Yellow water and other hotel hazards as Sochi prepares for Winter Olympics

IF you can get past the toilets that can't handle toilet paper, there's yellow-coloured water that can't touch your skin.

SOCHI is about to host the most expensive Winter Olympics in history.

In its efforts to turn a summer resort on the Black Sea into a world class Olympic venue, the Russian government has spent a whopping $57 billion. But with the opening ceremony just three days away, and the athletes and journalists already in town, Sochi still isn't ready.

Helpfully, Deadspin has brought together some of the more interesting problems noticed by members of the media so far.

Chicago Tribune reporter Stacy St Clair arrived at her hotel in the Rosa Khutor area to find it had no running water. Some conscientious workers at the front desk warned her not to use the water on her face if it came back, because it contained "something very dangerous".

Eventually, the water did return, and it was YELLOW. Not lemon-flavoured Starburst yellow, mind you. More like human urine yellow.

My hotel has no water. If restored, the front desk says, "do not use on your face because it contains something very dangerous." #Sochi2014

— Stacy St. Clair (@StacyStClair) February 4, 2014

Water restored, sorta. On the bright side, I now know what very dangerous face water looks like. #Sochi #unfiltered pic.twitter.com/sQWM0vYtyz

— Stacy St. Clair (@StacyStClair) February 4, 2014

German photographer Joerg Reuter was even less impressed with his accommodations. He even wrote a letter to the tournament organisers to complain.

"The outdoor area and floors/staircase/elevator inside were still under construction and completely dirty," Mr Reuter said. There was "no light in the main room, the water out of the tap was yellow/brown, the air conditioning, TV, kitchenware were all not working ... In some rooms you actually saw that there are still the construction workers sleeping and living."

Sleeping construction workers? That's nothing compared to a toilet that doesn't flush toilet paper.

People have asked me what surprised me the most here in Sochi. It's this. Without question ... it's ... THIS. pic.twitter.com/1jj05FNdCP

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) February 4, 2014

Meanwhile, a correspondent for The Globe and Mail arrived in Sochi to discover his hotel wasn't even remotely close to being finished.

Ok, so my hotel doesn't have a lobby yet.

— Mark MacKinnon (@markmackinnon) February 4, 2014

For those of you asking, when there's no lobby in your hotel, you go to the owner's bedroom to check in. #Sochi2014

— Mark MacKinnon (@markmackinnon) February 4, 2014

This is the one hotel room @Sochi2014 have given us so far. Shambles. #cnnsochi pic.twitter.com/RTjEkmyan3

— Harry Reekie (@HarryCNN) February 4, 2014

CNN booked 11 rooms in one @Sochi2014 media hotel five months ago. We have been here for a day and only one room is available. #cnnsochi

— Harry Reekie (@HarryCNN) February 4, 2014

Still waiting for "preparations" on hotel room to finish. Hoping they're origami-folding toilet roll, rather than, say, putting the roof on.

— Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) February 4, 2014

Water main break means no water at our hotel in #Sochi. Could take awhile to fix. #CTVSochi

— Rosa Hwang (@RosaHwangCTV) February 3, 2014

The reception of our hotel in #Sochi has no floor. But it does have this welcoming picture. pic.twitter.com/8isdoBuytl

— Kevin Bishop (@bishopk) February 4, 2014

The life of an athlete is generally much more tolerable, although still more intimate than the Canadian hockey team would have expected.

One of rooms Canada men's hockey team will stay in pic.twitter.com/7OJQd2m4bq

— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) February 4, 2014

Finally, you must remember the infamous "double toilets" photo that was snapped several weeks ago. We now know for sure that the twin toilets are real, because a pair of cheeky athletes found them.

Прибывающие на олимпийские игры иностранные спортсмены с удовольствием позируют в диковинных туалетах города Сочи pic.twitter.com/NFzUmybHar

— Илья Яшин (@IlyaYashin) February 3, 2014

Keep your chin up, Vlad. It's all going to plan.

"Who organised the best Winter Games ever? This guy, that's who."