Baikhan Hotel — Hotel in Bishkek City

I stayed here with my family while at a conference. I booked by phone/email from the US before travelling.||||Location: It was great to be here and not in the bustle of Bishkek. The conference I attended was at AUCA, which was a quick taxi ride.||||Property: The property was clean and tidy and well-groomed. The grounds and the lounge were both very nice. We didn't get a chance to take a dip in the pool, but it looked very enticing.||||Food: The included breakfast was amazing. They had a nice spread of bliny, cheese, sausage, cereal, veggies, delicious apple cake, etc., and also made complimentary hot dishes to order (kasha, omelettes, and the like). We got omelettes a few times, and they were excellent. We didn't eat any other meals at the restaurant.||||Other Services/Amenities: When we requested an iron, they brought an iron and ironing board straight to the room, and then took them away when we called. The wifi had a strong signal and was fast. There was a range of TV channels.||||Staff: The staff were super friendly and helpful. They called taxis for us and helped make sure ahead of time that they had seatbelts in the back for our child's carseat. We spoke with them only in Kyrgyz and Russian, but it seemed that among them, they knew a range of other languages too, including English.||||Room: The room was large, clean, welcoming, and comfortable. We requested and were provided with a roll-away bed free of charge. Even with the bed, the room was spacious. The air conditioner worked well. The mini-fridge comes stocked with stuff they charge extra for if you eat/drink it, but we moved those things aside and put in a few things of our own.||||Bathroom: The bathroom door rolls side-to-side and doesn't latch, which we didn't like that much—we caught our fingers in it, and our 2-year-old kept opening the door while people were in the bathroom. I guess they have solar-heated water. The temperature was fine in the mornings, but at night the cold water was warm and the hot water was tepid. It was confusing and a little annoying. Some of the towels they provided were nice and soft, but some were rough and itchy.||||Price: The price is a little high for a place to stay in Kyrgyzstan, but the is worth it for the atmosphere and services...

My 3* review is based largely on the hotels appropriate response to an uncouth circumstance, otherwise I would have rated it lower. In overview, I had booked 11 nights with breakfast via a booking website for a very good price. I noted it's exceptional online reviews and photographs and expected more than was infact the reality. I should note that this seems to be the case with many hotels at the moment as the last two years has impacted the tourist sector greatly and consequently hotel maintenance/service had been reduced. That said, I noticed the delapidated driveway upon arrival and the unclean windows to the entrance door immediately. The card machine needed a little time to charge also, and the edge of my passport was ripped-off when it was photocopied. Nevertheless after requesting to view the room I was content. There were clear upkeep issues throughout the hotel, however, the staff seemed nice-enough and I desired the location which is a upmarket area of the city. The room was good enough given the price paid - though only 1 out of the numerous light-fittings was working, so it was quite dark. The bathroom was large and light which is a plus. The photos I have provided are generous, though they do detail the positive attributes.

Unfortunately when I arrived back at my hotel at 2am there was no answer. I called the only phone numbers available and pressed the bell endlessly for almost an hour before having to climb over the roof into the courtyard (which wouldn't have been possible for virtually any other guest). I was naturally infuriated and requested a refund, to which they appropraitely responded - with a written apology, a box of chocolates and a full-cash refund mostly in dollars (though I paid with Visa), as-well-as the option for me to continue my stay free of charge (though I moved elsewhere). I'm not sure why nobody was working that night to enable me entry, but naturally this led to a necessity to move, though I felt they responded very appropriately and promptly indeed. For the price that I paid, had the main issue not occured and regardless of the other upkeep pointers, I would consider the hotel good value based on the breakfast (which was decent), the location, and the room/bathroom...

Stayed there for a week. On the second floor in room 11 which looks exactly like the one described by Jonathon. There is a mountain and a pool view facing south and north. I agree that the water pressure isn't ideal so it took about 3-5 minutes for the water to warm up. When I referred to the guy's story they simply told me that the receptionist was so tired that just fell asleep and didn't hear the ring. Things happen you know. People at the reception are all nice and helpful. They speak English quite well.

The views are stunning for USD 25-30 per night. Plus the super fresh air from the nearby mountains allowed me to keep the balcony door open till early in the morning before the sunrise. No mosquitoes.

The air conditioner worked just fine. The fridge was good. I kept there fruit bought from the fruit store next to the block of apartments across the busy road

There are two decent supermarkets in two and three minute walking distance respectively. The simple Plombir ice cream at 52 som per a small bucket bought in Frunze is superb btw

In a picture below you can see the upscale building where one of the supermarkets is located. I bought there ready made meals to take with me in the mountains which I visited five times during my stay. Actually that was the reason for booking this hotel before knowing about the great area it is in.

The area is considered posh with the highest house prices in the city per sq.m If you are brave you can take an infrequent cheap rather crowded minibus to the city center but I advise against it and rather install the Bi Taxi app and order cheap taxis to get you there. It seems that I was the only solo traveller as there were many families with kids but there was no noise inside or outside...