[pandemic]

Can anyone who adopted from Almaty city give any recommendations on accomodations? Hotel vs. apartment? Any other Almaty travel tips would be most appreciated as well - restaurants, shopping, things to do, etc.

[jtsmommy]

HI! We adopted from Karakastek (Almaty Region) so we stayed in the city the entire time, I would try & stay at a apartment, it should be cheaper plus you can cook your meals & it's just more room then staying at a Hotel. My apartment was on Dostek (a main drag in Almaty), I would walk down to the Green Market, Tsum & Panflov Park almost everyday. You can also go to Gorky Park & the Zoo, its not that great but it makes the day go faster. You could also go to the Central Museum & Art Museum, I liked them both.

As far as restaurants, I loved the Jede(sp?), its in the Lonely Planet book for Kaz, SoHo is great, Mad Murphy's was good (esp after several weeks, LOL), American Bar & Grill, we also got pizza from a restaurant up the street, be prepared that pizza in Kaz is not going to be anything like "our" pizza. We cooked at home for the most part & it worked out great.

[auntuptonow]

I, too, just returned from Kaz. I spent only 2 nights in Almaty, at 2 different hotels. The Hotel Almaty was a dump and very expensive. The Hotel Kazakhstan was better-- some parts of it were very impressive (when you walked into the lobby you would think it is a luxury hotel), but the rooms were not as impressive. They were quite small, and oddly enough, one family in our group did not have a sink in their bathroom. But the bottom line is that they were more than habitable, particularly if you are only in Almaty for a short stint before/after you travel to another region. Good luck on your journey.

[mlb]

We stayed in an apartment and it was quite nice. The apartment was $110 a night and was a block fro the mall and many restaurants.