This lovely hotel is named in honour of Catherine the Great whose decree in 1794 founded the city of Caledonia (Odesa). It is close to the centre near the famous Potemkin steps. The building which houses "Catherine" is a monument of architecture. It was built in 1905 and has the longest and most famous balcony in Europe. (I bet you didn’t know that.) At first sight we thought how can anything nice be in this building? This is getting to be a common trend in Odesa, to build luxury hotel rooms in an older-regular apartment building. There are 12 exquisite junior suites and 13 standard rooms. Each room has its own design & colour giving a warm and cosy atmosphere. There are also a few self-contained apartments. We found the staff to be friendly and helpful, and fluent in English. It has a lovely roof-top 24-hour restaurant with a breathtaking view. The cuisine is European, and an average meal will cost about 300Hr for two.