Almaty-and-Astana : Sleep : Astana Sleep
Perhaps even more so than in Almaty, hotels in Astana are geared towards the businessman – a characteristic reinforced by the fact that they tend to fill up when President Nazarbayev is in town. Currently the three smartest hotels available are the Intercontinental on the Right Bank, which was recently eclipsed by the opening of the newer, fresher Radisson on the banks of the River Ishim. Located on the Left Bank, the Turkish-run Rixos is probably Astana’s most luxurious hotel, although perhaps not the best destination for gourmet food.Although names such as ‘The Comfort Hotel’ and ‘The Business Hotel’ may sound off-putting, some of Astana’s smaller hotels have more charm than their larger counterparts. Two of our favourites are The Comfort Hotel on the Left Bank and Akky on the Right Bank, just a short walk from the river. Be prepared for reproduction furniture.
A new development on Sary Arka Prospect on the Left Bank will see four or five new neighbouring hotels connected to a series of themed restaurants, which should be completed by the beginning of 2008.
Service is generally okay and tends to be more personal, although not necessarily faultless, in the smaller hotels and more efficient in the larger ones. The concept that the customer is always right is still a new one in this fast-developing country.
