Hello Dushanbe Hostel

The location is excellent, and the rooms are nice and clean, but there’s no WiFi or credit card payment. There aren’t any reading lights by the beds, and breakfast is mediocre. The building also doesn’t seem very earthquake resistant, given the large ground floor hall and subpar materials.

It was helpful that the reception staff and a few others could speak some English, especially for foreign visitors in Tajikistan. Inside, the wooden floors, lights, and stairs gave the hotel a lovely atmosphere, but there was no sign outside to help you find it. Our first-floor room was quite large, and the bathroom was big too. Like other hotels in the region, though, the toilet had no Muslim shower. The bathroom shower wasn’t working properly. We told the desk twice, and although they said someone would fix it, it still wasn’t repaired during our two-day stay. At checkout, we couldn’t find anyone to hand the room key to. It’s a guesthouse with no elevator to the upper floors, so carrying heavy luggage down at checkout could be a pain.

I stayed three nights and found it clean, comfortable, and affordable compared with other hotels nearby. The service was excellent, the beds were comfortable, and the bathroom was nice with a hot shower. Dorm beds cost 100 somoni with breakfast or 80 without, while private rooms were 300 somoni. A good hotel or hostel, 10/10.

The hotel is about 3 km from the city center and 2 km from the airport, so there’s no need to pay for the expensive airport transfer. The rooms were nice, with a large bathroom, but the water pressure kept changing, and one night there was none at all. Breakfast was the same each day: coffee, one banana, and one packaged doughnut, with no variety.