California

If you are a foreign traveller who wishes to escape deeper into Kazakhstan rural area, this village is a good choice. The hotel itself is fine and you have to appreciate having a Soviet-era hotel, located in a small village, named Hotel California ;-) The room is large, very large. Lots of windows and natural light. The bed was large and wonderfully comfortable, would easily accommodate a couple. Breakfast was decent, though depends on your luck, too. My aim was to go for nature walks nearby and that was, more or less, fulfilled. You can easily go for a couple hours stroll along the river, which runs nearby. There are sauna facilities, which you can book, for a small additional fee.

Upon my arrival, the receptionist was pleasant and tried to be helpful. Tried, because they had a major confusion due to not seeing my reservation. Once they found it, it appeared that the room that I booked was occupied already. However, they showed me to an equally large and pleasant room so that wasn't a problem. What did bother me was the discrepancy (perhaps unintentional) regarding the 'en-suite bathroom': that was the description on Booking but, in fact, the two rooms share one bedroom. Frankly, it worked out well as the only other guest who stayed opposite me was out most of the day. Lastly, bear in mind that the place is quite remote and, if you are not driving, you may have difficulty getting in and out. On the morning out, the duty manager was very helpful with finding and ordering me a taxi to the next city.