My First Capsule Hotel

I'm finally doing it.  After 30+ years on the bucket list, I'm finally going to Uzbekistan.  It started with my first Aeroflot flight from Vienna to Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport which took almost three hours.

I landed at 23:30 and my four-hour flight to Tashkent didn't take off until 8 am.  I'm not one for sleeping in airports.  Besides, there is a "sleeping ban" at Sheremetyevo where travellers can be fined for using the airport as accommodations.

A traditional airport hotel wasn't an option because I would need a Russian visa in order to exit the airport.  I wasn't about to go through all of the paperwork just to secure a visa so that I could stay at an airport hotel.

Instead I booked my first capsule hotel.  The Vozdushny Express is in terminal E, inside the International transit zone, so no visa required.

A small double room for six hours was ₽6200 (€70 or $83).
Not bad at all.  It was clean, with an ensuite shower, plus TV, Internet, and a wake up call.  It was an awesome way to catch some sleep, have a hot shower, and grab some breakfast at the airport before boarding my flight.



I was very lucky.  It was called a capsule hotel but in all honesty it was just like a normal hotel with tiny rooms.




Elsewhere in the terminal I saw the real "capsule" hotels.  I'm sure they were cheaper but you're basically staying in a big coffin.  No thanks.

Next stop:  It's back to the Stans.