Hotel Keruen inn Aral

The staff were helpful and professional, and the view stretches across the steppe, with camels roaming and Aral town in the distance. Rooms are small, but they’re cleverly arranged, clean, comfortable, and quiet thanks to the triple-insulated windows. They’re air-conditioned and have private bathrooms. A fridge or minibar would have been useful. For meeting travelers from all over the world, this is the best option in Aral.

The hotel itself is fine, with great rooms, but the café had some serious problems. We ordered dinner and waited 40 minutes for soup, even though it only needed reheating in a microwave. The achichuk was mostly onion, about 80%, with just 20% tomato. When I asked why, they said that was their recipe. Breakfast was another issue: it was included in our booking and paid for, but sorting it out took around 15 minutes. It only got resolved after I said we’d pay to eat elsewhere and report the problem to trip com. The hotel is okay, but I’d drive past the café.