Qazaq Auyl | Казах Аул — Hotel in Almaty

I had been wanting to stay at Qazaq Auyl for over a year since I first came across it online.

The resort has several unique advantages: -Location: Nestled right next to Medeu, surrounded by mountains and trees, the setting is absolutely stunning. The air is incredibly pure, and the property feels secluded in nature while still being close enough to the city center and Shymbulak. -Accommodation: The cottages are clean, spacious, and very comfortable — the addition of a private sauna is a wonderful touch that adds to the experience. -Dining: The resort houses Auyl Restaurant, a destination in itself. Listed in Forbes as one of the world’s 16 most beautiful restaurants and featured in the 50 Best Discovery list, it’s a must-visit for anyone coming to Almaty. -Service: Communication with the reception was smooth and entirely handled through WhatsApp. The staff was responsive and made a clear effort to assist whenever needed. There were a few hiccups though as described below.

There are a few areas that need to be improved: -Breakfast: This was the most underwhelming part of the stay. The options are extremely limited — you can choose how your eggs are prepared, but the rest is a fixed selection: porridge, cold cuts, sausage, sliced cucumber and tomatoes, bread, croissant, and jam. If you avoid processed meats or porridge, there’s not much left. Notably, there were no fruits offered. Given the caliber of the restaurant on-site, there needs to be an option for the hotel to work with the restaurant to offer a better breakfast, even if it comes at a slightly higher price. It would significantly elevate the overall experience. -Early Breakfast/Lunch Box: I appreciated the team’s effort to provide early breakfast/lunch boxes on days we had early tours (since breakfast starts at 9 am). However, the contents were limited to hot dogs, and on one day, due to a “technical” issue, we were brought regular breakfast instead. A bit more communication would have helped avoid confusion. -Spa Voucher: Our booking included a spa voucher (since we booked directly through the website), but this was not provided proactively. I had to follow up and only received it near the end of our stay.

Overall, I’d give Qazaq Auyl 4 stars — it would easily be 5 if not for the breakfast. With a few thoughtful adjustments, particularly to the morning dining experience and communication, this could become a destination to...

We went to Shymbulak Resort for skiing, and stayed at the hotel for 2 nights. Let's start with the positives: The infrastructure of the hotel is nice, as seen in pictures. Another positive was that they provided a private shuttle service to & from Shymbulak, which was convenient (we had just finished night skiing, and we had gotten a shuttle even at around 11:30PM). Despite these positives, we didn't have a positive experience here. Two major reasons for this: the service was really bad, and the hotel didn't have any noteworthy amenities. I paid $250 a night for this hotel solely because I love staying at nice hotels, especially in the mountains. When I am paying $250 a night, especially in a place like Kazakasthan which is considered to be a budget friendly destination, I expect a luxury experience. This was anything but that. Small lapses in service just added up: When we had finally reached the hotel after a long & tiring journey, we asked for some water at the reception, which was unavailable. Furthermore, we asked to use the restroom, which they pointed us to. When we told them that the washrooms were closed, they just simply ignored us and gave no response or solution. Another instance was that we had just finished skiing and were very hungry. Since it was our first day, I tried reaching out to the hotel to understand what options were available. I couldn't reach them for about 20 minutes, and when I finally got through to them, they asked me to text them on WhatsApp and they cut the call. When I texted them on WhatsApp, their response was super unhelpful and left us in the dark. These were just some instances out of the many that we faced, but it was a clear indication that there was a systemic lapse in service. When it comes to amenities, I was very disappointed. Breakfast was delivered in the room in paper bags, giving a very non-luxury experience. The hotel didn't have a spa, and had one restaurant which we didn't get to try as it was hard to get a reservation. Moreover, there was no access to food at night. No room service, no open restaurants, no supermarkets, nothing. When we had come back from night skiing at 11:30PM, we starved ourselves to sleep as no food options were available. I have stayed at other ski destinations, where options are much broader and have 24/7 supermarkets. It seemed more like an AirBnB...

We went to Shymbulak Resort for skiing, and stayed at the hotel for 2 nights. Let's start with the positives: The infrastructure of the hotel is nice, as seen in pictures. Another positive was that they provided a private shuttle service to & from Shymbulak, which was convenient (we had just finished night skiing, and we had gotten a shuttle even at around 11:30PM). Despite these positives, we didn't have a positive experience here. Two major reasons for this: the service was really bad, and the hotel didn't have any noteworthy amenities. I paid $250 a night for this hotel solely because I love staying at nice hotels, especially in the mountains. When I am paying $250 a night, especially in a place like Kazakasthan which is considered to be a budget friendly destination, I expect a luxury experience. This was anything but that. Small lapses in service just added up: When we had finally reached the hotel after a long & tiring journey, we asked for some water at the reception, which was unavailable. Furthermore, we asked to use the restroom, which they pointed us to. When we told them that the washrooms were closed, they just simply ignored us and gave no response or solution. Another instance was that we had just finished skiing and were very hungry. Since it was our first day, I tried reaching out to the hotel to understand what options were available. I couldn't reach them for about 20 minutes, and when I finally got through to them, they asked me to text them on WhatsApp and they cut the call. When I texted them on WhatsApp, their response was super unhelpful and left us in the dark. These were just some instances out of the many that we faced, but it was a clear indication that there was a systemic lapse in service. When it comes to amenities, I was very disappointed. Breakfast was delivered in the room in paper bags, giving a very non-luxury experience. The hotel didn't have a spa, and had one restaurant which we didn't get to try as it was hard to get a reservation. Moreover, there was no access to food at night. No room service, no open restaurants, no supermarkets, nothing. When we had come back from night skiing at 11:30PM, we starved ourselves to sleep as no food options were available. I have stayed at other ski destinations, where options are much broader and have 24/7 supermarkets. It seemed more like an AirBnB...