Laida Hotel

Wasn’t good.

Comfortable hotel, with one of the best bedrooms.

Getting around was a pain. The hotel is at least half an hour by taxi from the city center, and Tashkent traffic is awful, especially heading back during the 5-9 pm rush. It’s a two-floor building, and we were on the second floor with heavy bags and no lift. The room and hotel smelled strongly of cigarettes. The owner smoked at the lobby coffee table every day, and our room had a powerful mix of smoke and other odors that lingered even after the windows had been open for two days. My clothes picked up the smell from my open suitcase, and the bathroom drain stank too. Breakfast was bad. We had to trade our room cards at reception for vouchers each day, one per person, and the restaurant checked every one. The first time I’ve ever had green peppers stir-fried with green peppers. Cleanliness was questionable as well: the blankets were only half folded when we arrived, instead of being made up with flat sheets, and the sheets had lint on them. The staff showed no sense of service. We paid an average of 340 RMB a day, then found out the landmark four-star Uzbek hotel in the city center cost only 380 RMB.

The room itself was so new, cozy, and comfortable that I’d rate it six stars on its own. The hotel is a little out of the way, but being picked up at the airport was a big relief. There’s no elevator.