L.E.S. Hostel — Hotel in Almaty

This is an interesting hostel - the front half is an office with cubicles and a small cafe. The back half is the hostel. You will walk through the office area to get to your room.

Pros: great location, easy walking distance to most things. There are a few mini markets right outside. The staff are very helpful and were able to organize a few tours for us. Had nice amenities (free laundry + drying racks, ironing board, free tea/ coffee/ cookies, a small gym, one shared refrigerator, microwaves). The bed was comfortable. It is quiet at night. You can work during the daytime in the cafe if you need to. The wifi was good.

Cons: the room wasn’t cleaned while we stayed, although the trash was taken out. These rooms have no windows and no way to ventilate, so it gets very hot. You won’t have access to a kitchen, so meals will need to be premade or eaten out. The room is small but fine if you just need a...

Loved the combination of a canteen, a business center (co-working space, actually), a hostel and a gym facility on one floor. Wi-fi works great everywhere, you may use the co-working space facilities at any time, and tea/coffee/water + cookies are available 24/7 as well. Breakfast is healthy, filling. Loved the location - a museum, an entertainment center from one side, plenty of shops and cafes from the other side. Note: do not expect big rooms, they ARE tiny: just a (big) bed with no space around, and a couple of square meters going up to it to hang your clothes/put your luggage, so if one is claustrophobic, that may not be your first or second choice. Heating worked well, but as the room didn't have a window, one may feel stuffy in there - I was relatively fine as I didn't spend that much time inside,...

The hostel is a cheap option and the common area (shower, toilet) is kept relatively clean. There are free cookies and tea offered. Now the downside: 1) the mattresses are dirty and old. I had trouble sleeping because I could literally feel the worn-out bed springs on my back. See it for yourself in the attached picture. 2) no breakfast was offered without prior notifications “due to the pandemic,” but if you’re currently in Kazakhstan, everybody knows that this is just a convenient excuse to be stingy. 3) the walls are super thin, and I could hear my neighbor sneezing and watching YouTube videos well past 2 am.

FYI, I stayed in both the single and double rooms and I’d give the former two stars.

Won’t recommend staying here unless you’re broke or only care about...