Iris Hotel

My flight was at midnight, and the receptionist helped me out by finding me a seat while I waited. They were clean, kind, and welcoming. I have no regrets about staying here.

Avoid this place. It was dirty and things were broken. Our room hadn’t been cleaned, and we found bugs. The bathrooms were partly broken, hot water came and went, and it was noisy at night. It’s far too small for more than two people. Service was poor too. We had to beg for towels and toilet paper. Breakfast arrived late, and the order was wrong, so we didn’t even try it. I strongly recommend finding another hotel.

The room was small even for two Asians, and for what we paid, I expected better. It was at the back near rooms still being built and an open rear door. The air conditioning didn’t work, the windows wouldn’t latch properly, there was no hair dryer, and the pillows were soft and limp. They had no extra pillows. At least we got towels, teabags, cups, and a kettle, and the bathroom was bright with what looked like new fittings. Getting there was a bad start. The taxi left us in a dark alley behind the hotel, by metal stairs leading up to the first floor. We called the hotel and relied on the driver to help make sure we were in the right place. Staff did help carry our luggage upstairs. In the morning, breakfast came in a paper box with scrambled eggs, vegetables, and toast. We’d ordered one breakfast with sausages, but they weren’t included. When we went out the front door, there was a strong, nasty smell. My husband thought it was hydrogen sulphide, perhaps from the laboratory downstairs. That also explained why the taxi dropped us at the back, since the front is a footpath where cars can’t stop. It made for an unpleasant first day in Almaty, and we decided to move to another hotel.

We paid RM 252/ night through Agoda, and it was very poor value. In the middle of the night, navigation sent our taxi to the back lane. The hotel takes up the first floor of a building, and the only twin-share room was tiny and claustrophobic. The air conditioning was filthy and didn’t work. They were renovating rooms beside ours, though no work took place during our stay. We cut our stay to just two nights.