The premiere and the consequent popularization of Chernobyl, the HBO miniseries, had an immediate consequence on the surroundings of the nuclear power plant: a wave of visitors. Attracted by the facts narrated in fiction (some precise, some exaggerated) a significant number of tourists He set his sights on Pripyat and the exclusion zone that even today tries to protect the unwary from the dangers of radiation.
In many ways, HBO just underpinned and expanded a trend that emerged more than a decade ago. As early as 2011, the Ukrainian authorities estimated that around 10,000 people entered the exclusion zone each year. Eight years later the figure had multiplied by six. Chernobyl had become one of the star destinations of strange tourism, one fueled by the endless stories that run through the network and by the cheapness of flights and accommodation. Whether in Fukushima or Norilsk, traveling to the Apocalypse is attractive.
But to travel you need a place to sleep. Any traveler interested in the details of Chernobyl (in its abandoned waterwheel, in its schools closed for more than three decades, in the animals that have devoured everything once raised by human beings, in the gigantic sarcophagus that now covers the center, in the fledgling solar power project that seems to haunt the complex) would resolve to sleep in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine located a handful of kilometers downstream.
After all, if there is an exclusion zone, it is for something, right?
It happens that against all logic there are lodgings in the vicinity of Pripyat, within the ZEC and very close to the dramatic events that resulted in the most important nuclear accident in history. One of them, the best known, is the Desyatka hotel. A peculiar one, as it is promoted in the following way: “Remember that your body is exposed to additional radiation. Do not touch anything. Everything can be a source of problems for you, your family and your friends.” The paradox of disaster tourism is that this is a claim, not a disincentive.
Their website offers a warmer welcome: “Share with us an unforgettable experience in Chernobyl.” The hotel itself it’s okay, according to some of the stories posted on the Internet by their guests. It has a cafe and a restaurant; offers WiFi connection; clean and neat rooms every morning; gift shop, we suppose inspired by the gruesome events of 1986; and friendly, friendly customer service. The facilities are modest, modular and cool, but modern, far from the traditional Soviet stereotype.
Obviously, its only attraction lies in its location. The Desyatka hotel rests on a “quiet street” near the center of Chernobyl, the small town a few 20 kilometers south from Pripyat and the nuclear power plant, near the P56 motorway. It is an important nuance, given that it is not exactly next to the complex destroyed in 1986. All those post-apocalyptic photos that decorate the articles and galleries about Chernobyl were not taken in the homonymous town but in Pripyat, completely evacuated and controlled from decades ago.
Even though it is within the ZEC, undoubtedly its main tourist attraction, this relative remoteness allows it to avoid the rigors of radiation. As an American tourist tells here when he went to the hotel and took records with a Geiger counter, the radioactivity of the hotel (0.14μSv / h) did not differ too much from that registered in the center of Kiev (0.11μSv / h), making it more sure of what it appears at first glance (the “Black Zone” of the accident exceeds 200μSv / h and the Pripyat cemetery leaves at 14; μSv / h here explains in more detail how the radiation affected and continues to affect the entire region ).
The American in question highlights the quality from the kitchen, quite neat and fortunately grown in other corners of the country: “There are all kinds of meats, but the dishes are very balanced with apples, salads and vegetables.” This last aspect is also praised by the MessyNessy editor who was kind enough to stay at the hotel. His story about the town of Chernobyl, long before the nuclear power plant but now uninhabited, adds a pinch of color to the review. The article is full of photos of the place and the rooms.
In general, the evaluations of those who have stayed there are positive (within expectations in one of the most catastrophic places in human history). The Desyatka accredits a 4.0 (out of 5.0) on TripAdvisor. 48 people have left their opinion there, of which the majority favor an assessment between “excellent” and “very good” (30 in total). “Secluded in the heart of the exclusion zone, you might not expect much. You would be wrong. Comfortable beds, decent food and a bar with good beer at a good price,” explains a British user.
“We did the night here on our Chernobyl Tour. Very tasty food, good borsch and chicken with potatoes, all accompanied with some kind of red fruit juice. The breakfast with pasta was strange, but those calories helped us in our morning visit to Pripyat “, explains another. The fact that the bathrooms are shared takes away points. But as another client sums up,” the rooms are not the Ritz but they are much better than I expected in the exclusion zone. “One last visitor, a Czech, sums up her stay as” surprisingly nice“.
According to Private Chernobyl Guide, the town has another accommodation similar to Desyatka. It is the Polissya hotel, built in 2017 although more limited in its services and appearance (at least according to the photos, similar to those of a double apartment).
Image: Desyatka, TripAdvisor