“We have not traveled in Russia before, we have only been to Sochi off-season, St. Petersburg, Pskov and Kazan. They never looked towards the Caucasus, they always thought that it would be boring there, old boarding houses and bad service, bad roads, ”says Diana Andreeva, a reader of Subtleties. All the pros and cons of resting in CMS are in her detailed review. But in general, the region is very interesting, with its pluses and minuses. I will try to tell the main important organizational and negative points so that my review is useful to those who are going to go here on their own. Everything went beyond the planned amount, as is usually the case in independent travel. Upon arrival, we were not lucky with housing. At the KMV airport (25 km from Pyatigorsk) we were supposed to be met by a person from whom we rented an apartment for two weeks. But he did not meet us, the last time we called him when we arrived at Domodedovo airport, and he confirmed everything to us. Naturally, in the best traditions of the genre, we transferred him an advance payment of 30%. As you already understood, we did not see an apartment or money. I had to book a hotel on the spot. After this incident, we were already careful in all matters of payments. Even when we booked an excursion, we were already reinsured, when the guide asked for an advance payment, we asked to pay before leaving for the excursion, when the bus would pick us up.1/1 
Yes, the service is not very good
Budget
Excursions here are not cheap, groups large
After the first trip with a guide, we decided to rent a car and drive around the region on our own, and this was the best decision. Transport accessibility here is not very good, even between neighboring cities and towns. We saw all the sights in a comfortable mode, there were no problems with finding information online, the mobile Internet here works stably everywhere.
The only thing is that in places along the way, especially in the mountains, it disappears, but we were warned about this at the rental office, and we rented a navigator with a GPS system. We didn’t get lost even once, using the navigator you can get to all the most popular places. It was especially convenient that the entire search history was left from previous travelers, thanks to them for this.1/1
Hotels
The hotel base is lame here and on both legs. Expensive, the most decent options have already been booked, and it is unprofitable to take a room in sanatoriums, since many services can be included there that we will not use – we came for a walk, not to be treated.
I do not advise taking food at the hotel, even breakfasts: everything is very poor and simple, for show. The local cafes are much tastier and cheaper, there are many restaurants with beautiful views and a good level of service.
The cuisine here is amazing!
Shopping and souvenirs
Surprisingly, there are very high-quality souvenirs here. We have never come across counterfeit wine or some kind of deception. Very beautiful ceramic dishes, leather and wool products, jewelry. Prices do not bite, sellers are very good-natured. Feel free to ask for a discount, the main thing is not to be impudent. Here, as you are with people, so are they with you.1/1
What else to read on the topic
- 10 reasons to never come to KavMinVody
- Weekend in Kislovodsk: where to go and what to do
- No worse than the Norwegian fjords: 6 places in Russia where it is breathtakingly beautiful
Attractions
The sights are all well-maintained, there are signs everywhere, you won't get lost in the mountains. Vacationers, especially experienced ones, or older people are happy to tell and share unusual facts, almost everywhere they found interesting interlocutors.
CMS is a very developed region in terms of tourism, they say it gets better every year. We need stricter control over hotels and rental housing in the private sector, some kind of unified base. And I also lacked information, there is no single tourist information center. Brochures or a site on the sights of the region, reference information on sources and drinking regimen – not for those who are being treated, but for ordinary tourists like us. With mineral water from springs, jokes are bad: a laxative effect can overtake you at the most inopportune moment.
And the prospects for the resort are very large, a lot of things should open here in the next few years. We will return with pleasure and look at his transformation.