Hotel Tarelka / Futuro House

The Hotel Tarelka is located in Dombai, Russia high in the Caucasus Mountains and is home to a Futuro. Given that the original idea behind the Futuro was for it to be used as a ski-cabin the Futuro in Dombai is probably the only remaining example with a use that, while not exactly as intended, is pretty close to that originally envisioned by Matti Suuronen back in 1968.

The Hotel Tarelka is not a typical hotel; it is not located at the bottom of the ski slopes but rather it is way up on the mountainside. The Hotel information suggests getting down into the valley late at night or early in the morning is difficult because the funicular is closed. If you have an early flight home after you trip you either need to ski down [with your luggage - I am not a skier but that does not sound like much fun] or spend your last night in the valley at a different hotel. The benefit for that restriction? When you get up in the morning you are already up the mountain and ready to ski; not lining up with everyone else to get up the mountain.

The Futuro acts as the "mess hall" for the hotel which is really a group of cabins that can accommodate 8 - 12 people that is normally rented out en masse.

So, if you are a skier and a Futuro fan what could be better that the Hotel Tarelka? You can get more information about the hotel on the Dombai.info website or maybe you just need to call that travel agent of yours.

Location note: As you may have noticed the Google Maps imagery for the location is basically nothing; hopefully at the next update they will have some much improved imagery to use. In the meantime though it is not possible to confirm the precise location of the Futuro using Google Maps it is reasonable to assume the co-ordinates quoted are accurate. They were sourced from the reputable site World Architecture Map.org and are confirmed by the placement of several Panoramio images on Google Maps as well as information in several articles and blogs by people who have stayed at the Hotel Tarelka