Argo Guest House

The hosts are lovely and go out of their way to help. It’s a nice family home with good facilities and lots of amenities in the room, especially for the price. I paid 1700 som for a room and a balanced, filling breakfast. They have two dogs and a cat.

The guesthouse was spotless, and the breakfast was great. The helper who served it was especially sweet and polite. We were allowed to check in at 11am, which was handy, though there was only a small covered area for bikes. The main issue was the small, loud dog. It chased me and bit my leg twice when I came in one afternoon. I’d completely forgotten the dog was there, so it really shocked me. The second, lab dog was lovely. I was surprised the hosts didn’t acknowledge what happened or apologize. When I spoke to the lady host the next morning as we were leaving, I suggested putting up a warning sign at the gate or asking guests to ring the bell before entering. It seemed like this could have been avoided. She smiled and said thank you, but didn’t apologize, and I didn’t get the feeling she’d act on the feedback. I’m posting this as a warning to other guests. This was our second guesthouse in Karakol, since the first was fully booked.

The big room is really nice, with a north-facing balcony that keeps the midday sun out in summer. For Karakol, the rooms and bathrooms are outstanding. I’d choose a guesthouse over a hostel any day, since you get to meet people from the area rather than just other visitors from abroad.

We paid 36 USD for a spacious room with a balcony and chairs, refillable water, and a hearty breakfast with fresh fruit and vegetables. There was porridge too, though I didn’t get a picture of it. I’d highly recommend Argo Guest House in Karakol. The host’s English is limited, but enough to get by. Laundry costs 400 som per load. We fit about two supermarket bags of clothes in, maybe 7-12kg, but that’s only a guess. They hang the washing up to dry and don’t have a dryer, so it may not work if you’re in a hurry. Thanks for the hospitality!