Рождество в Косове (Ивано-Франковска область). Christmas in Kosovo (Ivano-Frankivsk region).

For the last few years we have been trying to go to the Carpathians for Christmas and every year to a new place. This year we decided to go to Kosiv, Ivano-Frankivsk region. She started looking for housing in October. "Green tourism" in the Kosiv region is well developed, there is a lot of housing, but in some places there are conveniences on the floor, in others - without meals, in others - the location is near the road. There are few good sites with truthful reviews about holidays in Kosiva. Therefore, I want to write my impressions so that others do not repeat my mistakes. Of all the proposed gardens, I chose "Hutsulka Xenia". The reviews were only positive, the photos are excellent, but, as it turned out, a little more is hidden behind the beautiful pictures. I was attracted by the fact that the rooms are equipped with amenities, that the owners offer meals, there is a bathhouse. They demanded 50% prepayment, I sent the money, which I later regretted a lot.
It was VERY difficult with tickets to the Carpathians this year, but in 45 days I bought a train there for 43, back for train No. 144. So, train number 43 - old cars, the stink of toilets, terrible bed linen. And in train No. 144 there are new improved cars, linen is excellent, toilets are clean and odorless. Minibuses to Kosiv run frequently, the fare is 31 UAH. Taxi in Kosiv 20 UAH. I met the owner Vitaly and took me to the 2nd floor to settle. I negotiated over the phone that the 2-bed room should be overlooking the front entrance, and not the backyards, I was assured that everything would be fine, as a result, we were settled in a room overlooking the backyards and the bathhouse. The rooms are dim, the ceiling and bedside lamps are very small.
Breakfast was offered: steam pies and tea with honey. Lunch: borsch without meat, banosh with cheese and cracklings, dinner 5 pcs. pancakes per serving, the next day breakfast - 3 pancakes with cottage cheese and tea. As a result, I paid 100 UAH per person for all this and decided that it was an expensive pleasure. As it turned out, they are more expensive to eat than to eat in a restaurant with full-fledged meat dishes. And the hostess does not cook well. The next day, she asked only for boiling water, and then it was impossible to get boiling water - the kitchen was closed, and the owners lived in another house. Those. kitchen cannot be used. A kettle, too, please note if you are relaxing with Ksenia with Vitaly. For Christmas dinner, we paid 250 UAH per person, when asked why it was so expensive, we were assured that all dishes were with porcini mushrooms. But there were no porcini mushrooms for dinner, and such a dinner did not cost 250 UAH per person, but they have a pricing policy to earn a lot now.

On their website it is indicated that there is a minibus for 12 seats, this is also not true, they order on the side and if there is a more profitable client, they will refuse you and offer a taxi. There is no hair dryer in the rooms. Housing - a wooden frame, sound insulation is poor, the floor, wooden stairs creak strongly. Bath - 125 UAH per hour. I also called several times from Kyiv, and upon arrival I asked for a bath on January 5 at 17.00 and they assured me that everything was fine, in the end, we were offered a time of 20.00, as there were other clients at 16.00. I agreed, again specifying several times what is included in the price of the bath. I was assured that sheets, tea, a broom are included in the price of the bath, but when it was necessary to pay, they demanded 30 UAH from me for 2 sheets. Those. you don’t know what to expect and for what else they will demand money. Therefore, no further requests were made to them. And on the day of departure at 9 in the morning we found ourselves in a locked house, the owners were not there, they called, asking to be let out of the locked house. This is dangerous, God forbid, what will happen, how people will get out of a locked house.
I would not recommend resting in “Hutsulka Ksenya”, they lose interest in you as soon as you have paid for everything. This young couple still needs to study and study such a difficult task as receiving tourists in "green gardens".
Catering and excursions arranged themselves. I liked the restaurant "Vodogray", and especially the fact that when on January 7 everything was closed in Kosiv and there was nowhere to have dinner, they warmed us up in Vodogray, gave us drink, food, despite the fact that all the tables were booked in advance, and we just went in from the street.
The Christmas trip to the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Verkhovyna made a strong impression. After the service, the priest blesses groups of male carolers in Hutsul festive clothes with hatchets in their hands, and they begin to walk around the church singing carols. The sound of the violin, the chime of the bells with each of their dance movements, makes an indelible impression.
And in the evening we went to the Christmas tree in the central square of Kosiv, where young people gathered, who organized a group carol. How they sang Good Evening, New Joy, and Many Years! Well done! It was not a staged action, but from the heart. Very beautiful, touching, wonderful!