HotelChatter

Tags: Mongolian Gers / Ulanbator Hotel Reviews / Blogs / Mark Schatzker / Mongolian-Gerts / → All Tags

Mongolian Ger Trumps Tired Soviet Tower Hotel

Where: 5 Chinggis Khaan Ave., Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Condé Nast Traveler's Mark Schatzker is traveling around the world in 80 days and blogging it.

When we checked in, he was recounting day 32, a day where he traveled by Uzvee through Mongolia, picked up some horsemeat, and bought a cashmere robe.

The night before he spent at Hotel Bayangol:

Ulaan Bataar's Hotel Bayangol, a Soviet-style edifice notable for the fabulous neon sign hanging over its restaurant, but not much else. Byamba, my guide, picked me up at nine that morning and we piled into a funny-looking vehicle called an UVZ 3909 and drove west out of the city, headed towards a Mongolian ger camp.

While Mark comments very little on what sounds like a bland experience at Hotel Bayangol, he does rave about his night in a Ger, a traditional Mongolian hut type thing:

I headed into my ger, which Russians and Americans call yurts, but are nevertheless known as gers. There was a fire going, and through the skylight--which is just an open flap in the cotton roof so that the chimney has a place to exit--was a patch of blue sky. I lay down on the bed, listing to birds singing and the fire crackling, breathing in the clean Mongolian air. I fell away into unconsciousness. It was the deepest I've slept since departing New York on March 5th.

Let's see, tired Soviet-style hotel or a night out in a ger. No contest.

Mongolian Gerts Map

Related Stories:
· Ger Travel [SelenaTravel]
· Bayangol Hotel Comments [TripAdvisor]

Tags: Amazing Race 10 / Mongolian Hotel Reviews / → All Tags

Amazing Race 10 Hotel Update: Hotel Mongolia

In Gachurt Village, about twenty minutes from UB (Ulaanbaatar) sits Hotel Mongolia.

With its high ceilings, red brick walls, and scenic lobby, this place is an example of Mongolian craftsmanship.

Hotel Mongolia offers 57 temple style rooms, including Khan Suites are in those round, utterly Mongolian Stone Gers. There are also rooms in the temple itself, but that can't be nearly as much fun as staying in the round tent looking things.

There is also a restaurant on the premise which serves Mongolia's famous “Khanbräu” draft which we are sure both Peter and Rob could have used after their separate, but equally disturbing Mongolian outbursts.

And no, we don't know if the hotel allows guests to shoot fire arrows at giant bowls full of something explosive, but it would be very cool if they did.

Related Stories:
· Chasing Racers: The TAR map [Jaunted]
· Hotel Mongolia [Flickr]