A Week of Bliss at Democratia 4* in Sukko, Anapa - Russian Luxury That Surpassed My Expectations

Hey everyone!

We just got back from an amazing week at the 4-star Democracy Hotel in Sukko, and I'm still on a high from the experience. We stayed here from September 18th to September 25th, 2024, with our little crew - me, my hubby, our two kids (3.5 and 4 months old), my sister, and her 9-year-old daughter. We drove in from central Russia and parked our cars on the hotel's paid, enclosed parking lot when we arrived.

Price: We needed two rooms since we were a big group, so we paid 150,000 rubles for a standard room with a balcony that was 70 square meters and slept up to four people. For a standard room without a balcony that was 23 square meters, we paid 119,000 rubles. When we checked in, we found out we got some kind of discount, and they ended up refunding part of the cost for the rooms. Instead of paying 150,000, we paid 130,000. Instead of 119,000, we paid 109,000.

The hotel also has an early booking system that opens in February of the current year, but unfortunately, we didn't get to use it since we booked in July and went in September.

Now, about the rooms - they were called superior on the website, but our tour operator booked us in a different building that wasn't even on the same territory as the rest of the hotel. It was actually across the street because they'd just bought it and started offering it to guests.

I've got to say, the staff at check-in were pretty unfriendly. The girls behind the desk were anything but welcoming - I'd even go so far as to say they were a bit short with us. Forget about any champagne on arrival, like the tour operator had promised. We saw other guests getting the same chilly reception, and it was clear we weren't the only ones who'd experienced it.

They basically told us we'd be moved to different rooms, which put us on edge right from the start. When we asked follow-up questions, they reacted a bit aggressively - I guess we were just unlucky with the room change.

We ended up with a decent room on the second floor of one of the buildings, but my sister and her daughter got a room on the ground floor that was flooded through the balcony. We were all a bit down, but they swapped their room out for one on the fourth floor of a different building - and, funnily enough, there's no lift in the hotel.

Left: the building where my sister was staying, right: our buildingWhen we checked the bedding and towels in our room, we found a stain on one of the pillowcases and the pillow itself. No problem, they swapped them out for us. We also got a travel cot with bedding for the little one, and the older kids ended up sleeping on a sofa bed.

I didn't even think to keep track of the room number, but it's not like it was a deal-breaker or anything.

Housekeeping was super efficient - they'd come in every day to take out the trash and vacuum. We also got our towels changed twice during our stay.

They had a bunch of toiletries available, including shampoo, conditioner, gel, toothpaste, and even a shaving kit.

The room itself was pretty well-equipped, with a kettle, mini-fridge, and a set of cups and glasses. There was also a clothes dryer, ironing board, and a safe.

We were given a ton of towels, and even some bathrobes for the adults.

Initially, we were supposed to be in a different building, but we ended up switching to this one, and it was a bit of an improvement.

Despite the rocky start, we decided not to let it get us down and explore the surrounding area instead.

The hotel grounds were actually pretty big and well-maintained. There were tons of play areas with cartoon characters, and even some benches and gazebos.

There was also a kids' play area, which was a lifesaver for us. And, although the pools were closed by the time we got there, they were pretty small and didn't have heating anyway.

They also had a kid's room where you could leave your little ones under 4 years old without a babysitter. The gym was pretty basic, but it had a couple of treadmills and some weights.

We checked out the spa areas, and I've got to say, there are some awesome options.

1. The sauna is located in a separate building called Nirvana, just across the road from the main site. It's got a closed/open pool, a kids' play area, and we visited the sauna twice.

2. You can visit the spa pools up to twice without paying extra. My partner and I went to the wine and salt pools. Each session lasts 30 minutes, and after that, you get to enjoy a tea ceremony – which, let's be honest, is just a chance to sit back and sip some tea. In the wine pool, we were alone, but in the salt pool, we had a few other couples join us. While you're lounging in the pool, they show a video on the TV opposite, promoting the benefits of that particular pool.

Wine PoolFood: the hotel has 2 main restaurants + snack bars for both adults and kids. As a complete newbie to international all-inclusives, I was pleasantly surprised by the food.

Check out these shots from one of my breakfasts at the hotel. One thing I missed was a bit more variety in the sweet treats – they mostly had this dry toast going on. Occasionally, they'd put out some mini honey cakes, but they'd fly off the shelves in no time.

As for the rest, there was plenty of meat, sides, salads, soups, fruits, and veggies. They even had a bit of a fish shortage, but when they brought out the red, salted fish, our crew went wild and it wasn't always easy to get a share.

The kids were always well-fed, too – one of the restaurants had a separate food zone just for them, although the dishes were pretty much the same as what the grown-ups were getting.

The hotel's got a solid selection of booze, too – they always had Martini vermouth and Jameson whiskey on hand. And let's not forget the views from the verandas – it's a real treat to eat with the mountains in the background. Just be aware that they'll only give you two drinks per person at a time.

They'd also do seafood days once a week, and in the summer, they'd fire up the grill for some skewers. We were there in September, so we missed out on the summer vibes, though. Beach and Sea: The Democracy Hotel isn't right on the beachfront. To be fair, there aren't many hotels in Suko that are, as the area's pretty mountainous and most hotels are built above sea level. We didn't bother trying to walk to the beach on our own, but there's a transfer service that runs every 15 minutes from the hotel to the beach and back. The buses are pretty comfy and relatively new, and we even managed to squeeze in our stroller, but sometimes they get really packed and we'd have to wait for the next one - I can only imagine what it's like during peak season! The ride to the beach takes around 5 minutes, max. The beach area is closed off to just the three hotels, and we always had plenty of sunbeds to choose from.

Our beachside resort had a snack bar with fries, nuggets, and drinks like beer, lemonade, and tea. We brought our own fruits, which we picked up from the hotel restaurant, and the kids snacked on those. There was also a first-aid station and a modern toilet, although it wasn't always well-maintained. The beach had two pools: one with fresh water and the other with saltwater. Both were already pretty chilly. The sea had large rocks at the surface, which gave way to bigger boulders as you waded in. It was tough to walk on, but we still managed to take a dip. Even in late September, the sea wasn't too kind, but we still enjoyed our swim. One evening, we even spotted some dolphins as we watched the sunset. The resort had evening entertainment, starting with kids' activities and later shifting to adult-oriented events. We really enjoyed the shows, and the kids were happy and occupied. My only gripe was that the music was still blasting until 11 PM, which made it hard for me to get the kids to bed on time.One thing that really stood out was how well you can hear the animation and the disco parties from the rooms. We were literally right under the noise. During the day, there were occasional commotion like foam parties. They also offer bike rentals or a stroller for kids, but you need to leave a 5,000 ruble deposit for the stroller. We only needed it once for our older daughter when we went to the market to buy souvenirs. We really enjoyed our stay at the Democracy Suko hotel, despite some minor issues. It's not perfect if you're used to the generous Turkish standards, but for a domestic vacation, we were pleasantly surprised, especially considering our previous two years of visiting other resorts. I'd definitely recommend this hotel to families with kids - it's basically a perfect spot for them. And even though we were traveling with babies, including one who was only four months old, I found the hotel to be really comfortable. I'd go back there again in a heartbeat if I had the chance. Thanks for sticking with me until the end!