Esentai Hostel

I stayed at this hostel for about 7 days and my overall experience was excellent. The hostel was comfortable, clean, and well maintained. The people—both staff and fellow travelers—were very friendly and helpful, which made the stay even more enjoyable.
The location is a big advantage, with metro stations, taxis, and buses available very close by, making it easy to explore the city. The kitchen facilities were easily accessible and well equipped, allowing us to cook and eat our own meals comfortably.
Overall, it was a very pleasant and memorable experience, and I would happily stay here again. Highly recommended for both short and long stays.

Lovely place to stay, would have liked to stay longer but fully booked : ( (totally comfortable and great price. In another place now wishing I was back there.

Great location very friendly and helpful staff. Kitchen area is great and rooms are spacious and comfy. Laundry available for a small fee. The cat is really friendly too. Quiet neighbourhood as well.
The only small issue is that the shared bathroom is located right near reception and the walls are a bit thin…
At first it’s not clear if you’re in the right place because there’s no sign outside.

This Hostel is next to a skate park and you have to ring the doorbell to enter the Hostel.
The owners were friendly, though they only spoke a little English. The Check-In went smooth and I entered into a small, but cozy room. The Wi-Fi was stable and good. There was only one bathroom, so you have to manage your time, but I didn't had a problem with that. The bath room was clean and the shower was suprisingly good too.
Only issues were with the noise, as the owners sometimes watched movies and I could hear everything in the evening hours.
The price-performance-ratio is brilliant!

The room was spacious and comfortable, with an attached bath, and separate loo. There was a fridge and kettle and table, AC, and TV (we didn't use it). Overall, it was comfortable and enough for two.
They allowed us to store our bags.
Lack of communication with the owners.
There is a kitchen but no water to drink — you have to buy it (again, something we noticed across Kazakhstan).
It says hostel but is more of a guest house (another common thing across the country) and we didn't meet or see anyone else there. There's no hostel feel to it.
Some of the rooms have steps, just beware.

Excellent place for 3 days trips.
Warm reception by owners.
Grocery store and bus stop available very near by.
They used translators to explain all details.
Scenic view of mountains from the hostel is great too.

Bang for the buck! We extended our stay here for additional two days as the hostel is extremely comfortable, especially for the price. Private room was extremely spacious, washroom clean, steady supply of hot water, and the heating was effective.

Don't expect anything other than the low price. There's a reason for the low price.

I don't understand how this place received any good reviews. Here are some issues I experienced:
The shower booth drainage was poor, causing water to accumulate above my ankles during the shower.
The bed cover appeared unwashed and smelled like the previous guest's sweat.
The toilet and shower booth were cramped into a small space that had a terrible odor.
If you care about hygiene, this isn't the place for you.

The building is nicely renovated and converted to the guest rooms. We booked the doubled bed one with an ensuited bathroom. The room was clean and cozy with a nice view to the mountains. The location is great. It's at a convenient distance to the restaurants, local indoor market and the river trails. Last but not least, The owners are super respectful and helpful.

We stay at this hostel many times. Excellent location, center, all conditions and comfort. Adequate price.

Very best hostel especially you are on budget and you need kitchen and rooms with heater. The bathrooms are good, Room is excellent and nice kitchen as well and even after ur checkout time is over the owner will allow u to keep ur luggage at their premises and later on can be collected. Above all fortunately the owner kid knows good english so its best over all we paid around 5000 INr 27000Tenge for 3 days stay.

My stay at Esentai Hostel in Almaty was absolutely fantastic! Nestled along the riverbanks, the atmosphere was serene and inviting. The hostel provided all the amenities I needed, including heaters, clean washrooms, a well-equipped kitchen, and a cozy dining area. The convenience of onsite car parking was a definite plus. But what truly made my experience memorable was the warm hospitality of the owner, who was incredibly welcoming, and her son, who was a great host. I can't wait to come back here again in the future! Cheers.

The price and location smothers not perfect service and condition of rooms.

Everything is good for the location! We took a room with two beds. There is a table. The common kitchen lacked a stove; there was only a microwave. And the Steer machine stood broken. Perhaps there is another Stir machine in another compartment, I don’t know. Shower and toilet are clean. The Internet is truly terrible. In the age of information technology, this is an unforgivable omission, I think. But in general, the price-quality ratio is suitable. The place is quiet, not noisy.