Kazakhstan accommodation from NZ$43

An ideal place to stay during a layover. Late-night check-in, a delicious breakfast featuring local treats, a clean rooms and gym, and friendly staff.

The standards have declined noticeably since I first visited this hostel many years ago. It's in a great location near the bus station and park so it is always busy, mostly with tourists from China, but the standards have gone down too much.Firstly, the bean bags in the common area smell very bad and likely haven't been washed in a long time if at all. After midnight you find Chinese guests sleeping on them all night...and the mens bathrooms are really bad. The soap in the toilets disappears from Chinese tourists that remove it to shower with and the toilets themselves are always dirty, once again due to the toilet habits of the Chinese tourists. There are no hangars available which is simple to solve and the staff conduct a room check at 09-10am when check-out is at 12? The general common area is still bright and spacious and the WiFi is decent.There is also free drinking water and complimentary towels, slippers and soap. Laundry is a very reasonable 500 too, though once again without clean bathroom facilities, this location has lost its appeal for me.

Centrally located and all-around terrific, the Almaty Hotel was a great place to stay. The lobby is a bit underwhelming, but the room was very nice—clean, spacious, and comfy—and the breakfast bar (which even has a whole outdoor seating area) was absolutely stellar. Very nice hotel for a first-time-to-Almaty stay.