We arrived in Sochi with a bitter taste in our mouth. We had a terrible experience with our flights, and our first game at Fisht Stadium – but I’ll cover that in my FIFA World Cup post. What I will say is that the stadium isn’t in Sochi, it’s in Adler. If you want to be close to the stadium, stay in Adler. Otherwise it’s a 50 min drive from Sochi. Take the bus because the taxi’s try and rip you off.

The day after our late arrival and even later game we had the biggest sleep in. Our hotel, the Marins Park Hotel, was glorious – quiet, comfortable, spacious and perfectly located right by the Black Sea. After all our World Cup partying we were buggered. We even missed our free breakfast! Yes, that’s right… breakfast is included. Win!

Once we woke up we had a little walk around, grabbed some delicious lunch, soaked up some heat and vitamin D walking along the promenade. We kept it pretty quiet that afternoon. Dinner was at the only German restaurant on the promenade called Старгород. Head there if you want some really tasty food, and it’s a great place to watch the sunset if you get a spot on the top floor. The prices are reasonable, and you can get a hookah if that’s your thing!

Our only full free day we spent on a sun lounge, getting our tan on and taking our first swim in the Black Sea. We had big plans of hiking and what not, but I’m glad we took advantage of some downtime. We scored a spot at Del Mar for 1000 rubles each for a lounge chair for the day. They do an awesome greek salad too.

We went back to  Старгород for dinner with some new Aussie friends and drank too much beer, too much vodka and ate too much meat. Not a good idea the day before the big game. Also, surprisingly, the vodka was pretty ordinary.

The last day in Sochi we spent cruising around the seaside town, checking out the gardens and views. Sochi is so clean and well kept, it’s so nice to walk around and take it in.

We watched the Socceroos vs Peru game that night, had an early flight out the next morning (5am flight yuck), so we just continued to take it cruisey. (I don’t want to talk about the Socceroos game. Lol.) The perfect break before a whirlwind trip to Moscow.

I totally understand why this is the getaway of choice for Russians. It’s a lovely spot. Pretty much everyone on my Instagram was surprised that this was Russia. Russia is HUGE you guys! They have all 4 seasons and the weather to match. If you want snow, go in Winter. If you want a tan, hit it up in Summer! This seaside town is everything you want in a Summer getaway. Get booking!