Spring Break Soviet-Style: Top 5 Cheap Sochi Hotels for the post-Olympics traveler

Forget Mexico and Greece. This spring break is all about Sochi, everybody's favorite subtropical winter Olympic city.

Nestled along the Black Sea, Sochi has enjoyed a reputation as Russia's premier warm-weather hangout since Joseph Stalin built his creepy camouflaged dacha (villa) among the coastal city's pine trees and palms in 1937.

While outlandish Olympic investment under Vladimir Putin has transformed the resort town into a global luxury destination, wallet-conscious travelers can still catch a glimpse of those Soviet days with a surprising array of inexpensive and fantastically bizarre hotel options.

Here are five highlights to get you started.

SUN SVET GUESTHOUSE

With its fully remodeled rooms and aging Soviet exterior, the Sun Svet remains one of the city's best choices for historically-minded vacationers. Situated in the heart of Sochi, the hotel offers easy access to the city's main cultural hotspots as well as Stalin's fabled villa, located a few miles to the north.

MAGADAN RESORT

Located ten miles up the coast from downtown Sochi, the Magadan Resort promises manicured green space and private beach access. It also provides some of the world's strangest set of promotional photos, including the image of a man getting a hearing test. (Not sure if there's a charge for that.)

LAMORE

Also north of Sochi is Lamore, a small beachside hotel in the lush Golovinka district that prides itself on its proximity to 33 waterfalls. That's right, 33 waterfalls. Don't miss other area attractions like the Byzantine Godlik fortress and the mysterious Loo temple from the 10th century.

FRUNZE

A massive concrete relief of Stalin greets guests at the Frunze, which has shunned the luxury of "new Sochi" to become one of the city's most authentically Soviet hotels. Guest reviews on Trip Advisor — all in Russian, by the way — highlight Frunze's gardens and refreshingly friendly service.

YOZH HOSTEL

If you're willing to sacrifice creature comforts for Soviet cool, the Yozh is for you. Located in the center of Sochi near the city's bustling Riviera Park, the hostel offers brightly-painted rooms inside a vintage (and delightfully unkempt) modernist high rise.