Karim Parkside Hotel

The gardens around Ishonch hotel are green and beautiful, making for a calm, pleasant atmosphere. It’s right in the heart of Samarkand and convenient for the main tourist attractions. The staff were friendly, polite, and trustworthy, and the service was top-notch. I found the value excellent and would strongly recommend staying here.

We looked at two rooms and both were in bad shape, so we left. They were very dirty, had no view, and there was neither hot water nor heat. The hotel also looked worse than the photos. We nearly walked out straight away, but after our good experiences with hotels in Uzbekistan, we decided to give it a chance. The staff were not friendly either. Sorry, but the place is a mess and needs to be cleaned up.

The facilities and breakfast at the hotel were good, but the car rental situation was a problem. We booked a car for Shahrisabz and Hazratidovud for $140 per day, but the driver understood that we were only going to Hazratidovud. We ended up canceling and taking a taxi. That morning she asked us to pay in advance, but we didn't, so fortunately we could cancel. We lost three hours. A local person advised us not to pay before arriving at our destination, and I’d pass on the same advice to avoid being scammed.

The location was perfect, facing a nice park with fountains and about a five-minute walk from Registan. The family running the place were friendly, caring, and helpful throughout our stay, always checking that we had what we needed. Breakfast was made to order, and they asked what we wanted. When we had stomach problems, they tried their best to accommodate our diet. The shower water pressure was low once, but they fixed it right after we told them. We really enjoyed staying here and would highly recommend it.