Hotel Swissôtel Wellness Resort Alatau Almaty

The grounds are huge and lush, so even though the hotel is just outside the city, you soon forget you're still close to town. It's a great base for visiting family and friends, or for a quality, relaxing break while touring the 'stans. This was our second stay, a wonderful mini-break with my family. The rooms, food, amenities, and service were all superb. The spa was the highlight, with several indoor and outdoor pools and saunas. Denis, the resident personal trainer at the gym, was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. He gave me an impromptu lesson on proper weightlifting form, and I still use his tips.

The rooms were enormous, each with two bathrooms and a drawing room, and it was warm inside despite the cold outdoors. Breakfast offered lots of choices. The hotel itself is beautiful and huge, with open space, gardens, and a banquet hall.

We booked 4 mountain-view rooms for 5 nights and had some of the best moments of our lives. We got 2 days of snow and a day of rain while we were there. The breakfast spread, service, and hospitality were way beyond expectations. This resort has my heart, and it's a wonderful place to unwind and spend time with your loved ones.

There was no help at the door when we arrived with heavy bags. We had to take them out of the taxi ourselves and carry them up the stairs. Is this really a 5 star hotel? The restaurant we wanted to visit, which was advertised online, was permanently closed, and that wasn't mentioned. Some pools were also closed for maintenance, though fortunately not the ones we planned to use. Breakfast cost 19, 000 tenge each, which felt exceptionally expensive for what it was. Some items cost extra, and there was no barista coffee. We had to make our own stale coffee from what seemed like a 10 year old machine. The food we ate was good, but the poor coffee and high price left a bad impression. They also wouldn't let us use the pool on checkout day. Our flight was at 11pm, and we hoped to use the spa after checking out, but they charged full price for spa access that day. That was frustrating. We either had to leave our bags at the hotel, an hour from the centre, and make a return trip later, or drag large suitcases around town. No spa discount for hotel guests, poor help at the entrance, closed facilities, expensive meals, and no pool access after checkout. I don't recommend this hotel.