Marhaba Boutique Hotel

We loved staying here, and the hosts made the visit feel special. The hotel was clean, authentic, and lovely, with nice rooms that were clean too. You can relax outside in the yard, at a table or on a topchan, and enjoy the nature. Breakfast was nice, with options from samsa to eggs. This has been one of the best places we've stayed in Uzbekistan so far.

I had a confirmed, non-refundable reservation through Booking.com, but the hotel canceled it without my consent shortly before I was due to arrive. Two days before the stay, staff began calling repeatedly and pushing me to cancel, saying they had a “group of tourists” coming and “no space” for me. They tried to get me to cancel so I would be charged the non-refundable fee. When I refused, they kept pressuring me and offered cheaper, lower-quality accommodation at another location, which wasn't what I had booked and didn't match my reservation. Booking.com confirmed that the property refused to accommodate me and failed to honor the booking. I had to go through its relocation process and find somewhere else at the last minute, an awful situation for any traveler. In my experience, this hotel is unreliable and unprofessional and doesn't respect guests or their reservations. They overbook, manipulate customers, and cancel confirmed bookings at the last moment. I strongly advise travelers to avoid it.

The rooms are former students' cells, opening straight onto the courtyard, with modern and comfortable facilities. This ancient madrasa is a protected monument and a quiet oasis amid the bustle of the market city. Its wonderful garden is a lovely place to sit and enjoy the scholarly spirit of the place. Most of old Buchara's monuments are walkable from here, and Poy Kalyan square is a 15 minute walk away. The traditional seating on the elegant mattresses is best enjoyed if you're not allergic to cats, since they seem to belong mostly to the cats.

We were left without anywhere to stay after the hotel canceled just five hours before check-in, at 9 am, even though we'd booked two days earlier. We were traveling by train and had no signal, so learning about this only that morning made the situation worse. The hotel said a room had been “mistakenly” listed on its website, which sounds like its own overbooking error, not Booking.com's fault. That also contradicted what the receptionist had told us and made it seem like we were being blamed. We understand mistakes happen, but we should have received an apology. Instead, staff were rude, and they offered no help beyond a refund and relocation, not even a free meal. I would appreciate someone rectifying this situation.