Samal Resort & SPA — Hotel in Almaty

So, the hotel and the facilities are quite nice! The bedrooms and bathrooms are beautiful, but beware. The beds are super hard and lumpy. It's like sleeping on the box spring. I'm mostly confused about why they call themselves a spa. Most hotels have a pool, so in my book that doesn't it make it fall into the category of a spa. There are a couple of saunas, but in old soviet countries, this too is not uncommon. In my book, you are a spa if you offer massages, facials and such. As soon as we arrived (around 13:00), we went down to book a couples massage. We were told that we had to book a day in advance. NO WHERE on their website does it say that. So, we tried to book for the morning. Come to find out, all of their masseuses work off site and are contracted in. They can only come at night, as they work during the days at a different location. So, needless to say NO massage....our whole purpose in choosing this particular hotel. Also, be warned. They advertise that they offer over 60 massages, I looked at their menu and only counted 32. Not a huge deal, but another thorn in my side. One other thing to note, breakfast was sad. There was fresh watermelon, but the rest of the fruit was from a can. The potatoes and sausages were not kept warm, so they were cold. The coffee was HORRIBLE! The only thing that was pleasant was the oatmeal. Over all, I was disappointed. It was not what I was lead to believe from other reviews, or from friends. We had to laugh, as we left. They have a doorman. His sole purpose is to open the door to the lobby and maybe assist with luggage. Every time we passed him, he would stand off to the side and just watch us. Not sure what he is getting paid to do. Samal Resort and Spa have some learning to do. It is ashame, because it has so...

Our stay at Samal Resort & Spa was very enjoyable. The staff were friendly and helpful, creating a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere throughout our visit. The location is excellent—close to Medeu and ideal for long walks among apple and berry trees. The mountain views from the room were stunning and added to the experience.

The food was another highlight. Breakfast offered a wide variety of delicious choices, and the lamb kebab at dinner was particularly memorable—flavorful and well-prepared. The restaurant staff were kind, generous, and attentive, which made dining there a real pleasure.

On the downside, the bathtub in our room didn’t work properly as water kept draining out even when closed, and the charging points were placed inconveniently. These were minor issues and didn’t affect the overall experience.

Samal Resort & Spa is a lovely place to relax, enjoy good food, and take in the beautiful...

I think we visited this hotel at the wrong time (end of july). The hotel was almost empty, which meant that some things weren't as usual: no breakfast-buffet, but breakfast (no buffet) in the lobby; the swimming pool was not in use, because of maintenance; we didn't feel comfortable going to the restaurant, because there was no one else there. There was a lot of staff (and they seemed very busy), but we didn't see many other guests. This gave the hotel a bit of a weird feel.|However, our room was very nice and the staff was friendly. The location is very convenient to go to Medeu and the mountains beyond Medeu. I feel that if we had visited the hotel at a different (more busy) time, our impression would have been quite different, more positive. |I would recommend this hotel anyway, because of the location. If you're going for the spa at the wrong time of year, you might be...