Радуга Вест

The rooms are clean and well stocked, with a fridge, TV, dishes, good towels, a hair dryer, an iron, and even an umbrella. The grounds have lovely trees and are very quiet, so it could suit older people or families with kids. But the beach is tiny, the piers are rusty and clearly haven’t been painted in a long time, and amenities are limited. Getting coffee in the morning is a hassle: the restaurant doesn’t serve it, and the reception machine makes bad coffee. There’s no ATM, so bring some Kyrgyz soms. The food is okay, though for the price I expected better. It doesn’t feel like good value for money.

For me, this is the best resort on Issyk-kul lake.

We stayed for a month in November and really enjoyed it. The breakfast choice was moderate, and the photos give a better sense of all the details. This is the best hotel in the area, with a very large complex and all the amenities. In summer, the villas are 50 meters from the lake, with bungalows and then the hotel building behind them.

The food was the highlight of our ten-day stay in early July 2022 with the children. It was plentiful, delicious, and varied. Apart from the side dishes and pastries, we hardly ever had the same dishes twice. Breakfast included porridge and a huge plate of pastries, and the administrator came by the dining room to check that everything was okay. There were some drawbacks: on weekends, lots of people came to the cottages for barbecues and other activities, and the smell spread through the whole boarding house. Cars were parked right beside the cottages throughout the grounds, even though there’s a parking lot at the entrance. I’d also like a designated smoking area on the beach, since many people toss cigarettes straight into the sand. It’s a great place, though I’d choose the off-season because the beach gets crowded at peak times. The indoor thermal pool is a lifesaver then.