The rooms have been refurbished to a good standard and compared to the Regent (now the Intercontinental) and the Hyatt it represents excellent value for money as the other 2 hotels are very overpriced. True some areas need a little attention but it is only cosmetics and it surpasses a three star western hotel in standard. I found all staff to be perfectly ok, approachable and friendly and would I stay here again for the money?.......yes I would for sure.

Essentially a 3 star hotel, the Astana International is a buget business hotel which is suitable for a few nights stay. It is clean and habitable, if a little dog-eared. Some of the staff were really nice (notably Anton down at the cellar bar and pool hall), although others were a bit dodgy. If you want to arrange a trip to the nearby ski resort of Chimbuluk, for example, be careful as we got overcharged by one of the receptionists who organised it for us. We paid 100 dollars for it (for a forty-minute ride). Next day we contacted a private company who took us all the way to Charyn canyon and back (some six hours drive) for only 160 dollars. Caveat emptor, as they say.