There are two things that bug me about this hotel: weird (to put it nicely) cheapish room design and tiny (compared to extremely spacious suite) bathroom. But as long as sleep quality remains excellent and cuisine is good, Shafran will most probably remain my choice #1 in Sumy. LOCATION and GROUNDS: the hotel is slightly off (but pretty near) the city centre. Just perfect for my needs: repeated Sumy visitor, I choose Shafran as a road trip base, not for city exploration. It stands away from busy roads, but right next to H12 to Okhtyrka, Kharkiv, or Poltava. This means, on one hand, low or no noise from traffic, and on the other – easy drive out of town. As a matter of interest, with shabby small huts in front and shipshape mansions behind it, Shafran is like dividing line between two worlds. And so it seems from the inside: the hotel pretends to look posh, but in no way it is. There’s no feeling of extra comfort, and it leaves somewhat mixed feelings. But then the price implies no luxury, too, and is budget-friendly. Absence of elevator must have been deemed as a compensation for absence of a gym. The hotel is a non-smoking area, but sometimes smokers (must be the restaurant visitors) would gather in front of the hotel. ROOM/SUITE: was amazingly spacious. It had a small balcony, not too large to spend time on it and overlooking private houses, but good to get some fresh air. The sleeping zone with a large kingsize bed was very inviting. And sleeping quality was the best part of stay, which outweighed minor faults for me. The bed was perfect: large and firm enough, with comfy pillows. Linen was of high quality, not irritating. While the rest of the room looked a bit tired; not sure if this impression was caused by wrinkled curtains, or the wall-paper, or thick flooring roll... The suite was well-stocked, with a safe-box, a mini-bar and a kettle as well as some tea, coffee and complimentary water, replenished daily. I would have eagerly agreed the room was smaller for the bathroom to have extra space! The latter was tiny, with no place at all for the cosmetics I needed daily (and that is not much, believe me!). Taking a shower in the bath was also not the most enjoyable experience, especially with a curtain as a cover. The toiletries on offer were non-exciting. Slippers and bathrobe were available EATING: Room service was poor. On my first stay they weren’t too efficient in getting the order, called back few times to say this or that position was missing and eventually brought the wrong dessert. So next time we opted for a restaurant. The restaurant food is heavy, oily and not too healthy (quite typical for this type of cuisine), but good. Rabbit stewed in sour cream is my favourite here, as well as fried potato with mushrooms (so very unhealthy, but just irresistible at times). SERVICE: is mixed. On my first stay, a housekeeper failed to take dirty plates away for two days; must have thought I was going to finish the dessert I didn’t order. No big issues next time. The restaurant service was leisurely and somewhat relaxed, but highly trained. Receptionists were always top notch: welcoming and insightful. PARKING: is not too convenient. It’s nowhere near the entrance, but at the shorter end of the long hotel building. On my first stay, this made me drive along to find the entrance then track back and carry luggage from the parking. The lot is large, but during a banquet all convenient (nearest) space was full; that happened only once though.
