Hotel Khanaka — Hotel in Turkestan

The hotel was mainly let down by the front desk staff and its service - we arrived in the low season, during the height of summer, only to find a less-than-enthusiastic welcome at the front desk, almost as if they weren't expecting any tourists. (We did only see another foreign couple at the breakfast room throughout our one-night stay.)||||If you're considering a stay based on its review in Lonely Planet, perhaps you may wish to consider the other main lodging alternative in Turkestan - Hotel Edem, which is only a couple minutes' walk away. It was undergoing major refurbishment during our visit (August 2019) so I'd expect it to be a better option when it re-opens. The restaurant (which doubles up as the breakfast room) in Hotel Khanaka was somewhat dismal, and when we inquired about the possibility of having lunch there, we were directed instead to head to the restaurant at Hotel Edem (which actually serves up a decent selection).||||One saving grace of this hotel was that there was strong, reliable air-conditioning in our room - an indispensable essential in the height of summer, where temperatures can reach up to 45 deg C. Thankfully it is only a very short walk to the adjacent Mausolem of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, which I presume will be the reason why you are intending to visit Turkestan and hence reading...

The hotel was mainly let down by the front desk staff and its service - we arrived in the low season, during the height of summer, only to find a less-than-enthusiastic welcome at the front desk, almost as if they weren't expecting any tourists. (We did only see another foreign couple at the breakfast room throughout our one-night stay.)

If you're considering a stay based on its review in Lonely Planet, perhaps you may wish to consider the other main lodging alternative in Turkestan - Hotel Edem, which is only a couple minutes' walk away. It was undergoing major refurbishment during our visit (August 2019) so I'd expect it to be a better option when it re-opens. The restaurant (which doubles up as the breakfast room) in Hotel Khanaka was somewhat dismal, and when we inquired about the possibility of having lunch there, we were directed instead to head to the restaurant at Hotel Edem (which actually serves up a decent selection).

One saving grace of this hotel was that there was strong, reliable air-conditioning in our room - an indispensable essential in the height of summer, where temperatures can reach up to 45 deg C. Thankfully it is only a very short walk to the adjacent Mausolem of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, which I presume will be the reason why you are intending to visit Turkestan and hence reading...

This hotel is a great choice as it affords wonderful views of the main sights in Turkestan which are located nearby. Rooms were large comfy and very well maintained with a good ironing service. The staff at the front desk spoke excellent English and were very helpful. Even though the hotel was very busy with a conference a staff member took us to the post office as we had difficulty in locating it and acted as translator in order that we could send our post-cards. The front desk helped us by arranging trips to Sauran and onward transportation to the Uzbekistan border which went well. However, one of the drivers thought he was Lewis Hamilton in training for Formula I so we requested another one and the hotel met our request – no problem. Unfortunately at the time of our visit they had no chef so the restaurant was closed but the highly pressurised ever helpful reception staff managed to provide breakfast for us. Hopefully by now their restaurant problems have been sorted. This is definitely the place to stay...