Caution: Many restaurants don’t have heat, relying instead on wood
stoves for warmth and atmosphere. Bring a jacket if it’s cold. Achish-
kho had huge wool vests for guests to wear. Overall we found lots of
beef, chicken and pork. Plan to spend $30 to 50 per person.
Another highly recommended local option is Le Chef, in a neighbor-
hood just down from Achishkho; it’s run by a French chef who has
moved to Krasnaya Polyana.
Yes, dining is an adventure. But at every stop we were made wel-
come and enjoyed wonderful meals. Chefs seem to be finding oppor-
tunity here, so look for more leading up to the Olympics.
lechef-restaurant.ru
achishkho.ru
Part 4: The World’s Newest Ski Resort
Along Aibga Ridge in the Caucasus Mountains high above Kras-
naya Polyana, you can see to the Black Sea. And if that powder
stash just a bit farther down the ridge looks tempting, be careful.
You might just be dropping into the disputed territory of Abkhazia
in neighboring Georgia. On the eve of the 2014 Olympics, Rosa
Khutor has become one of the only resorts developed worldwide in
the last few decades.
With 5,000 feet of skiable vertical, Rosa Khutor (roza HOOT-or) is im-
pressive. Ultimately, 18 lifts will serve 80 kilometers of ski runs (right
now it’s about half complete). From the network of nine new hotels
on the Mzymta River at 504 meters, a series of three gondolas zips
