Almaty, former capital until 1997, is the largest city in Kazakhstan and second largest in Central Asia after Tashkent, Uzbekistan.The city is located at an elevation of 700-900 metres in southeastern Kazakhstan near the border with Kyrgyzstan. It is still the financial centre of the country.

After my tour of 3 “stans” ended in Almaty I had a day and half before my flight back to Europe which was to depart at 3:15am! A couple of people on my tour flew out at 3:15am immediately after we arrived back in Almaty but I needed a rest as well as a chance to try out a Hilton property. The next flight was two days later and although I had to leave the hotel soon after midnight I needed to book two nights. Cash price was quite high for Kazakhstan at nearly GBP200 per night for an entry level room but only 30K points per night, so I booked two nights with points.

DoubleTree Almaty is close to the city’s main sports complex and not far from Republic Square and Independence Monument.










There was no upgrade but my room on the 8th floor was good size and had a view towards some mountains. I wish the window was cleaner.
















View from my room.




Breakfast in the 2nd floor restaurant was ok but not as good as what I’d experienced on this trip. Like the HGI in Astana there was a card on each table for ordering cooked eggs.

Dining floor




Kazakh traditional breads for breakfast






My breakfast




On the second evening I ordered a light meal of soup and salad from room service before leaving for the airport.

Quinoa avocado shrimp salad from room service




There are supposed to be an indoor pool and a spa but nothing was mentioned when I checked in and I didn’t inquire since I preferred to spend time sightseeing.

A metro station (Baikonur) is about 8 minutes walk from the hotel. Although there is only one metro line with 11 stations in Almaty, it can be handy to get around the city to avoid road traffic chaos. I used the metro to get to the cablecar station to go up to Kök Töbe hill. It costs KZT 120 or USD 0.23 per ride. Contactless credit/debit cards may be used but you have to walk through a dedicated turnstile.

Baikonur Metro Station - not as decorative as those in Tashkent.




View from Kök Töbe hill



View towards mountains from Kök Töbe hill




Ascension Cathedral Almaty - a Russian Orthodox cathedral made out of wood but without nails







Inside Ascension Cathedral Almaty