Boutique Hotel Traditional

It's kinda quirky but hey, it's very well-situated. It doesn't really cater for non-Russian/Kazakh speakers, but they try, I'll give them that. They're friendly enough, and the decor is bizarre (they call it 'traditional'....ok) - but the rooms have air-con that kind of works (everything kind of works) and the breakfast is actually quite good, once you've got them to understand what you want. Check out the English 'Breakfast fit for the Quenn (sic)' on their menu, where apparently Elizaabeth 2 liked canned peaches (!) but maybe she did. I told them that it's King Charles now, but I think my point got lost in translation. I guess that the lack of English speakers is due to their standard clientele, so I didn't complain, but it's a bit odd nowadays. Whatever - straight over the busy main road (and the soundproofing is good) and you've got some great eating places, malls, you name it - and to the right/east you can walk up the main thoroughfare and see all the sights of the weird urban experiment that is Astana. Beds are comfy and the place is clean, although in general it needs a bit of a face-lift (like me). Go for it - it's a bit of a laugh, as long as you're patient.