Far West China

Location

The Urumqi Aksaray Hotel is located in the south part of Urumqi just a few minutes walk from the Urumqi International Bazaar and ErDaoQiao. It’s pretty much right in the middle of the Uyghur part of the city, which is part of what is so attractive about this hotel.

The street in front of the Aksaray is consistently busy and has plenty of buses, which make it convenient to get around town. If you’re wanting to get a feel for the Uyghur culture, you’re better off staying here than in one of the “western” hotels further north.

Atmosphere

The Aksaray Hotel is a very nice hotel by Xinjiang standards. Just walking into the lobby with all its ornate decorations is an indication that it’s not your average China hotel.

The staff are very professional and the place remains well kept. Although it is nice, it is just a basic hotel. Extras like pools, workout centers and other amenities won’t be found here.

The hotel has a very Central Asian feel to it, with much of the decoration catering to the mainly Uyghur clientele. I found it to be a pleasant diversion from the usually boring decor of most Xinjiang hotels, however (even the 5-star ones).

Room Options

The Urumqi Aksaray Hotel has a few room options, the cheapest being their standard double room that you see below. The bathrooms are up to western standards even though the beds aren’t the most comfortable I’ve ever seen.

Unlike the rest of the hotel, the rooms don’t mirror the same ornate decoration that the rest of the hotel displays. They’re nice rooms, no doubt, but it’s not 5-star quality.

The only thing I don’t like about the Aksaray Hotel is that I can’t find a way to reserve a room online. For now, you’ll just have to call to make reservations or just show up. More than likely, they will have an available room, but this just means that you won’t be able to “price shop”.