{"id":1616,"date":"2011-08-26T17:14:49","date_gmt":"2011-08-26T22:14:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/?p=1616"},"modified":"2011-12-26T20:30:37","modified_gmt":"2011-12-27T02:30:37","slug":"simeiz-crimea-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/2011\/08\/26\/simeiz-crimea-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"Simeiz, Crimea – Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n \n $\"Fb-Button\"$ \n <\/a>\n <\/div>

<\/fb:like><\/div><\/div>

$\"\"$ <\/a><\/h1>\n
Touring Simeiz<\/h1>\n
A subjective guide of travel to Simeiz, Ukraine.<\/p>\n
$\"\"$ <\/a>
View of Simeiz - Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
History<\/h2>\n
Simeiz is a quaint resort town in southern Crimea, Ukraine.\u00a0 It\u2019s name is derived from the Greek word for \u201cflag\u201d.\u00a0 At the turn of the 19^{th<\/sup> century, the town blossomed under the patronage of Ivan Akimovich Maltsov, a successful Russian merchant and entrepreneur.<\/p>\n}
Legend has it he bought land there to counter the potential of an evil omen.\u00a0 In 1875, while swimming in the waters by the rock known as \u201cDiva\u201d, he lost his wedding ring.<\/p>\n
Maltsov was inconsolable and worried about the evil portends this implied for his marriage.\u00a0 His close friend, and author, Griboyedov, suggested that he buy the bay instead.\u00a0 \u201cIf you own the land, then the ring is not lost.\u201d\u00a0 And so Maltsov came to own 30 acres of land.<\/p>\n
The town prospered for the next sixty years, until WWII, when it was occupied by the Germans.\u00a0 After liberation, in 1945, Stalin deported the local Tartar population to Siberia, and the town fell into disrepair.\u00a0Fifteen years later, with Stalin out of power, the local population gradually returned.\u00a0 The town then became a popular spa and resort during Soviet times.<\/p>\n
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Simeiz again entered a slower phase\u2014something that still grips it today. There is not much to do in Simeiz per-se. It is nonetheless a convenient, albeit simple base from which to visit other towns on the Crimean coast, including Yalta, Balaclava and Sevastopol.<\/p>\n
$\"\"$ <\/a>
Diva Rock, Simeiz, Crimea, Ukraine - Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Things to Do<\/h2>\n
There isn’t much to do in Simeiz except lounge on the rocky beaches and walk up Diva. \u00a0Tours to the nearby caverns, castles and beaches are all available though.<\/p>\n
Getting There and Away<\/span><\/p>\n
The center of town has a small bus and taxi depot and taxis and buses are available from most towns in Crimea to Simeiz, at least every hour. \u00a0The most common routes are from Simferopol, Sevastopol or Yalta. \u00a0Buses between Sevastopol and Yalta cost c.US$2 each way and take about 45 minutes. \u00a0Private taxis take about half as long but cost US$20 – US$30. \u00a0A taxi from Simferopol costs USD$70.<\/p>\n
In the center of Simeiz are various tour operators offering packages to Ai-Petri, Swallow’s Nest, and the nearby castles. \u00a0A few boats travel daily to Sudak, and leave from the main beach.<\/p>\n
Accommodations<\/h2>\n
Hotel Accommodations in Simeiz are limited, and most people prefer to arrive and rent rooms or apartments from the locals. Nightly rates range between US$20-US$40 per night per room\/apartment. \u00a0Many apartments have a kitchen and private bathroom.<\/p>\n
$\"\"$ <\/a>
Private Resort for Government Officials - Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Eating<\/h2>\n
Places change every year, but the central plaza on the hill has a bay of restaurants and bars offering beer, and all sorts of diner food. Next to the central transport hub are two modest grocery stores and a central market. \u00a0Buying groceries and cooking are common among tourists. \u00a0Free Internet is available at the Venetia Caf\u00e9, near the beach.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
$\"\"$ <\/a>
Simeiz Beach, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Touring Simeiz A subjective guide of travel to Simeiz, Ukraine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[477],"tags":[490,65,489,491,174],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1616"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1616"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1923,"href":"https:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1616\/revisions\/1923"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}