Shams Hotel

We paid 170€ for three nights in triple room 202, with breakfast and free cancellation. It’s on the road around the city, but you can take Yandex everywhere, and I thought it was worth every penny. The family lives in the building, so it feels a bit like a chambre d'hotes. Our room was a good size and carpeted, though I’d remove the bathroom carpet. The shower is old-style, so keep that in mind if travelling with older people. There’s no lift, and you have to carry your own luggage, though staff will help. They have a good range of amenities, including toothbrushes and flip-flops. Our son loved the small pool, but there should be more comfortable places to sit or lie beside it. Breakfast was very good, not a buffet, but they kept bringing plenty of choices. One mattress was broken, and they’d forgotten to turn on the hot water, but they fixed both when we told them.

For a comfortable stay on a budget, Hotel Shams is a good pick. The staff are friendly, the rooms are clean, and there’s an outdoor pool. It’s close to the main sights, so getting around to explore is easy. Breakfast could be better, but I had a solid stay.

The welcome was great, with fresh coffee and smiling faces. Breakfast had lots of choices, including bread, sweets, vegetables, and fruit. We had the best two-day stay of our visit to Samarkand.

I left my passport at reception, and the staff reacted quickly by sending it to me by post in khiva. Thanks to them. The hotel is good value for the price.