lviv and yaremche accomodation and tips

Hi,

We want to go to Lviv and Yaremche in the summer 2010.
We have 2 weeks and these places we want to visit for sure.
We fly in and out of Lviv.
Any tips on accomodation in these places. We think of renting an apartment in Lviv ?
Who knows a reliable compagny ?
What about Yaremche. Is it better to book a room in advance or can you just show up /
And tips on nice Bed and Breakfasts there ?
We want to do some easy walkings. Is Yaremche the place to start from ?
Where else can we go ( with public transport ) in Western Ukraine ?
Any nice lakes to swim in the Lviv / Yaremche area ?
thanks for your help,
heinoo

Try contacting slav at lvivecotour.com/ . He was been very helpful to other TT travelers and knows the area.

We spent some time in Yaremche several years ago (2003) but we were part of a Russian active tour vacation group that made our reservations and took us on hikes. I also liked Rahiv where we were based a few days as well.

Ruth

I agree with Ruth. Slav at www.lvivecotour.com is your best bet, knows the area, fluent english speaker. He has taken various friends and also my parents around Lviv and surrounds and has never failed to impress.
Here's a pic of Slav with my wife & kids at Olesko castle:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/smithfamily1/76871576/in/set-1648577/

Hi,
How much was a place to stay? Did Slav arrange that?
What did a car and english speaking driver to a village cost?
I do not speak Ukrainian but would like to visit the villages my grandparents came from. It seems the Slav does this sort of thing.

South of 60 - contact slav directly for this sort of information. Costs for vehicle and driver will depend upon where you are going and whether the driver speaks English. Costs for accommodations will depend upon where you stay.

Ruth

I've paid between $60 and $100 / night for apartment rental in Lviv, depending on location, facilities, how long you're renting etc.
I paid $30 for a gypsy cab from Lviv to Slavske (about 3 hours drive), just hailed it on the street. On another occasion paid about $200 for a van with 24 people, called up and organised in advance. I don't know how much extra you'd pay for an English speaking driver - I speak basic Ukrainian so didn't need this.
Many visitors to Ukraine are of Ukrainian ancestry trying to find their roots. All travel agencies offer services for this market.

when you are in lviv , you can stay in Roxelana hostel , from 5 euros per person per night including breakfast.
in Yaremche , there are a lot of guest houses and flats for travellers
there are even streets close to the bus station , where almost every house take travellers.
in the recent time , a few inns where build.
on high season very often ''babushkas'' , the runners on bus station offer their rooms for rent .
but in yaremche you can rent a good hotel room for not a cheap price as well.

you can stay in lviv leocity hostel, it's pretty cheap, if you want a dorm, but private room is like 23 euros per night and close to the downtown.

in yaremche, as said above, old grannies usually offer a place to stay.
it is easy to find a place and cheap. There are guesthouses for 23 euros, but you can find even cheaper (12 euros).

http://www.roxelana.hostel.com/