Afghanistan
A joint Afghan-German guesthouse, this is deservedly popular with international workers. Rooms are tidy if sometimes small, and bathrooms are shared…
Must-see hotels in Afghanistan
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Kabul
At the edge of Wazir Akbar Khan, and in the lee of Bibi Mahru Hill, the Heetal gets cleaner air than many places in the city. Perhaps that’s why it flags…
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Kabul
This venerable institution was Afghanistan’s first international luxury hotel. It’s a 20-minute drive from the centre of town if the traffic allows, but…
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Kabul
A perennially popular option with visiting media, the Gandamack Lodge is run by Peter Jouvenal, the acclaimed cameraman and Afghan expert. Now in larger…
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Kabul
Formerly the Kabul Hotel, the Serena is now owned by the Aga Khan and has undergone a massive renovation to transform it into Kabul’s swankiest hotel by…
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Kabul
This hotel was popular with backpackers until recently, when the police banned it from accepting foreign guests. We’ve listed it in the hope that improved…
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Afghanistan
This is Bamiyan’s oldest hotel and one of the few still run by the ATO. The luxury yurts the hotel boasted in the 1970s have been rebuilt, offering one of…
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Kabul
Truly a Kabul institution, the Mustafa was the main post-Taliban hang-out for journos, ‘security consultants’ and other would-be adventurers. If the high…
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Afghanistan
Maimana Municipal Hotel is a dusty 1930s edifice, with reasonable rooms filled with creaking furniture. The hotel is woefully low on bathrooms – just two…
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Afghanistan
If there’s a hotel with a better location in Afghanistan, we’d like to know about it. On a promontory surrounded on three sides by the rushing Kokcha…
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Kabul
This hotel was popular with backpackers until recently, when the police banned it from accepting foreign guests. We’ve listed it in the hope that improved…
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Afghanistan
Built in the 1930s, the Park is Herat’s oldest hotel – Robert Byron stayed here while writing The Road to Oxiana. It’s a cavernous, colonial-style place…
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Kabul
One of Kabul’s newest hotels, this literally towers above all others from its vantage point attached to the Kabul Business Centre. Rooms are exceedingly…
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Kabul
You can’t miss the Safi, part of the Kabul City Centre tower block in bright green glass. The lobby speaks of understated service and a glass elevator…
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Kabul
This hotel was popular with backpackers until recently, when the police banned it from accepting foreign guests. We’ve listed it in the hope that improved…
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Afghanistan
There is a small government-run guesthouse next to the Minaret of Jam. Rooms are simple, but the mattresses are comfortable and the shower is one of the…
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Afghanistan
The best budget option in Kandahar. It has a small restaurant for guests only, hot water most of the time and all the Bollywood you can watch on Indian…
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Afghanistan
Tucked away in the Old City, this is Herat’s best budget option. The rooms are basic, but have had a bit of a spruce-up since we last visited, making them…
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Afghanistan
A much more modern hotel, with carpeted rooms, squashy beds and decent furniture. Bathrooms are shared but are kept spotlessly clean and have lashings of…
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Kabul
Formerly called Ottawa Resorts, the motto here is ‘blending serenity and efficiency’. Management is certainly efficient, while rooms match the standard of…
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Afghanistan
This is a hotel in 1930s style, all high ceilings, grand dining rooms and monolithic pillars. It’s a little dusty, giving the impression that it doesn’t…
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Afghanistan
In the style of a Kabul guesthouse, the Royal Oak is aimed squarely at the international contractor market. High security walls contain a cosy house with…
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Afghanistan
Just around the corner from the Amo, the decor here seems even more peeling. The shared bathrooms (squat toilet only) leave something to be desired, but…
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Afghanistan
This large state-run hotel is set in large gardens in the centre of town. Everyone has stayed here at one point, from Soviet officers to the Taliban’s…
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Afghanistan
This friendly and ever-expanding hotel is a great option. The rooms aren’t elaborate, but there’s 24-hour hot water, free internet, and helpful staff. The…
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Afghanistan
More a chaikhana than a proper hotel, this is a real shoestring option – everyone squeezes into a small room on the ground floor, or retires upstairs to…
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Afghanistan
This basic hotel is the best cheap option in Kunduz. All rooms have attached bathrooms, which are kept reasonably clean, although many of the fixtures are…
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Afghanistan
Staff instruct you to leave your shoes at the front door; inside it’s all overstuffed furniture, bright carpets and fake sunflowers, trying their best to…
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Afghanistan
Bamiyan’s best budget option by some degree. The old upstairs dorm has been turned into a restaurant, while the addition of the rooftop shower with piping…
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Kabul
One of the first of the post-Taliban guesthouses, B’s Place has six rooms with shared bathrooms, decorated in traditional Afghan style. There’s a pleasant…
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Afghanistan
Currently Herat’s largest hotel, the Mowafaq is a trusty standby and conveniently located between the Old City and the New Town. The good-sized rooms are…
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Kabul
A deservedly popular hotel with consultants and long-term stays, the Park Palace has good quality en suite rooms with service to match. The buffet…
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Afghanistan
This is an unpretentious place also aimed at expats. Rooms are large, and have attached bathrooms with plenty of hot water. The management is extremely…
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Kabul
Close to the action around Shahr-e Nau Park, this modern hotel has en suite rooms that are simply but decently decorated. There’s one price for one or two…
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Rose Garden & Carwan Sarai Hotel
Kabul
Formerly named the Karwansara Guesthouse, this place is a lovely old merchant’s house set in a large and leafy garden. Some of the rooms are a little…
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Afghanistan
This guesthouse is very popular with journalists, as there is a computer with internet access in every room, and laundry and breakfast are included. It’s…
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Kabul
Behind high walls on the main road, this Tajik-run place is bright, modern and clean. Rooms have satellite TV and bathrooms, all kept spotless. Even the…
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Kabul
Tangerine walls on the main street through Wazir Akbar Khan make the Euro hard to miss. There are a selection of different rooms (up to US$100), but the…
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Afghanistan
This is a well-located cheapie, directly opposite the south entrance to the shrine: many of the rooms have great views across the domes. The rooms need a…
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Afghanistan
A small family-run guesthouse with a friendly atmosphere, the Green Place (there is a garden) is a pleasant escape from the city. There are half a dozen…
