Farovon Khiva Hotel

As soon as we entered our room a very unpleasant toxic smell burnt our throats. It was a disgusting odour that hit us every time we returned to the room. Since leaving we have all had sore or phlegmy throats, we think because of the chemicals in the room. Bizarrely, though there were tea and coffee facilities no spoons were provided to stir with. The service from staff was generally good, though our first room service order took 40 minutes longer than the promised 20, not ideal as we felt famished after a long day's journey. We had specifically asked for balcony access but a prior guest had walked off with the key to the door and the hotel had no spare. It was opened after a time by a locksmith and staff said they would keep it open. However, a room cleaner closed it again and this time when a staffer showed up to open it late at night they couldn't do so. Nor did anyone show up at 9am as promised, so the balcony remained off limits till we left. The courtyard was a highlight, an extremely soothing environment suffused with the sound of running water and with covered seating areas with rolled cushions. On our first night 😞 we ordered the chicken kebab and when it arrived the chicken smelled as if it was off, it was tacky, tasteless and utterly inedible. It was perhaps just as well because if we had eaten the chicken we believe we would have fallen unwell. The helpful staff did not charge us for it and apologised with some honey cake, which complimented the excellent Turkish tea. For other meals we ordered pizza, which was high quality and authentic. The hotel is far too far from the centre to walk to the old city. We had to take a taxi every time we wanted to go in, which made a sunrise experience almost impossible as few drivers were awake at 5.00am. The breakfast was good and bad as all the pastries were dry, but the omelettes were great (though not available early). The gym was tiny for such a large, plush hotel, as is the pool. Overall not remotely worth the money, and we are still suffering the aftermath of the room toxins.

Unfortunately, Hotel Farovon was a mixed experience for us. During our one-night stay, the bathroom flooded while we were taking a shower. Then we experienced an electrical issue; after it was supposedly fixed, there was a loud buzzing noise coming from the electrical panel. We asked to change rooms, and although they said they would move our belongings, we ended up carrying everything ourselves after returning from dinner. The new room was actually an upgrade, but surprisingly, the bathroom was older than the previous one. On the positive side, the beds were comfortable and the breakfast was quite good. Also, the hotel promotes having three restaurants in their guest book, but we were told only one was operating. Overall, considering the price (which is significantly higher than average in Khiva), the experience did not fully meet expectations. At the very least, some form of compensation or gesture would have been appreciated, but there was none.