In 1703, Peter The Great (not be confused with Peter The OK, or Peter The Could-Have-Been-Great-But-Hung-Around-With-The-Wrong-Crowd) went to Amsterdam, liked it, and said, “Wrap it up and take it home”. When advised of the packing and shipping charges he said, “Never mind, we’ll build a better one.” Being a man of his word, all-powerful, and apparently pretty smart, he went back to Russia and founded St. Petersburg. He did a good job. Oh, sorry… a Great job.

I have not been around Russia to know for certain, but everyone I have talked to says that “There is Russia, and then there is St. Petersburg.” It is the cultural capital of the country and physically is much closer to all of Europe than to most of Russia. It has been called the Venice of the North, the Window to the West and the Gateway to the East. I am assuming it cannot be called the anything of the South because, well frankly, there is nothing really north of it. The Hammerfest of the South?

I get to go to a lot of interesting places, so here is my opinion about St. Petersburg. I would go back in a second. It’s a beautiful city, filled with art, music, great architecture, and most of all, some of the most interesting faces on the planet. It may be the most European of Russian cities, but it is definitely Russia. It is both a modern and historic port city, bustling with energy yet filled with parks and quiet canals. There are trendy restaurants and boutiques, but the weight of Russian and Soviet history is omnipresent. And history is not finished. It’s a cool place. 

These same contrasts apply for your meetings and incentives. On the one hand, there are terrific five-star hotels with wonderful food and exquisite service, historical palaces for off-site venues that will blow you away, and a million things to see. The Hermitage alone, one of the world’s greatest museums, is worth the whole trip. But… it is still Russia, and so if you bring a group there for whatever reason, you must (and I am not exaggerating), use a reputable Destination Management Company (DMC) to help you through all of the red tape, visas, negotiations, translations, and their customs in general. They do things differently. It’s Russia. I repeat: It’s Russia.

Did someone say reputable DMC?  That is where Russkie-Prostori enters the picture. Ola Kastensson (a Swede) started the company back in 1993 and then changed the corporate structure and chose the current name in 1996. I am not sure whether he was in Russia looking for business opportunities and met his beautiful wife Elena, or if he met her and then had to figure out an excuse to stay. Either way, they have been running and growing the company ever since with offices in St. Petersburg, Moscow, and now Sochi, the future site of the Winter Olympics. They are the best. Ask anyone.

Speaking of the best… The Grand Hotel Europe is not only the best in the city, but probably all of Russia. It’s a five-star plus Orient-Express property in a great location on the Nevsky-Prospekt, St. Petersburg’s main thoroughfare. It has played an important role in the life of the city for over 130 years. Tchaikovsky spent his honeymoon there, and George Bernard Shaw dined with Maxim Gorky. It’s that kind of place. I looked at several other luxury properties and although very nice, they just do not quite compare to the GHE. But… the new Four Seasons is set to open in the next year and from the outside it looks very impressive. It also has a fantastic location on St. Isaacs Square, and looks directly on to the Cathedral. It will assuredly be amazing.

The 5-Star Astoria Hotel, also on St. Isaacs Square, and steeped in the city’s history, is another option, but to my taste did not compare to the Grand Hotel Europe. I don’t mean to say it isn’t a very nice hotel, but The Four Seasons going in across the square probably keeps their GM up at night.

My favorite off-site venue is the Yusupov Palace. This is where monarchists concerned about Grigory Rasputin’s strange power over the Royal Family murdered what is surely one of the weirdest characters in world history. It was more of an attempted murder in that they poisoned him and shot him in the head, but he refused to die. Finally they drilled a hole in the ice of the Nevsky River and dropped him in. The autopsy later revealed that his death was by drowning and he had ice scrapings under his fingernails. What a guy.

There are a lot of great things about the Palace. It is privately owned and so much more flexible than most state-owned venues. Second, it contains a Theatre built as a miniature of the famous Marinsky Theatre. Consequently, guests can have a private showing of ballet, or opera, or whatever, in the Palace, and then head into one of the elegant ballrooms for dinner. If you prefer, private tours of the venue can be arranged during the cocktail hour. One more thing about it… it is right on a canal so your group can get on a boat near their hotel, cruise slowly through the city, and end up right at the Palace.

The Hermitage Museum is located in part of what was the Winter Palace (think of Eisenstein’s baby carriage bouncing down the steps in his 1925 classic, The Battleship Potemkin). It is not particularly easy or inexpensive to bring a group here, but like the Louvre in Paris, you kind of have to see it. If you go during the day as part of a tour, be prepared for crowds. The best way of seeing it is to have the DMC arrange a late showing and your group, although not exclusive to the Museum, will be free of the hordes of tourists that jam in during the day. Let the DMC figure it out.

If your group is in St. Petersburg for more than a few days and you want to see a bit more than just the city itself, take the Hydrofoil for a scenic 30-minute ride to the impressive Peterhoff Palace & Park. Good ol’ Peter The Great built this beautiful 18^th-century Palace as a guest house for foreign visitors, the intent being to show not only how rich Russia was, but how big. Everything is on a Grand Scale, including the Golden Fountains, an over-the-top collection of 176 fountains, and four waterfalls commemorating Peter’s victory over Sweden. The Palace is big, filled with art, gold, jewels, and the message, “Don’t mess with us.”

I suggest you do not bring a group here during the day unless you enjoy being packed in narrow hallways among tourists babbling in every possible language while their guides vainly try to shout louder than the next guide in order to be heard. On top of that, there are no exits. Once you go down that hallway, you have to go all the way down and come all the way back the other side. If you try to cut ahead you will incur the wrath of every tour guide and of the ever-present dour-faced Russian museum guards who will tell you that what you are doing is against the rules. Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades had nothing on some of these formidable women. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Russkie-Prostori for providing us with our guide, Jane, and our excellent hostess and program manager, Elena Kareshkova. I am not sure what they said to these women, but they got us out of there alive.

That having been said, if you are here between mid-May and early September, bring your group here for a private event. Take the hydrofoil at 7:30pm from the city, walk a few minutes from the dock, and experience a private viewing of the fountains (pretty spectacular) and a private tour of the Palace, before being picked up by motor-coach and taken to one of the many excellent nearby restaurants.

Speaking of restaurants, there are some amazing ones for groups. One of my favorites is the Russian Ampir, located in the former Palace of Count Stroganoff. No, I am not making that up. According to legend, the Count was entertaining some very important guests, including a General who had lost a hand in battle. Since beef was on the menu, the Count and his chef got together to create a dish that would allow the General to dine without the embarrassment of having a servant cut the meat for him. Voila’. Beef Stroganoff.

The Ampir is recognized as one of the best restaurants in Russia, with lots of gold cutlery, Versace Porcelain and Bohemian Crystal, not to mention a truly outstanding blend of French and traditional Russian cuisine. Your group must have the budget, of course, but if you want another memorable dining experience, this is a good one.

I could, but won’t, go on and on about all of the great things St. Petersburg has to offer. The Palaces, Fortresses, Cathedrals, Museums (my favorite museum name is Peter The Great’s Chamber of Curiosities), restaurants, shops, scenery, and people, make it a Bucket List Destination. Just one last thing…

Like any modern city, St. Petersburg can have some pretty congested traffic during rush hour. The last thing a group wants is to be stuck in traffic from the airport after a long flight. The solution? Russkie-Prostori can arrange a police escort from the airport to your hotel. With blinking lights, honking horns, and the occasional loud speaker commanding motorists to get out of the police lane, your group can avoid the rush hour and be whisked past the proletariat in style.

So… if you are looking for an international destination that most people would never be able to experience by themselves, ask me about St. Petersburg. Спасибо (Spasiba) means Thank You and "до свидания" (dasveedAnja) is good-bye for now.

For pictures of my trip to St. Petersburg, visit my page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thecramercollection.