One of our newest guides in Riga! Tamara did a little interview with Tanja:

What’s your motto? “Carpe diem!”

Any hobbies? Billiards, learning languages, photography, travelling (worked as a flight attendant)

Favourite types of movies? Drama, action, anything that takes my breath away

Favourite types of music? RnB, pop, hip-hop

Places you’d most like to visit? Anywhere exotic, or different or is really difficult to reach. I just want to get to know the world!

Favourite things about Riga? Lovely cocktail bars and open-air terraces (in summer!) and the food is great too

Favourite part about being a Stag Republic guide? Being surrounded with so many men - who I can control!

Editorial note from Tamara, our tour manager in Riga: Tanja is the shining star of Riga, a little pearl who astonishes men’s hearts with her beauty. If Tanja guides you through Riga you can be sure that she will take you to the best places in the city. However, behind this pretty face there is a hell of a lot of strength as well. She never gives up and never takes “NO!” for an answer.

Whoa - watch out lads!

Hope to see you in Riga soon!

We’ve introduced Tamara in an older post, but we’d like to get to know her a little bit better; please read on to acquaint yourself with our lovely Baltic Region tour manager:

My name is Tamara. I’m 28 yrs old, and I’ve been working at Stag Republic for over three years now. I started at the company as a part-time guide in Budapest next to my studies.  As the years passed I absolutely fell in love with guiding and decided to stay with the company even after finishing my degree. In fact, I started up the Riga branch and became destination manager. I still guide in Budapest on occasion.

What do I love about this job?

The vibrant environment, meeting new people, exchanging cultures, etc.  I lived England for over 5 years (went even to 6th Form and university there). When I moved back from the UK I started to miss the people and speaking English, so this job gave me the perfect opportunity to keep up  my English-language skills and to be surrounded by Brits!

Why Riga?

I have Russian roots, and when I first visited my friends in Latvia, I felt at home. Everybody speaks Russian and everything reminded me of Russia, but still, it has its own spice. Riga is an amazingly cool city, with loads of parties, lovely bars and restaurants, a great atmosphere and really nice people.

The beach is nearby which makes summer more enjoyable, and there is plenty of snow for winter-lovers, so what else do you need? After many visits to Riga, I finally decided to move there, and have been living there for half a year.

Funny stag stories …

Well, to be honest, I  can definitely NOT say all groups are the same! Each group has its unique traditions: the dress , the drinking games, so on… But each time there is one out of the group that surprises me, and that’s the reason why its never boring!!! I have many stories to tell, but here is one of the funnier ones:

I had been out on a pub crawl with one of my groups. One of the guys was really drunk and he couldn’t remember how he lost his expensive watch. The watch which he actually hadn’t lost because one of his mates had it but hadn’t told him. The poor bloke was really upset, but his mate was in stitches because he didn’t tell him he had it and let him go to the police station while the rest of the group was having fun. He had to sit for most of the day in a stuffy police station with people who couldn’t understand a word of English. Just before departure, when he finally sorted the police report out and had gotten the necessary papers, the other guy took out his watch and gave it to him. I will never forget his face at that moment!!! It was really funny…

Favourite activities:

Of course the best time with a group is on a pub crawl (sometimes this can be the worst as well). It’s the most fun when the group can really get to know the guide and bond with the other members of the group, because sometimes not everybody knows each other. A great pub crawl really sets the tone for the weekend.

BUT my second favourite is the sauna party in Riga. It’s a nice relaxing time but still can get crazy, especially in when you rent the sauna out with your own booze,  music and company (wink, wink - nudge, nudge )

And last but not least - winter bobsledding!!! It’s fun fun fun! An awesome adrenaline rush!

Hope to see you in Riga soon!

Tamara

We love the ladies here at Stag Republic, but our crack team of guides does include a few lads - lads who know what’s what in the local drinking and strip club scenes. Oleg is one such lad, he’s our man in Riga. Here are a few pictures and tidbits introducing him:

Studying:

Tourism and Hospitality Management - just one year left to go!

Hobbies:

Travelling, sport (ice hockey) and girls

Fave movies:

James-Bond, Vanilla Sky, Memento , basically movies where one is made to think

Fave music:

Hip-hop

Place I’d like to visit:

Cancun, bc of the cheap tequila and hot birds

Favourite things about Riga

The girls, because they are hot - especially in the summer when they’re almost naked

Why I like to guide for Stag Republic:

Getting to know many people can never be boring and partying with them is even better.

One of Oleg's favourite pasttimes - GIRLS!

Oleg is the best local lad to be taking you around in Riga. He has amazing knowledge of all those  little hidden treasures of the city. Being a student he knows where all the best parties are happening and he has the connections to get you in to them.  Having spent many years in the UK Oleg is the perfect Riga guide for your stag weekend. He loves hip-hop, girls and partying - what more could you ask for?

Drinking beer with the lads

Hi!

My name is Elizabete. I’m 25 years old and I am an art student, therefore, I LOVE anything to do with art.

My hobbies are photography, drawing, designing jewelry, meeting people and traveling.

My favorite restaurant in Riga is Lido, which is a fast food version of Latvian cuisine. The service is fast and there’s a great variety on offer. The decor is really cool and all Latvian-like. Traditional Latvian music is piped in which makes the experience even more charming. My other fave is Citi Laiki which is similar to Lido but it’s a proper sit-down restaurant. Prices at both restaurants are very reasonable - even the locals can afford it!

My favorite bar in Riga is Skyline, which is on the top floor of Reval Hotel Latvija (the tallest building in Riga). The view - especially by night - is stunning. It’s a really trendy bar. The DJs play chilled, ambient music, the whole atmosphere is very relaxing yet lots of fun. They have a great variety of cocktails too. Prices are up-market but it’s totally worth it just for the view.

I just love the pub crawl bit of my job - especially the titty bar part! It’s so much fun to watch the stags change in an instant and forget about everything -truly living in the moment…

Hope to see you in Riga soon!