Disco Jumps at Sochi, the Malibu of Soviet Union

The young Soviet adults, dressed as fashionably as if this were a night out in Westwood, filed excitedly into the Dagomys disco, showing the doorman their vouchers or offering some rubles as bribes to get in.

Once inside they clustered in groups, sharing hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, waiting for the music to begin. Soon a disc jockey, speaking machine-gun rounds of Russian, got the evening off to a rousing start; couples started dancing to ear-piercing music.

The disco stayed open into the wee hours. The music and light show were decidedly Western but on the dance floor the blend of American, Finnish, German and Italian tourists melded with the Soviets in a sea of gyrations without much cultural distinction.

That’s the way it is on the Russian Riviera, where the Black Sea coast offers an unexpected glimpse of the Soviet Union, one rarely envisioned by Western tourists who carry an excess baggage of time-worn stereotypes across the border. The sea somehow wipes away the broad perceptions that the Soviet Union is a joyless place to vacation.

Here along the tableau sea, colored in ink spots of black sandy sediments, the world meshes into the sounds and scents of another time, another place, where even the Russians let down their reserve to dance the night away.

Resemblance to Malibu

Writer Colin Thubron says the Black Sea coast might have been sliced from the littoral of Provence or Istria. But one tranquil August evening in Sochi, as a panoramic sunset sprayed the canyons of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains with bursts of light, the shores of Malibu came to mind. With steep cliffs rising above the sea into a mountainous terrain of green foliage, this could have been early autumn below the Santa Monica Mountains.

But this is the Soviet Union, albeit four parts removed from the whirlwind pace of Moscow and Leningrad. Here, vacationers are left alone to smell the salty aromas permeating the promenades and parks. They are left alone to bask beneath a cloudless sunny sky that extends beyond the Soviet borders across the sea to Bulgaria, Iran and Turkey. Left alone to feel the effects of Georgian and Armenian influences on the land.

In essence, summer at the sea.

Sochi, on the southern end of the Black Sea, is one of the vacation centers of this riviera because of its temperate climate--it lies on the same latitude as France’s Cote d’Azur.

One finds a variety of shoreline as the city stretches 90 miles from tip to tip. The beaches are rocky and hard and sunbathers lie on lounge chairs or wooden mattresses. By contrast, the sea is gentle and shallow in most popular areas--safe for families who enjoy swimming. Like most seaside resorts, bathing, sipping cool drinks and mingling are the rigors of the day.

Vivid Scenery

Though the opulence of the Mediterranean is not lost here, it is manifested in the vivid scenery of the land more than the facades of grand hotels such as are found in Nice, Cannes or Antibes. Sochi’s boulevards are barely able to fight off the encroaching banana palms, magnolias, bamboo and eucalyptus that seem to sprout everywhere.

Riviera Park, at the center of town along Kurortny Prospekt, is the city’s oldest park. It is lined with horse chestnut, cypress, palm and ferns, and the fragrance of flowers fills the air. Including an impressive arboretum, the park has more than 2,000 species of plants.

The most impressive vegetation, however, can be found at the Sochi Arboretum at 2/28 Ulitsa Fabritsiusa, behind a tea plantation. It is open daily except Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The arboretum’s centerpiece is the Friendship Tree, which bears Japanese tangerines, Italian lemons, American grapefruit and several other types of fruit. The tree was planted in 1934 and grafted with oranges and mandarins. Since then representatives from more than 140 countries have added grafts.

Because it is draped against the mountains, Sochi is a toothpick of a city, divided into four long and narrow districts.

Transportation can be a problem because the districts are connected by one main road that often juts through hilly tea plantations, zigzagging over the rough terrain.

Driving in the summer through the bumper-to-bumper crowds downtown is a chore. The public bus system is crowded and slow, and taxis are difficult to find. Unofficial taxis are expensive--$7 U.S. at the minimum--considering that it takes about half an hour to get anywhere. So most tourists stay at the beach.

Planned Development

Sochi was developed as a resort for privileged society in the early 1900s. Because of its climate it has become a haven for sanatoriums, which are workers’ health clubs. The city has more than 250 complexes. With such an influx of Soviet tourists, the city needed to provide services to cater to the vacationers. Thus cafes, restaurants, a shopping center and a summer theater were built to accommodate the increasing numbers.

During World War II Sochi was converted into a hospital base where half a million wounded Russian soldiers convalesced. Some stayed after the war, unable to resist the subtropical climate. Sochi has a year-round population of about 290,000, but according to one resident it swells to a million during the holiday season--May to October. She said the government limits year-round residency because the demand to move here after retirement is great.

“They all want to come here after they finish work because of the weather,” she said one day while walking along the city’s spacious promenade that followed the escarpment above the beach. “They need more workers down here, so there are limits on who can live here.”

Still, the city seems to be expanding to meet the needs of vacationers. Sochi has several quality resort hotels. One of the most complete and modern is the Dagomys Tourist Complex about half an hour north of downtown. The complex has three hotels with a variety of restaurants, dining halls and bars. Local youths go there for its nightly rock ‘n’ roll dance club--a genuine hot spot.

But there also is a 1,000-seat concert hall where Georgian folk dances and classical concerts are performed. The complex has indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts and a private beach.

Variety of Accommodations

The Leningrad downtown is one of the city’s most stately hotels, but there are a variety of accommodations to cater to one’s taste, whether it’s for elegance or simplicity.

Prices of accommodations vary, depending on individual or group rates. An Intourist-sanctioned travel agent can make all arrangements.

Sochi has a variety of restaurants, most of which cost about $25 per person for a complete meal with wine. The Caucasian Aul in the River Agura Valley is designed as a corner of an old Caucasian village. The waiters wear colorful Circassian costumes and serve regional dishes. Another interesting eatery is the Old Mill restaurant on Bytkha Hill, specializing in Ukrainian dishes.

The curious may take day or half-day trips for a change from the Sochi beach scenery. A worthwhile tour is the Dagomys Tea Farm, where visitors walk through one of the world’s most northerly tea plantations and sample fresh Russian tea. The tea farm is about 12 miles north of downtown Sochi in the Lazarevskoye area. Intourist officials will arrange tours, often offered as part of group itineraries.

Another side trip would be a ride to the Caucasus either by car or helicopter ($50 for a half-day trip). The panorama of the sea from Bolshoi Akhun Mountain is spectacular, and only 12 miles from downtown Sochi. The Caucasus has snowcapped peaks all year and a variety of trails for hiking.

For more information on Sochi and its environs, contact the Intourist office, 630 Fifth Ave., New York 10017, phone (212) 757-3884.