National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan
October 2024
4
Beautiful museum interior and ell presented historical information in English. Very good to learn about Kazakhstan from past to present. However, definitely a hit and miss with the staff working here. Some staff was helpful, but I cannot say that about the lady working on 5th floor last Saturday. When I went up to the fifth floor and I showed my ticket, she said no entry. (first of all, when I bought my ticket, nobody explained which exhibitions I can enter and not enter, that is why I am trying all of them.) So she just said “no” and ignored me, acting like I am a nuisance. I asked “OK I can buy ticket?” She said ‘no’. I said “Where do I buy the ticket?” She said she doesn’t speak English. Then she ignored me and turned to talk with other guests who spoke Russian. Staff should be trained to be able to respond to such questions because it is really unfortunate when they are behaving rudely. When you are working in the biggest National Museum in the capital of a country that receives tourists— How is it not possible to understand a question about “buying ticket?” It is possible for staff to find someone that can translate, or using Google translate instead of just behaving poorly to the visitor. That is not the way you get more tourism by being unhelpful.
Alma-Ata
October 2024
3
very average stay in the heart of Almaty. Location is good. Facilities are kept clean. Never felt too crowded. Good lockers. Price is cheap. Atmosphere can be strange. To be honest, this hostel simply attracts weirdos. I felt uncomfortable with some of the people, mostly men and locals that seem to be living there. I was okay with this hostel until the last day. Upon collecting my bags at 4PM, the woman repeatedly told me that “check out was at 12 check out was at 12!!” The thing is I did check out, I left the Hostel. I gave her the key, and I didn’t use any of the facilities. I just left my bags in a corner of the room and didn’t use or need anything else. She kept pointing to the sign, but what am I supposed to do— leave my bags out on the street? It was just 4 hours! I didn’t ask her to watch my bags. I just left them in a corner of the room. This isn’t even ‘luggage storage’ because that is paying someone to keep an eye over your bags and put them away safely. They should clarify in the beginning that “no bags can be left inside the hostel after noon” if it is really such a big problem. I wouldn’t book here again just because of this situation. Makes no sense for anyone that has traveled (but maybe the owners have never traveled in their life.)
Arasan Wellness & SPA
October 2024
3
I love to check out a good local spa/sauna when traveling. So when I came for visit to Kazakhstan and saw how loved this place was, I decided to give it a go. Yes there are a lot of different types of steam rooms and dry saunas, all sorts of treatments you can get, from massages to scrubs, and a Restaurant as well. The facilities are great. However, what shocked me was that they charge you for every minute you exit late beyond the hours booked. Nobody even told me this when I bought my ticket. If someone informed, I wouldn’t have been a mere four minutes late… After all, it’s only four minutes! If I knew a fee I could be avoided if I would’ve hurried up more, it would be easy. I’ve been to spas in many different countries and never experienced a fee. The other thing is that the clock at the exit is different from the clock in the changing room. It was also different from the world clock on my iPhone. So even though I was “four minutes late “by their clock, I was seven minutes late. This is charged 80 Tenge per minute. And staff needs to ensure the clocks are matching up/ have the correct time, or else they are just scamming people 😉