Imperial Palace Hotel

I liked the place because it has a BIDET!!! It’s also very close to Bukhara Old City Area, with the center bazaar and kalan mosque an easy walk away. The hotel is simple, fairly large, and authentic, and it made me feel like I was at my grandmother’s house. I was surprised to find a bathtub in the room.

The Booking page said cards were accepted, but I was told to pay cash. I only had large USD bills, so they said they’d get change and asked me to pay the next day. The next day there was still no change. At checkout, he said he’d get it from then on. Staff tried to charge me $60 even though the fixed price was $50. Later, the owner returned from trying to make change without any dollars and asked whether I wanted to pay cash or by card. Why had they said cards weren’t accepted? When I tried to pay by card, he charged $56. I asked what the extra charge was, but he ignored me and told me to hand over my card. When I asked him to explain and didn’t give him the card, he got angry, yelled at me, and tried to leave the building. Staff said the price was $50 if I paid cash. Since they said that in front of the owner after he had tried to charge $60, it seemed to me he meant to take an extra $10. In the end I went to the money exchange, broke up my $100 bill, and paid them. It seemed they had never planned to prepare dollar change and were going to exchange my $100 instead. I don’t understand why they kept saying it would be ready tomorrow.

The road outside the hotel is narrow, so keep that in mind if you have luggage, though it wasn’t a big deal for me. The owner showed us how they make halva, a traditional snack. Just ask if you want to see or buy some. I had a good experience, and it was worth it for me. It’s near the old city, which you can explore in the morning, and the room was good for a fair price.

Everything you need is here, and I slept well.