Ulaanbaatar Hotels

You may need to make a reservation in July and August, especially around Naadam time. But my advice is to avoid Naadam in Ulaanbaatar altogether. Its best to catch Naadam in village.

GUESTHOUSES
There are guesthouses and hotels all over the place. You'll probably be approached at the train station or airport by a guesthouse owner offering a bed. The guesthouses tend to be located inside the old Russian apartment blocks, they are not particularly attractive but for $5 a night they do the trick. Some of the best include:

Khongor Guesthouse – Peace Ave 15, Tel: 316 415.
• Location: Excellent, near the State Department Store
• Set up: Nothing fancy, just an apartment guesthouse. Each bed has a light and a little safety box.
• Vibe: Mellow, local, friendly.
• Service: Excellent, very friendly owners, reliable. Probably the best place to town for stuff like visa issues, logistics.
• Price: dorm: $5, double $12

Zaya Backpacker Hostel – Tserendorj 16, Tel: 316 696
• Location: Excellent, behind the Peace and Friendship House
• Set up: beautiful new rooms, lots of space, modern. Good for the flashpacker set.
• Vibe: Mellow, friendly.
• Service: Very hands off. They don’t provide special services or tours.
• Price: dorm $10, double $24-28

Golden Gobi – Off Peace Ave, Tel 322 632
• Location: Excellent, near the State Department Store
• Set up: A funky, colorful place with lots of style. It has two lounges, dorms and private rooms
• Vibe: Fun, good crowd of backpackers
• Service: Mediocre. Travellers who spend one or two nights have no complaints, but people who spend 3-4 days or more seem to have issues with the staff regarding poor service and rude staff.
• Price: dorm $10, double $14-16

BUDGET/MID-RANGE HOTELS
There are quite a few small low priced hotels around. Trouble is, most of them are poor value. You may want to try one of these.

Guide House Hotel – Baga Toiruu, Tel 353 582, guidehouse@mobinet.mn
• Location: Good, near the top of Baga Toiruu
• Set up: Clean and well-maintained.
• Vibe: Pretty quiet
• Service: Fair. They really don’t provide any services but the staff is friendly and helpful.
• Price: dorm $30

Zaluuchuud Hotel – Baga Toiruu 43, tel: 324 594
• Location: Good, near the top of Baga Toiruu
• Set up: Average. It was renovated a few years ago, but is already starting to fall apart. Kinda similar to the Guide Hotel but more expensive
• Vibe: Pretty quiet
• Service: Nothing special.
• Price: double $65

TOP-END HOTELS
Most of the big name hotels are pretty anonymous, although a Holiday Inn is being built. Prices start from around $85. Some options include:

Ulaanbaatar Hotel – Baga Toiruu, Tel: 320 620
• Location: Excellent, right next to Sukhbaatar Square
• Set up: Good. This is one of the oldest hotels in town, an old Soviet place that has seen decent renovation. It carries some old world charm, but the rooms aren’t very nice for the price.
• Vibe: Busy place with VIPs and groups coming and going
• Service: Friendly but nothing noteworthy
• Price: double $90

Bayangol Hotel – Chinggis Ave, Tel 312 255
• Location: Good, its on a busy, not-so-nice boulevard, but its still really close to Sukhbaatar Square
• Set up: Good. Comfortable rooms, hotel has a couple of good restaurants.
• Vibe: Busy with groups.
• Service: Friendly but nothing noteworthy
• Price: double $97

Corporate Hotel – Chinggis Ave, Tel 334 411
• Location: Good, its on a busy, not-so-nice boulevard, but its still really close to Sukhbaatar Square
• Set up: Swanky. Brand new hotel with a minimalist design.
• Vibe: Pretty quiet for now.
• Service: Needs more experience
• Price: double $185, expensive!