Hotel Grand Samarkand Superior - A

We had a really pleasant stay and would come back. The staff were especially warm and accommodating with our late check-in and other requests. Breakfast was delicious, and the Italian-style courtyard is a lovely spot to sit and have tea.

We stayed in Superior A and Superior B across the street. Both were very clean, and breakfast was reasonable. There’s a small bar, although the beer was a little pricey. The popular restaurant Platan is close by, and booking ahead is advised, with one or two other restaurants nearby. The main historical sights aren’t within walking distance.

For what you pay, this was a disappointment. The managers came across as arrogant, walking around as if they owned the world, with no smiles or greetings for guests. Breakfast could use more options and felt like a hostel menu.

The food was decent, but beer cost more than 50% above what other restaurants charged. Breakfast also meant a slow queue for the coffee machine: it took over a minute per cup, and the line kept growing. A machine like that isn’t suited to serving dozens of people. The hotel was clean, but our room had power sockets in awkward places, behind furniture and on the floor behind the beds. I talked to other guests, and they had the same issue. We stayed in four hotels in Uzbekistan, and I took an instant dislike to this one, probably unfairly. Still, they could have chosen a less pretentious name.