Всё познаётся в сравнении Everything is relative

Last year and the year before last, we were already treated with Saki mud in the Poltava-Krym sanatorium (hereinafter referred to as P1), a review of 2017 can be read here. https://www.turpravda.com/uc/saki/Poltava_Krym-h14963-r200007.html I will compare with him. This year, for a change, we decided to go to the Military Sanatorium. Pirogov (hereinafter P2). Treatment period December 2018 - January 2019.
P2 is located on the shore of Mikhailovsky Lake, separated from Lake Saki by a narrow dam. I did not understand whether Mikhailovskoye Lake is a source of mud, but it is clearly included in the system for maintaining the salt regime of Lake Saki.
The sanatorium is located in a closed area of ​ ​ a well-groomed park, it is probably pleasant to walk along it in the summer. P2 consists of a 9-storey residential building with an adjoining 3-storey building of a club-dining room, connected with it by a 70-meter passage of a medical building, a separate swimming pool and several 1-2-storey residential buildings of different comfort, as well as located in in the depths of the park of the Center for Medical Rehabilitation for Wheelchair Users (a medical building with a home church of St. Professor Voino-Yasinetsky (Luke) and a dormitory building).

Vouchers in P2 are noticeably more expensive than in P1 for the same period, and by buying them we hoped for better treatment, as well as better living and food conditions. I'll try to break it down point by point.
So, the main thing for which they go to Saki is the famous Saki mud. They are not stingy either in P1 or in P2. But if in P1 there is a modern system for supplying mud from a pipe directly to the table and the mud from the pipe flows out at a given temperature and consistency, then in P2 very hot mud from the pipe is mixed in a bucket with cold brine from another pipe and manually poured onto the table. The buckets are heavy and the women who do this are a pity. Moreover, the ingredients are mixed by eye, it happens that they make mistakes with the temperature both in one direction and in the other. In addition, the mud is thinner than in P1, I don't know if that's good or bad.
Both sanatoriums have a large selection of physiotherapy procedures, it is difficult to judge where it is better, but I got the impression that in P2 the equipment is more modern.
By mechanotherapy. In principle, P2 equipment is more diverse and better than in P1. But for ordinary patients (not disabled people), mechanotherapy is understood as an ordinary gym - a rocking chair. It took me almost the entire first week to find out that the device I needed was at the Medical Rehabilitation Center, to get permission for it and to clarify the conditions for the vacation of the procedure : (. As a result, I developed part of the muscles in the CMR, and part in the rocking chair.
In P2 there is an indoor pool with a length of 24 meters with fresh water, 2 lanes for swimmers are allocated in it, there are a couple of primitive hydromassage devices. The problem is that the pool is located in a separate building, in winter it is not convenient, therefore, it is not popular. Moreover, this pool is paid for the main contingent (free for commercial patients). There is an outdoor pool somewhere, in winter, of course, it does not work, I did not see it.
From sports entertainment there is ping pong and billiards, it seems to be free and it seems that there is a court somewhere, but I did not see it.

We lived in a room “Category "Lux" (three stars)”. This is a 2-room suite very similar to the Family Standard room in P1 (we lived in one last year). Same floor area, very similar equipment. But in P2 there is a more recent renovation and there are 2 balconies where you can sit in the summer (not relevant in winter). The main advantage of P2 is a better mattress. But also so-so - connected springs.
In P2, the main contingent eats from a custom menu, and commercial patients can choose between a custom menu and a buffet. As they explained to us, with a customized menu, what they ordered was brought in advance and put on the table, and the dishes on the buffet are the same, but you can put on a plate what you want right now, as much as you want and combine several dishes of the same type. For example, a cutlet and a piece of fish are taken, stewed cabbage is added to mashed potatoes, etc. Naturally, we chose a buffet, but with me 1 couple refused the buffet and switched to a customized menu.
In P2, the buffet looks more modest than in P1, but the variety of dishes does not differ much. Always 2-3 types of greens, 1-3 types of cabbage/carrots, boiled beetroot or beetroot soufflé , cold cuts (boiled sausage and brisket), 2 types of cheese cubes, 2-3 side dishes, 3 types of hot (meat pieces in sauce ( the names are different, the taste is the same), fish, chicken / scrambled eggs / steam cutlets), tea bags, marshmallows, glazed cookies and some buns, honey, butter, condensed and regular milk, raisins, dried apricots, walnuts fruits - chopped halve / quarter apples, oranges / tangerines and bananas. In addition, for breakfast, boiled eggs (chicken and quail), 2 types of porridge and cottage cheese casserole, often stewed carrots with prunes, for lunch - 2 types of soup, for dinner - cottage cheese casserole. Everything is well (tasty) cooked, at least compared to P1. Fish or sea bass, or, in half the cases, salmon, once a week gave red caviar. But there were problems with drinks. For breakfast they gave coffee, but instant, and quite often not in the form of powder, but already diluted in titanium (the wife refused to drink). Almost every day for breakfast or dinner there was cocoa (powder from Nestle), but there was no hot milk, and on water it turned out not tasty, I had to add condensed milk. There were always 3 drinks for lunch: juice, dried fruit compote and rosehip broth. The juice ended immediately, if it was added, then after 20 minutes, Compote was also not always enough, and the decoction, maybe useful, but very tasteless. What pleased me was that for dinner they gave out kefir / fermented baked milk in single packages, you could drink it, as it should be in a sanatorium, before going to bed.
The cultural program, formally, was rich: 2 films daily (for children and adults), quizzes, karaoke and animation programs, once a week a concert by the employees of the cultural and organizational department with the involvement of amateur performances. BUT... Quizzes and other things did not attract us, as well as films for adults, a couple of times I walked past the cinema hall during the children's session - not a single person was there, but the film was played. But the concerts were good, at least for amateur performances.

SUMMARY: In some ways, one sanatorium is a little better, in some ways - another, but in general the level is approximately the same. But due to the clearly inflated price, I lower the overall rating of the Military Sanatorium. Pirogov.