Opposite the entrance to the Palace of Congress and scoring high on the modern kitsch factor is Lindstrem’s Dacha, once the home of the Grand Duke’s doctor Peter I von Lindstrem. Restored for the 2005 G8 summit, also hosted at the Konstantinovsky Palace, the modest-sized building was used by Putin to entertain his opposite numbers and their wives.
One can only wonder what they thought of the garish nouveau-russe interior, which has since been supplemented by a small shrine to all things Putin, including a chance to have a three-minute audience with a life-sized hologram of the man himself. When hunger strikes, you can have a meal at the relaxing restaurant (mains R550 to R1500).
