Ak Altyn

Decent hotel in a good location of Old Ashgabat. The rooms are dated, especially the bathroom, and very warm. Air seemed to circulate with the air conditioning, but the room never became much cooler. It's possible to open the window, but the sun filters into the room all day so our room was quite warm most of the time. Breakfast was a basic buffet. Reception and restaurant staff spoke English well. The hotel is a short distance from the airport and has some city highlights, restaurants, and a grocery store within walking distance. WiFi requires a 24-hour voucher and is good, although some websites are restricted. The hotel will also hold luggage if needed.

This hotel was not our first choice, but others were all unavailable because of visiting delegations. This hotel seems to have been preserved in a time bubble since the soviets walked out in 1991. That is apart from the mould and other ageing deterioration which continued on! One room had rusty brown shower water, another had mould extending up the wall. The porcelain toilet was cracked through. Our double room was provided with just one towel, and the second towel provided after request was damp and unusable. It took a long time to arrive and took multiple requests. However, we did use their laundry service and it was prompt and satisfactory. !

I stayed here for 3 nights as part of my Turkmenistan tour in April 2024. This was the first hotel I stayed in upon my arrival to Turkmenistan. The hotel is certainly quite dated and its wear and tear are showing through. Based on the furniture and decor, the hotel must be from Soviet times, and despite its worn out state, I think that is part of the charm of staying here. The front reception lady was friendly and hospitable, and spoke very good English. My room was spacious and had a nice view of the city skyline. Although you can see old stains on the walls and bathroom, the hotel room itself was clean. I was only given a small towel, tiny bar of soap and shampoo. Based on some old photos of this place, I think they skimmed down on toiletries because it looked like they used to provide more. My room was not made, and I am not sure if that is intentional or not (to be more environmentally friendly?). The safe in my room was also not working, but I was able to lock my valuables inside my luggage. The one nice bonus about this hotel which I think has changed from the past is free Wifi. They offer a 24-hour voucher, and you are allowed to ask for another voucher once it expires. The Wifi was reliable for me in different parts of the hotel. Breakfast was included as part of my stay. It was very simple and basic, and consists of pasta, meatballs and meat stew, pancakes, hard-boiled eggs, deli meat slices, cheese, and vegetables (cucumber, tomatoes). To drink, I think they had tea, as well as instant coffee and juice. If you need a real coffee fix, there is a nice cafe just across the street (Uzum Cafe) that serves coffee and specialty coffee drinks (e.g. latte, flat white). The pool was not open during my stay as I was informed they are only open during the summer.