Schoolchildren's Palace

This hotel is easily the best in Astana and possibly all of Kazakhstan given its price relative to its room sizes, services, and location. When I first landed, the hotel was ready to dispatch a taxi well before I downloaded Yandex (the ride app in KZ). At the ground floor, you walk out to the beautiful Hazrat mosque; the American Embassy is on your left right across the street. Coffee Boom—one of the coolest chains in Kazakhstan—was right next door and often our go-to breakfast spot (for Americans, imagine Starbucks with the menu size of Cheesecake Factory with always fresh, made-to-order quality food). The hotel also has two stores inside for when we needed water or other things. The staff is easily accessible through Whatsapp and usually respond promptly. Furthermore, the staff is pretty accommodating of circumstances like when my flight was delayed, they made sure someone was available for when I actually arrived. A few quirks. The washer is a bit tricky to use if you’re a foreigner and expect to air-dry your clothes on the enclosed balcony. You also need to buy your own water and refill as needed, but it is very cheap (having said that, the tap water does seem ok you can brush your teeth with it and wash your face—I noticed my teeth were even whiter after a few days of brushing with it). The shower spray is VERY strong much like an exfoliating pressure wash and can get scalding hot. To conclude, if you want an Elite vacation, you’ll want to stay in Elite Aparthotel!