To be perfectly honest, the first time I stayed here I thought it was a weird hotel. By my second visit I found the hidden gem beneath less than obvious marketing. Chef Yuriy is an absolute virtuoso in the kitchen, the hotel is spotless, even for a clean-freak and has a fabulous Spa and gym, catering to local Odessa well-heeled residents. The hotel itself seems to be an afterthought in marketing and amenities, but the bones are that of a luxe boutique hotel. Just needs some professional finishing. The Hotel The good: Spotless. High quality carpets, marble, furnishings that are no doubt handmade. The bad: weird design - the type of expensive handmade furnishings that you’d find in a wealthy granny’s palace - but spotless. The good: Washed and polished to pass any white glove test. The Ambiance The hallways are dark, motion sensored lights will light your way perfectly and disappear into darkness behind you several seconds after you pass. The hallways are virtually devoid of guests and staff. To run into a housekeeper as you turn a corner is actually startling. In the high season of summer, the place seemed to be oddly empty. I couldn’t figure it out. My best guess - an overly adorned palace of marble that didn’t fit any typical hotel formula. It wasn’t attracting any of the typical business, family vacation or beach-party vacationers from what I could see. There are tons of places to stay in Odessa, so if you’re looking for a predictable template experience there are plenty of other places to spend your money. If you want a hidden gem, keep reading. Rooms My room was dark, one dimly lit lamp with low lumen bulb and one small-ish window. Because this place is close to where I needed to go for work, I stayed a second time. The breakfast buffet was fabulous on my first visit and worth the dim light and dank, old towels. The building well designed and super quiet. Double paned windows, no sound from the surrounding high-rise construction and perfectly quiet inside. Great shower pressure and for a slight upgrade you get well-lit rooms - another weird management oversight. To my delight, I could upgrade my room to one with real lighting for only $7 per day. Great. I took it - despite my travel administrator having an aneurism about the extra $7/day cost. I paid out of pocket to not feel like I was in a dark marble prison while working in my room at night. I know this sounds ominous but it has a positive ending. Chef Yuriy So, first morning I rush down for the great breakfast buffet only to find the set menu breakfast choice displayed as photos on iPads: breakfast French, breakfast Italian or breakfast English. That’s it. Look at the picture. Choose one. Umm French. Perfect omelet. Perfect omelet. Fluffy, not one single brown spot, eased over into a gentle fold, gruyere cheese perfectly melted and chewy. Omelet-o-gasm. Wonderful croissant, mini fois gras tureen, cheese, berry preserves, tiny Greek salad spears. Buttery, flakey croissant. I wanted 12! I ate one every day for 3 days until I accidentally was served the Italian breakfast when 4 other guests showed up for breakfast and the kitchen got 4x busier than the same time the prior 3 mornings. Ok enough about the amazing breakfast, both buffet in summer and set menu in winter. But I can’t say enough about Chef Yuriy’s food. Dinner Amazing Goose leg blanketed in quinoa and black pepper with a sweet chili chutney. Crazy good. Roasted chicken - crazy good. Greek salad - crazy good. And great value for the money. Bring your own wine though. Where the staff of this hotel is amazing the administration is not, quite frankly. They drop the ball at marketing, new towels, simple room lightening and creating hospitable ambiance that so many travelers have come to expect. The SPA try the Hammam. Try the massages. Try the facials. Try flying yoga classes. Overall Who cares about the dark hallways, and weird ambiance. Bring your friends and have a palace to yourself. That is what the guests in the know do. There seemed to be an influx of guests who come as a group of 6-7 men traveling together who use the place as their “palace away from palace”. As a woman traveling alone I was wary of a big group of marauding men but they were respectful and kept to themselves. I was an interloper to their palace away from home, after all. I will certainly come again, as long as chef Yuriy is cooking and the Hammam is here. Ark Spa Hotel is a Swan if Hotels in the heart of Arkadia.
