Hotel IRTYSH

I stayed here during a short business trip to Pavlodar. The hotel has two wings, one old and one new, which share a common lobby and the breakfast room - I stayed in the old wing. My room was quite large, and had two single beds. The bed was quite comfortable, as was the desk chair. The room also contained a TV and a bar fridge (unstocked), and a large closet. There was no kettle, but hot water was available from a water dispenser by the elevators. The hotel also provided two complimentary bottles of drinking water. The decor was slightly dated but pleasant enough. The bathroom was quite modern, although it took some time for the water in the shower to warm up - once it warmed up the water pressure and quantity was fine. The hotel also provided a bathrobe and slippers. The in-room WiFi signal was not very strong but good enough for WhatsApp video calling. Breakfast was served in a large room that I think doubled as a banquet hall - the tables were large enough that my entire group could have breakfast together. The buffet had a good selection of hot and cold breakfast items - cereals, eggs, breads and pancakes - and also pizza, satay and dessert items. A slightly weird mixture, but the food was tasty enough. Except for the brewed coffee, which was incredibly bad - stick to instant if you need a coffee fix. The front desk service was very good. I arrived from Astana by train in the early morning, and so was at the hotel well before check-in time, but was allowed to occupy the room early, and have breakfast (for a small charge). They also let me have late check-out the following day (for half a day's charge), so I could make use of the room until it was time to leave to catch the late-night train back to Astana. The desk clerks were all very efficient and friendly. The hotel is in an ideal location near main shopping streets and the river. All things considered it was a very good choice for my trip.