Mary Hotel

Not much choice so this hotel will do but it really is shabby, smelling of sweat and cigarettes (you can open the window). You do get water and a safe, and the usual tv channels. Breakfast is instant coffee, white bread toast and sugar masquerading as jam. Our guide went to the market opposite to get us fruit and yogurt. We thought our toilet was broken and grabbed a house keeper in the corridor. With much amusement he raised two fingers and stuck them into both flushing buttons at the same time, pushing hard. We got the impression he enjoyed instructing tourists how to flush. However, it’s about the best stopover place for the archeological sites so just go with it, and you can walk to a nice Turkish restaurant a few streets away in the evening, plus visit the market and check out the wedding shops. The assistant loves to show off her glitter and meringue!

An impressive looking hotel, with large lobby and lounge area. Rooms were non smoking but we could smell cigarettes and ceiling smoke detector was covered in cling film! Room had kettle and fridge, however on a 14 day tour this was only hotel that didn’t supply tea bags or coffee sachets! Breakfast was a bit basic, no toaster available.

Stay somewhere else! Horrible. One of the most depressing hotels I have ever stayed at…nothing worked in the room, old tired, dirty. No WiFi, hard beds, lights didn’t work, filthy carpets, lukewarm water, breakfast didn’t even have milk for the coffee? Terrible place..

The place reeks of cigarette smoke. Changing rooms only helped slightly. TV was broken and solution was to eventually change it out. Sadly no international channels of the seven offered. Table lamp had a defective switch that was spliced over and taped with cellophane tape. A fire hazard that we un plugged. Hair dryer broken. Breakfast was a joke. Ran out of milk after 30 minutes and bus boy replenished bread bowl with uneaten bread from the tables. You get the idea.

Great looking building with a imposing entrance this hotel is flawed by being badly run. My bathroom had worn out towels, no toiletries, a mounting for the shower that could not be used as it span around and cracked floor tiles from the water that leaked from the shower. The bed was 2 singles pushed together so the light switch and socket were behind one of the pillows. For breakfast I was given a cling film coved plate with some bread, jam, meat butter and a long life cake along with another plate of 2 fried eggs. The staff all appeared to be totally disinterested as if the guests were unimportant.

... and it isn't the result of an oversight in the service: water really isn' provided. Particularly deplorable feature, in a substantially desert climate like that of almost all of Turkmenistan. If you ask for bottles at the lobby, you will be directed to the hotel bar, where you are forced to pay for the water. And you have to pay cash, it isn't possible to charge water to your room bill. Furthermore, the wi-fi connection in the rooms has been particularly weak. Too bad, because for everything else the hotel resembles the others we experienced in Turkmenistan. Monumental (if not sumptuous) common areas, clean and flawless rooms and bathrooms. The level of breakfast is sub-standard. But this is a problem that I have experienced as generalized in Turkmenistan.