How can a tourist choose a hotel in Almaty?
Almaty City is the most popular city for tourists in Kazakhstan. Cultural and natural sights attract hundreds of thousands of travelers to the city every year. It is very important, to book a room in a good hotel so that your holiday in Almaty leaves you with only pleasant impressions. It is good to consider local characteristics and, based on them, make the right choice.
Budget
To decide which hotel will be the better choice, you need to understand how much you are willing to spend on accommodation and additional hotel services. The price of your accommodation can include breakfast, Wi-Fi, and a parking zone for the rental car. More expensive hotels allow guests to visit a gym, pool, spa salon, and other facilities. In Almaty,the cost of hotels is higher in the central, eastern, and southern parts (the upper part of the city) and cheaper in the western and northern parts (the lower part).
Proximity to attractions
For those tourists who prefer a city holiday, we recommend booking a room in one of the central hotels. In this case, you can easily visit most of Almaty’s sights, such as the Park of the 28 Panfilov heroes or the A. Kasteev Art Museum. For those who like to be active and walk in the mountains, hotels in the upper part of the city, closer to the Trans-Ili Alatau ridge and the high-mountain skating rink "Medeu" are more suitable.
Window view
Usually, when people go on a trip, they want to take a break from the everyday urban landscape. Almaty is located at the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau, which lies in the south of the city and shows stunning views of the mountains. Therefore, it is crucial to consider whether the hotel window views will meet your expectations: for example, if the windows face the south side, or at least the southeast side, where Mount Kok-Tobe with the TV tower can be seen. Urban landscapes await you on the western and northern sides of the metropolis.
Transport accessibility
The proximity of hotels to metro stations, bus stops, and transport rental points also plays an important role if tourists intend to move around the city on their own. Almaty has a developed transport infrastructure, like metros, buses, and trolleybuses, as well as the rental of bicycles, scooters, and cars. And if, for example, you prefer to travel by metro, then you need to know that there is only one metro line in Almaty. It starts at the intersection of Raiymbek and Nazarbayev avenues, stretches south to Abay Avenue, and then west to Momyshuly Street.
Reviews
Pay attention to tourist reviews of hotels on popular booking sites or travel platforms, especially the negative ones. However, please take into consideration not only what rating guests left but also for what purpose they booked the hotel. For example, a quiet and cozy hotel, suitable for couples with children, should not necessarily appeal to lovers of noisy parties, and vice versa.