GRAND VIZIR in Khiva

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.