, and painted cherubs seemingly float among clouds. Rooms on the second floor have towering ceilings—they get progressively lower as you reach higher floors—and beds are king-sized, with orthopedic mattresses but also bland, unluxurious bedspreads. The Savoy's real trump card is its location—ploshchad Teatralnaya and the Kremlin are literally around the corner, and though the views look on a humble side street, this keeps things quiet.