Soviet Union Where the Right People Rest

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The train from Moscow pulled into Sochi and disgorged passengers exhausted from the 850-mile, 30-hour journey. Waiting for them on the platform were about 100 residents of the lush Black Sea resort, some of them sweetly smiling, grandmotherly women who wanted nothing more than to share the genteel charm of their homes. "I have a nice little room to rent, a short walk to the sea, hot water, next door to a good restaurant," declared one. Two bone-weary women quickly began bidding furiously against each other for the room, even though neither had seen it, driving the price up from the equivalent of $7.50 a day to $10. The negotiations were suspended by a uniformed policeman carrying a bullhorn who tapped the saleswoman on the shoulder and told her, "Lady, go home. This is not a store."

But Sochi is the marketplace of dreams for millions of Soviet vacationers trying to exercise their "right to rest." The guarantee is contained in Article 41 of the constitution, and is printed on banners and billboards on the shoreline of the country's holiday heartland along the Russian and Georgian coasts of the Black Sea. As with many aspects of Soviet life, the utopian ideal is often more attractive than socialist reality.

Soviet workers, from pipefitters to Politburo members, receive state- subsidized vacations that differ as dramatically as the jobs they perform. Prominent members of the Communist Party and leading scientists luxuriate in secluded, heavily guarded mansions, supplied courtesy of the state. Even second-rank officials usually have a country house at their disposal. Tens of millions of their less exalted countrymen employ their wits and their blat (arm twisting and family connections) to gain entry to beachfront hotels, often located on the former estates of the prerevolutionary Russian aristocracy. Another much sought- after holiday choice for active trade-union members or people suffering from a diagnosed illness are woodsy spas known as sanatoriums. In theory, admission is by permit only, but in practice, anyone who can wangle a place gets in, and last year 60 million people managed.

Sochi, on the Russian side of the Black Sea, is one of the most popular resorts. Last year 4 million visitors walked along its shady lanes and admired its manicured shrubbery. But families do not necessarily share such pleasures. Because the permits for rooms at sanatoriums are distributed at places of employment or through trade unions, Soviet vacationers often take their holidays with their workmates. Said one beach-bound Muscovite: "Why would I miss my husband? I can see him all year."