76 ST PETERSBURG
L’ Europe
I t’ s mere minutes before the witching hour at St Petersburg’ s iconic Grand Hotel Europe, and the elegant lobby lounge and cigar bar is packed with the city’ s movers and shakers. St Petersburg’ s beautiful sip luxury Russian vodkas served by a dedicated sommelier, and feast on Beluga caviar from the Caspian Sea in a scene that’ s increasingly synonymous with the new face of Russia. The country’ s most historic city is also its most forward moving, as young, affluent Petersburgers flex their capitalist muscle at a host of chic restaurants, innovative galleries and world-class clubs behind historical facades and surrounded by the guilded edifices of the past.
The intimate lobby bar of Orient-Express’ Grand Hotel Europe is a fitting place to start any exploration; the hotel has long been an icon in a city of landmarks and the list of notables who have called it a home away from home is literally as long as your arm. While the likes of Rasputin, Tsar Nicholas II and George Bernard Shaw enjoyed the hotel’ s individually-designed suites and the performances held in the L’ Europe restaurant( Tchaikovsky even spent his honeymoon here), more contemporary guests include the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Leonardo Di Caprio, Naomi Campbell and Sharon Stone. Both Elton John and the late Whitney Houston have performed late night impromptu concerts in the hotel, the latter at the vodka bar where the city’ s A-listers meet for pre-theatre tipples or late night concoctions, knowing they’ ll always be in good company.
The 275-room Grand Hotel Europe epitomizes St Petersburg’ s duality: despite opening 130 years ago, the lavish hotel is popular with visiting royalty, celebrities and politicians, and remains as much a living museum as it is a house of slumber. The house has strong links with the city’ s arts scene, and many of its sumptuous, individually-designed Heritage Suites are named for Russian icons like Stravinsky and Dostoevsky, as well as for past guests like Pavarotti, while the hotel’ s location offers guests close proximity to St Petersburg’ s architectural and artistic icons, including the Mikhailovsky Theatre and the Russian Museum.
Despite its rich history, the hotel has one foot firmly planted in the present; rooms feature high speed internet, rainshowers and flatscreen televisions, while its restaurants and chic bars are populated by the city’ s upwardly mobile.
“ Everyone knows the Grand Hotel,” says
Natalya Makarova, a jazz singer and law student I discover dressed to the nines and sipping martinis with her friends in the hotel’ s lounge bar.“ It’ s part of St Petersburg’ s history and yet it’ s kept up with the city’ s development. It’ s stood the test of time and now is the place to see and be seen more than ever.”
The Grand Europe Hotel isn’ t the only place attracting the city’ s new generation of affluent citizens. A modern yet elegant performance of Giselle at the nearby Mikhailovsky Theatre is sold out, with plenty of young, well-heeled ballet goers making their way through powdered snow from the Grand Hotel Europe’ s lounges to the regal boxes of the esteemed stage. Established in 1833 by decree from Tsar Nicholas I, the Mikhailovsky is one of Russia’ s oldest opera and ballet houses. Under the Bolsheviks it became a home for experimental music, with several debuts taking place between the 1920s and 30s. In an effort to attract new audiences, Russian businessman Vladimir Kekhman was appointed general director in 2007, donating one billion rubles( US $ 40 million) to the restoration of the building and invited Elena Obraztsova and Farouk Ruzimatov to coordinate the artistic revival of the Mikhailovsky. The theatre’ s full time troop has since toured internationally and now rivals the well-known Moscow-based Bolshoi Ballet Company, drawing in affluent Petersburgers for packed shows.
“ What do they know about ballet in Moscow,” laughs one glamorous mink-clad patron during the intermission.“ Everyone knows St Petersburg is Russia’ s cultural heart and the Mikhailovsky prove it with every performance.” www. jetsetter. hk