Travel and Accomodation

Flight

Flights to Almaty

For our London friends and family 1. Air Astana - Our recommended airline. Kazakhstan's flagship airline and the best in terms of comfort, service and routes. Direct flights from London on Tue/Thu/Sun. Price: appx. £530 return economy/ £1600 business 2. Turkish Airlines. Plenty of flight choices to Almaty with a stopover in Istanbul. Price: appx. £450 return / £1800 business 3. Lufthansa. We don't recommend flying Lufthansa unless business class/premium economy. Their economy has limited legroom. --- For our Toronto friends and family: 1. Turkish Airlines - Daily flights with a layover in Istanbul. Outbound layover is around 5h. There is a YOTELAIR transit hotel which is perfect if you want to rest for a few hours. Flight price: appx. $1200 return. 2. Lufthansa - quicker total travel time however the Frankfurt-Almaty leg has old planes with less comfortable economy seats. We'd recommend Premium economy/business as their economy has limited legroom. 3. Direct flights from London with AirAstana (our preferred option from London). --- For our friends in other parts of the world you may also want to consider: 1. Emirates - Very good option. However, please make sure that the flight does not have a codeshare with/operated by FlyDubai! Flydubai is a low cost airline. 2. Qatar Airlines

Hotel

SADU hotel/ отель

Sadu is a cozy boutique hotel with an amazing Kazakh ethno SPA. Sadu will be our main destination for all the pick-ups and drop-offs that will be arranged for the guests. - We have negotiated a Standard Room group rate - 47,000 tenge for single occupancy (c.£75/$98 USD) / 54,000 (c.£85/$112) double occupancy. - Deluxe: 87,000 kzt / 94,000 kzt - Lux - 97,000 kzt / 104,000 kzt **The rooms have been blocked until the end of December**. Email: reservation@saduhotel.kz using the code 'Yelena&Sanjay' to get the special rate. The rates are inclusive of breakfast and SPA access. This Neo-nomadic SPA is must visit, you will love it!

Hotel

The Ritz-Carlton, Almaty

The Ritz-Carlton has stunning views of the city and considered Almaty's best hotel. It is located right next to Almaty's high-end mall which offers a variety of dining and shopping options. The Hotel is 7 mins walk from Sadu hotel. Average rate: $500/night Transfers will be arranged from/to the hotel to bring guests to the celebrations venues.

Hotel

"Almaty" hotel

Almaty hotel is located in the city's historic centre. It is a wonderful location to stay if you are planning to stay in Almaty a bit longer. The hotel is minutes away from city's best restaurants, cafes and bars. We recommend all guests to stay either at Sadu or Ritz during April 18-20. However, if you are spending few days before or after the celebrations, we recommend moving to Almaty hotel for a couple of days. **Important! Please BOOK SUPERIOR OR DELUXE ROOMS ONLY. Almaty hotel is one of the oldest hotels in the city and offers recently renovated (superior/deluxe) rooms. The unrenovated rooms are incredibly substandard.

Travel Note

Taxis

Almaty is generally very safe. Taxi is the best way to get around. It is very difficult to hail a cab on the street and this is not recommended. See the FAQ section for more on using Yandex which is the main taxi app in Almaty AIRPORT - HOTEL transfer. You have 3 options: 1. Ask hotel to arrange your transfer (cost 9,000 tenge/ appx $17) 2. Get an official cab from airport - Blue Sky Taxi. We recommend to pre-book your taxi - https://blueskyenergy.kz/eng. You can also get a taxi from their counter. Price - 9,000 tenge. 3. Yandex (uber alternative). Please book Comfort+ or Premium cars only. It might be a bit confusing to find a car if you do not speak the language, so better take option 1 or 2.