Rixos Khadisha Shymkent

Top choice in Shymkent


This showstopper five-star hotel is Shymkent's answer to the Ritz. Expect plenty of marble, a stunning atrium with soaring golden eagles and Golden Man statues, friendly multilingual service that's not stuffy, and splendid rooms – all plush fabrics and chandeliers – that put you in mind of 19th-century Europe. Two superb restaurants, two bars and spa seal the deal.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Shymkent attractions

2. Alleya Slavy

0.43 MILES

In Abay Park, two tall concrete pillars lean on each other above an eternal flame, and the alley is lined with plaques bearing the names of the more than…

3. Wedding Palace

1.01 MILES

The squat, blue-domed Wedding Palace is a useful landmark.

4. Independence Monument

1.1 MILES

This monument consists of a tall, red granite column topped with the figure of Mother Earth.

5. Central or Upper Bazaar

1.14 MILES

The central bazaar is now somewhat diminished after the conversion of its outlying sprawl into parks and the removal of many traders to markets on the…

6. Altyn Shanyrak

1.26 MILES

The tall Altyn Shanyrak monument in the middle of Independence Park – a sort of tall, metallic funnel – represents the central roof opening of a yurt.

7. Tauelsizdik sayabagy

1.31 MILES

Tauelsizdik sayabagy, accessed by footbridge from the tall, Mother Earth–topped Independence Monument, was inaugurated in 2011 for the 20th anniversary of…

8. Bazar Samal

2.16 MILES

Of several new markets around the city fringes, Bazar Samal, next to Samal bus station, is the biggest and most interesting, with a particularly colourful…