Memo's Boutique Guest House — Hotel in Karakol City

I had the pleasure of staying in Memo's guesthouse for 4 weeks, and therefore feel confident that I can give a complete and valuable review for those of you considering staying there. ||||Memos guest house is aiming to be a comfortable place, where you can enjoy higher accommodation standards, during your trip in central Asia. Living in local hotels and guesthouses is part of the experience, but some times you want European mattresses, unlimited hot water, powerfull wifi, outlets next to your bed, and other luxuries we tend to take for granted. ||The kind owner proudly showed me everything he had done with the place, and particularly the things guests don't notice. Trippel filtered water, high-quality laundry detergent, and an electric system with fuses for every room (making the house fire safe).||I got homemade breakfast every day, with a variety of dishes made by his lovely local staff. Some evenings he had a barbeque where he offered pork(!!) which is impossible to get in this part of the world, and absolutely delicious. Being Italian he also makes amazing Italian food, with imported olive oil and pasta. ||||The atmosphere is calm and homy, while still being close to the city centre. I was working in the centre at the time and enjoyed my short walk to the office every day. Close by is a great cafe called "lighthouse" where you can get super coffee, and you are also very close to the famous park. ||The owner, Memo, knows everything about the area and can organise trips, treks, pickups and transport. He is also very(!) interested in motorbikes, so if you're driving through the country you really don't have any other choice than to stop here. ||||I would recommend everyone to stop by this place as it made my 4 months in Karakol great and to meet the kind and...

Memo's guest house must be the best guest house in Kyrgyzstan. I arrived and was greeted not only with fresh herbal tea (a secret recipe), but also the amazing sight of the gardens with a back drop to the mountains. A stunning view. The guest house has a very homely feel. A home away from home, with the nicest rooms I have stayed in this country. The owner, memo, is a wonderful host, making sure you have everything you need. He was also very useful in organising other activities such a horse riding, where we got a discount as he knows all the best guys in town. He was very helpful in providing information for the local area, as well as organising my permit to visit the border zone with China. ||The food here is very tasty, on my first night it was so nice to have lasagna, a nice change from Kyrgyz food; but the local food was also great. At the guest house on my second evening I had the best plov I have ever had. If you come to karakol this is a place you must stay. When you stay be sure to ask memo to play some music. He has a very good...

First of all this isn't the easiest place to find, but that seems to be something that a lot of guest houses in Karakol could have addressed to them. I don't know if it's a local or Kyrg thing but more signs in the surrounding area will help people locate your business. There are/were also 2 Memo's on Maps.me on adjacent blocks to confuse things further.

The guest house is really clean and nicely decorate. Our room had 2 comfortable beds and a decent shower. We couldn't get the TV to work but that's not a big deal. There is a communal lounge and also a central area with a large table to hang out with other guests, plan your hiking etc.

There isn't a great staff presence, so if you want something, want some information etc, you may have to go off in search of someone to help. English isn't spoken by all of the staff so you may need to be creative or learn some Russian.

If you're a cat lover, there's also a lovely little ginger kitten there who...