Orbeli Hotel Yerevan

Located between 2 Metro Stations, accessible by walk from both. 24 hours running shops are easily found nearby. Room shape is a bit strange but it is very clean and comfortable, shower is strong enough and central heating system works well, bed is comfy, breakfast quality is superb and quite satisfactory, I liked the peach and apricot juice very much.

This is a small hotel, just seven floors and four rooms on each hotel, but it has a huge amount going for it and is strongly recommended. The best rooms are at the back (rooms 74, 64, 54, etc), for two reasons: one is the imposing view of Mt Ararat way to the south over the Turkish border and the other is that they are the quietest. The rooms have fridge, microwave, sink, and plates and cutlery, so you can eat in if you want: we stayed for ten days and did so several times. Don't bother getting your own breakfast, though: the breakfasts here are superb, with an amazing range to satisfy even picky eaters! The hotel is on the junction of Bagramian Avenue, which is one of the main artery roads, and Orbeli Street, so taxis can find it easily. We enjoyed being out of the hustle and bustle of the downtown area, where many hotels are: a short walk down Bagramian will get you to the Bagramian stop on the Metro and from there it is two stops to Republic Square; or, as we often did, you can walk down Bagramian, which is tree-lined, and get the Metro back. There are several handy supermarkets near the hotel in the direction of the Metro and a large, fancier one down Orbeli; also, if you go up Bagramian beyond the Orbeli junction there are several great food shops on the same side of Bagramian as the hotel. The staff are wonderful and unfailingly kind, friendly and completely trustworthy. The lady who cleaned our room was Iranian with a good command of English and a fascinating person to talk to. Down in the breakfast room, at the front desk and throughout the hotel the staff are exceptional. They arranged a car with driver for us at a very reasonable rate and we took advantage of that to go to Lake Sevan; we made several other trips with the same driver and he eventually drove us up to Dilijian as well. Lastly, let's face it, you're not going to learn the Armenian script for a short stay. But you might learn the Russian script and/or bring a Russian phrase book, as a lot of signage is in Russian as well as Armenian but not Roman (eg the Metro). 'Good morning' in Armenian is easy - 'Barry Lewis' - and the staff really appreciated us saying that. 'Thank you' is more of a challenge - 'shnor-haka-loo-tyoon' - but it is worth make the effort to learn because of the smiles it brings out!