If you are wondering about where the best place to stay for your next visit to Shymbulak Resort then please read on!
Shymbulak Mountain Resort is a great all year round resort high up in the mountains surrounding Almaty. It has a range of different accommodations to suit your needs, and is a fun visit. It is so close to Almaty that you can easily make it a day trip. However, there’s something very cool about staying overnight and starting your ski (or hike!) day first thing the next morning. But with so many options, how do you decide on the best place to stay? We’ve stayed there 4 times over the years: twice at Shymbulak Hotel, and once each at Sneg Hotel and Tenir Eco Hotel. There are also a few other options if you plan on staying overnight which I will mention, but of course I can’t provide a first person account.
It’s worth remembering to check if evening skiing is happening the night you are planning to stay at the resort. We’ve made the blunder before where we booked the night expecting to be able to ski in the evening. It does put a bit of a dampener on things if you expect to ski and then have to stay in. In the 2023-2024 season the Evening Ski nights were Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Of course, if you don’t want to do any evening skiing, then just book for whenever you feel!
I’ll provide a review of each of the places I stayed, and to be totally upfront, I’m going to recommend each of them because they were all fun, in slightly different ways. Lets start with the first place we stayed.
Sneg Hotel
Situated halfway up the slope you will find Sneg Hotel, just to the left of the first chairlift (Combi 1) exit. You enter the hotel via the large terrace area and can check in at the restaurant bar, which serves as the reception. The hotel is well run and there are only a few rooms, so do book well in advance.
We stayed the night at Sneg during ski season, in March 2023. We had a lovely room downstairs at the base of the hotel, overlooking the slope. At 2,850m above sea level, it had a great view down the mountain towards the city. The restaurant is at the top of the building and all rooms are below it. Be warned there is no lift (to be fair, none of the hotels at Shymbulak are accessible in this way). The room had plenty of space and was gorgeously decked out in a lodge style theme.
There are no pools or big common saunas here, however, our room did have a small private sauna in our bathroom.
Breakfast is included with the rooms here. Please note the rooms can only accommodate 3 people (2 adults and 1 child).
Shymbulak Resort Hotel
Shymbulak Resort Hotel is at the base of the chair lift. Turn left after exiting the gondola, and head along the path between the ski school and the ski slope. Beneath the terrace connecting the hotel building with the ski slope you will find the reception.
We were there twice in 2023: in May and July. The rooms we had were upstairs from the reception, on the mountain side. The first time we stayed in what I think was a Family Standard + room, and it was very cute. It had two bedrooms, a balcony, a compact bathroom, and a small hall connecting all three of the rooms. The second time we were in a similar room though I remember it didn’t feel quite as nice. This is life I guess 😉
The hotel has a range of rooms and suites, and also 4 and 6 bed hostel style (bunkbeds) rooms. The hostel rooms all come with a private bathroom.
There is a heated pool on the terrace, which is a bit of a rarity in Almaty. In the main building across from the pool, you will find a well-sized sauna to warm up in. Our kids understand the drill here now – you swim for a while and then go warm up in the sauna.
The restaurant is next to the pool area, and has lots of windows. This is pleasant, because you get wonderful views all the way around the the main room, though it can be a bit draughty if pool users are frequently coming in and out. There are toilets next to the restaurant and they have little step stools if your children need them.
Breakfast is included with all the rooms, including hostel dorms.
Tenir Eco Hotel
The third place we’ve stayed at in Shymbulak was also the only hotel at the resort we’ve gone to without the children. And at 3,200m above sea level, this stunning set of cabins on top of Shymbulak isn’t really for little kids. So organise a babysitter or a family member to look after your under 6s, because Tenir Eco Hotel is a great place to stay!
To get to Tenir, ride the lifts all the way to the top. I’d recommend taking the cabin rather than the open chairlift! Then walk down the slope immediately to your left. Pass Syn 32 restaurant (the dome shaped white tent), then cross the slope (watch out for skiers!) and check in at the first of the cabins. You’ll notice quickly how this is truly a ski in/ski out accommodation.
Please give yourself plenty of time to get to the hotel for check-in which is at 3.30pm (15.30). The gondola and chairlifts are very popular and sometimes you may need to wait in a line to board them. Try and leave from Medeu by 2.30pm.
The cabins are pretty and self contained. The bathrooms are decent sized for such a compact building, and each has a little sauna.
Tenir doesn’t have a restaurant but you can eat at any of the restaurants on the mountain. The chairlift will be turned on for you if it’s not an evening ski night so that you can get down to the village for dinner and back up again. Or you can eat at the reasonably priced yurt restaurant just a short walk down from the cabins. There is also the slightly pricier Syn 32 across the slope. Both have delicious food. When we stayed at Tenir we had booked a package deal which included breakfast. Their website doesn’t mention breakfast being included so please do ask when booking.
Other accommodation options
The following accommodation options are available but I have not tried them, so I can’t personally recommend them.
There are a number of chalets around the ski village of Shymbulak. Some of these are Nero and Bianca Chalets and Rifugio Verde, all of which look very pretty and are all a short walk from the chairlift. Turn right as you exit the gondola and walk past the restaurants, until you hit the road. They are all along that road.
Just a few metres down from Tenir Hotel is a yurt accommodation, Yurta Basecamp Shymbulak. There are several yurts, the closest to Tenir is a restaurant, and the further ones are the accommodation.
Down at the base of the gondola (so not part of the ski village or ski slopes), are a few other options, such as Qazaq Auyl. The accommodations are a series of pretty standalone cabins, all in the vicinity of the fantastic restaurant, Auyl.
So whats the best place to stay at Shymbulak?
I recommend all the places I stayed, and each gets an edge for a particular situation.
If you have a small family, or more than one child, then the best place for you to stay while at the resort is Shymbulak Hotel. They have the most rooms for families of 4. They have a pool and common sauna, and their restaurant is big. And they are the closest to El Kiddo, the fantastic creche facility located in the ski school building.
If you want a true ski in/ski out experience, the best place at Shymbulak for you is Tenir. You are literally on the slope, with all your stuff ready to go. They have a sauna to help you wind down from all your skiing. Remember though that it’s a no-go if you have children under 6!
I think Sneg is the best place to stay at Shymbulak for anyone seeking a middle ground between ski in/ski out and family friendly. If you want to get on the slopes easily but you have a small child this hotel is for you.
What do I know about Shymbulak Resort?
I’ve been visiting Shymbulak regularly since mid 2021 with my family. Visit my About Me page to understand more about my perspective. And check out my Kazakhstan page to find out more about why I think why you should travel to Kazakhstan!
I also have the following blog posts on skiing and staying in Almaty’s other great resorts!