Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Marian's¨Guesthouse¨
gUESTHOUSE $$
(
%
223 01 91; www.mariansguesthouse.com;
Shotemur 67/1; r €70-80;
paiWs
)
The
overwhelming attraction here is the glori-
ous, meticulously tended garden. Rooms are
comfortable in a homely, unpretentious style,
but are eternally popular with consultants.
The building is entirely unmarked down the
little alley just after the TV-station building,
across from the Children's Park. Break-
fast, airport transfer and evening driver
service are included. Australian-owned.
Taj¨Palace¨
HOTEl $$
(
%
48-701 71 71; www.taj-palace.tj; Mirzo Tursunzoda
21B; d/tw US$120/140;
W
)
Of several similarly
priced central business hotels (Asia Palace,
Gulistan Tour), the Taj has the edge on qual-
ity of fittings, well-lit, wide corridors and
ample extras - kettle, fridge, toiletries etc.
Staff speak English.
Hotel¨Meridian¨
BOUTIQUE HOTEl $$
(
%
98-881 88 88, 44-620 33 99; www.hotel-merid
ian.tj; Repina 1st lane, 28; s/d/ste US$80/100/120;
aiW
)
Hidden in a backstreet walled gar-
den with two tea pavilions, this sparkling
clean mansion hotel offers great value with
fully equipped rooms with computer, fridge
and lots of space. The annex has singles for
US$75, but there's a significant drop in qual-
ity for a mere US$5 discount. Sauna costs
extra.
Hotel¨Twins¨
BOUTIQUE HOTEl $$
(
%
90-899 99 98, 221 44 14; www.hoteltwins.tj;
Adkhamova 21; d US$100-130;
aW
)
Probably
the only hotel in town with two saunas,
Twins takes the design lead from its name
dividing the Escher-esque new villa into two
distinct wings, one erring more towards the
pseudo-classical. Each comfortable room
has its own character, and not all are over-
loaded with nouveau-riche kitsch.
o
Serena¨Hotel¨
HOTEl $$$
(
%
48-701 4000; www.serenahotels.com; Rudaki 14;
rack/web rates from US$354/230;
aWs
)
Dush-
anbe's top address gloriously weaves tradi-
tional colours, fabrics and woodwork into a
light, bright 21st-century tower topped by a
small rooftop swimming pool.
Vefa¨Aparthotel¨
SERVICED APARTMENTS $$$
(www.vefacenter.tj; Bokhtar 37/1, 9th-11th fl; apt
US$170-240;
paWc
)
If you were consid-
ering forking out US$150 for a cramped
room at the
Tojikiston
(
%
44-600 99 33; www.
hoteltojikiston.com; Shotemur 22; s US$150-320,
d US$300-850;
aW
)
, think again. For just
US$20 more you can get a spacious, brand-
new apartment with kitchen, sitting room
and panoramic views. Some apartments
come with computer and washing machine.
5
¨Eating
For cheap, genuinely local food there are
several great if utterly unpretentious places
on or near unpromising Loik Sherali:
Sary¨
Osyo
(Tursunzona 129; plov 18TJS;
h
11am-4pm)
for
plov
, Eyyannat for
laghman
and Oshi Ab-
durahman (p321) for
kurutob
. Better restau-
rants add a service charge of 10% to 12%. For
extensive listings consult www.menu.tj
Chaykhona¨Rokhat¨
CHAIKHANA $
(Rudaki 84; mains 8-17TJS, breakfast 1.40-8TJS;
h
6am-1am)
This unusual combination of
Soviet-era institution and grand Persian-
style chaikhana is
the
Dushanbe classic - a
great place to sip tea (2TJS) or a Simsim
beer (11TJS) while people-watching. Food
certainly isn't gourmet but it's good value,
especially for breakfast. Kitchens work all
day even during Ramadan. Some people be-
lieve the red tables (front, north) to be better
for food than the yellow ones, which has a
different kitchen.
Do peep into their remarkable wedding
hall section (back, north side) with its mag-
nificently faceted ceilings.
Café¨Merve¨
TURKISH $
(Rudaki 92; mains 15-35TJS, snacks 4-17TJS;
h
6am-midnight;
vE
)
Bright and bustling
cafeteria churning out Turkish breakfasts,
kebabs, pizza, salads, cakes and instant
coffee (but no alcohol).
KURUTOB
Tajikitan's contribution to vegetar-
ian cuisine is the
kurutob
, pieces of
lat bread replacing meat in a warm
yoghurt-based sauce topped with a
salad of tomatoes, onions, fresh herbs
and perhaps a hot pepper. The bet
kurutob
is often found in small, barely
marked cafes such as the family yard
of
Oshi¨Abdurahman
(loik Sherali 25;
kurutob/samsa/tea 10/3/3TJS;
h
10am-
7pm). More central is
Puppet¨Kurutob
(kurutob 10TJS;
h
6am-8pm), in the side
of the mosaic-covered puppet theatre
(kukli teatr)
facing the Children's Park
of Shotemur.
