Grand Vizir Hotel

The overall experience was below expectations - after reading so positive reviews I had expected more. The hotel is in a good location, within city walls and walking distance from all attractions in Khiva. I found a substantial difference between the common areas (entrance, reception, breakfast room) which were quite nice and our room. I knew the room was going to be small, but it was also not cozy at all. Just functional. View was over a wall (we were at the ground floor). I assume ours (room 108) was one of the cheapest one (we did not make the reservation ourselves). The bathroom was better, with a proper shower. We spent 3 nights at the hotel. The day after arrival housekeeping did not come to fix the room. In the evening we actually had to ask for toilet paper and to have the bins emptied. The following day when our guide talked to breakfast personnel (in Uzbek) about it she was told we had asked not to have the room done, which was obviously not the case. There was a kettle in the room, but we only got some tea bags & Nescafe on day 2, so if you plan to use the kettle better have some tea bags with you. Breakfast was ok but nothing special - as I found fried eggs quite heavy, asked one day for boiled eggs which I got. On departure day since we left at 6 am they had prepared a nice breakfast pack for us. All in all, a mixed experience.

I stayed three nights in this hotel with a group tour. It was not the (better) hotel advertised on our itinerary so I suppose I may have started off biased. The hotel is located just within the walls of old Khiva. It is only about 10 minutes walk from the centre of the unique old town, in what seemed like a residential area. You need ask for a good map with the location marked on it to find it on the way back (local people can't tell you the way)! Our rooms were small and very basic. One fellow traveller said this was the sort of hotel she had stayed in when she was a student but not the sort she wanted to stay in now we are retired. I think that was a good assessment. The en suite bathroom was small and a bit smelly. Beds were not great. They didn't even put the duvets in their covers for you! The view from the window was into the windows of a house nextdoor. There is a roof terrace which you can sit on and see the sunset. They have tables and chairs but have not made any attempt to make it attractive. Breakfast was not plentiful and very ordinary. Some unsmiling staff had to be asked repeatedly for more milk to go with the instant coffee: they put about 50 ml out at a time in a small sauce boat! Staff on reception were not very helpful. They had refrigerated beer, water and wine for sale but beware: you can only buy wine by the bottle, not by the glass and you have to pay cash for it. In fact you have to pay cash for everything - they had no card payment facility. So, very basic but within walking distance of the main sights.

This hotel is located in the historical town. It is about 700 -800 meters from the bus drop of location. The room was small and clean, but the water was not draining well in the shower. This hotel does not have a water cooler in the lobby. The lobby is not non-smoking. Not sure who smokes there - staff or guests. Breakfast was ok.