The BBC reported today about overpriced short-term rental house in Kyiv just ahead of the start of the Euro 2012 championship matches. The report checked a hostel in Kyiv and claimed it charged $1,100 per day, per room for four people.
The reporter also pointed out that “this is by no means the only example” they could find, adding fuel to a fire started in April when UEFA’s President Michel Platini described Ukrainian hoteliers as “bandits and swindlers” who are undermining Ukraine’s Euro 2012 preparations with sky-high prices.
But the Kyiv Post went online and tried to find comfortable and affordable places to stay in Kyiv during the match days and in between. As it turned out, these were not too difficult to find even on June 8, the day of the official opening of the Euro-2012 football championship.
In took about a half an hour, several clicks on Google and a few phone calls to find several apartments in down town Kyiv open for rent at an average price of $170-4400 a night. The apartments can house three or four people, are furnished and within walking distance of Olympic Stadium and the fan zone on Khreshchatyk Street.
Just by Googling a simple search phrase “apartment for rent in Kiev,” we were able to find numerous websites in English that offer apartments for rent in Kyiv. However, most of the places are booked until June 19 when there are group matches.
But we went to the website bestkievapartments.com and called the firm to find out that they have nice two-room apartment open for rent during 21-27 for an average price of $100.
People at another website – kievforrent.com – said most of their apartment are already booked, but they offered us a three-room apartment in the downtown for $250 a day for the period of June 16-19. They also told us that during the match days the rent price for the place goes up to $400 a day for a place that fits four people.
Most of these websites are in English with many pictures of the apartments’ interior. People at the apartment rental website kievapartments.com told us that they have a good number of two-room apartments available from rent starting on June 20, days before the quarter finals, for an average price of $170 a day.
Kyiv Post staff writer Yuriy Onyshkiv can be reached at [email protected]
