Best Eastern Dostyk Hotel

Every time I come to Almaty, I try and stay in a different hotel. I've stayed in Almtay Hotel, Hayatt but my favourite one is Dostyk. The building where it is now the hotel, used to be a KGB head quarters in Kazakhstan. So the spirit of rooms is great. It feels like you are actually staying in one of the cabinets of chief commander. The room are quite big.

Unique Quality: The views are stunning, overlooking Tyan' Shan' mountains.

Sitautated right in the heart of the city, this Soviet-style business hotel was a very decent place to stay. They offer free hotel pick-up and drop off, delicious breakfast buffet, and very good service in English. I was able to walk to most places very easily!

What I didn't know about the Dostyk was that there are two Dostyks right next to each other, but it's the same management. There's the Dostyk Hotel and the Dostyk Residence, which is right behind the hotel. I had a single standard room so I stayed in the Dostyk. I don't know if they have and single standards in the Hotel. The room was decent -- nice bed, cable TV, clean bathroom, but there were no pictures on the wall, and the room kind of smelled like smoke when I first walked in. There was a safe in the closet to keep my stuff too!

Overall, I had a good experience at the hotel and I definitely recommend it!

Directions: About a 15 minute walk West of Hotel Kazakhstan and North of Respulika Alangy.

Unique Quality: The Dostyk Hotel, built in 1983 and reconstructed in 2001, is located in the very city center close to the Presidential Palace, within walking distance of museums, banks and embassies. It is also what I would call the funniest looking hotel in Almaty. The old elegant architecture of the hotel is combined with modern interior design and provides all the amenities one can expect to find in a four-star establishment. At prices of some (though not the most expensive) western citiesý But worth it. It is also the smallest (or one of the smallest) good hotels in Almaty so a bit more personality and less crowds are guaranteed.