5.2. What kind of accommodation is available in Mongolia?
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This article is from the Mongolia FAQ, by Oliver Corff with numerous contributions by others.
5.2. What kind of accommodation is available in Mongolia?
In Ulaanbaatar there are some big hotels. One of them is a monument to
Soviet-style luxury and lavishness: The ``Ulaanbaatar Zoqid Buudal''.
Located next to the central square, it is ideal for travellers with a
not so restricted budget. Price tags start at USD 60.- (or so) and the
two dining rooms are frequently used by external guests when every
other supply of food in Ulaanbaatar collapses. The next important
hotel (near the Bogd Gegen Palace) is the Bayangol which was
thoroughly revamped in 1992. Similar standard. The ``Chinggis Khan
Hotel'' in Sansar (a district name in Ulaanbaatar) has been ``due to
open soon'' since 1991 but did not do so until 1995. It used to be
``under construction'' and was temporarily managed by the Holiday Inn
group, a Korean group (Lotte, I think) until it was finally taken over
by a Mongolian enterprise. It offers good Western food and is
virtually empty so that you can enjoy a very calm meal there. Service
used to be good in the opening year as part of the personnel was
trained in Munich, Germany, but has deteriorated significantly
recently.
Small hotels for the traveller with a tight budget include the
``Stroitel'' (Russian: construction worker) which is north of the Ix
Toïrog (Great Ring) Road close to the smaller monastery. A Mongolian-
Chinese joint venture is the ``Manduhai'' hotel near the Ix Dälgüür
(Department Store). Clean rooms, simple furniture, but nice atmosphere
and acceptable price tag. Other private hotels keep opening with the
rise of the private sector. These offer similar prices (sometimes
starting with USD 10.-- / day for a complete little flat) but the
situations keeps changing so it is difficult to give names and
addresses here. New hotels open constantly; a nice choice is the
``Flower Hotel'' which is the former ``Altai Zoqid Buudal''. It is
under Japanese management now.
In the countryside the situation looks different. In the tourist spots
there are ger camps with a complete infrastructure (restaurant gers,
shower facilities etc.) and they are quite convenient because they
ensure a minimum of reliability for the traveller. Some of these camps
are still operated by Juulqin while new camps are operated by private
companies. Once leaving the tourist paths the situation again looks
different. It is possible to ask at people's homes (= gers) but one
may be turned away (already too many people staying there). Prepare
for a long demarche to the ``neighbour'' (maybe 50 or 100 kilometers
(30 to 60 miles). Never, never forget to bring a reasonably useful and
valuable gift. Useful and valuable gifts include tobacco, vodka, snuff
bottles, snuff tobacco and other objects.
When staying at somebody's gär then stick to the following minimal
rules regardless how friendly people may appear to you:
1. Check carefully whether your potential host is capable at all of
accommodating another guest. In order to find out, you can check
for the number of family members, the situation of the animals,
etc.
2. Never stay longer than one day.
3. Never refuse ceremonial offerings of tea even if it is salty, etc.
4. Roll down the sleeves of your shirt/coat no matter which
temperature it is. If it is summer and you (and Mongolians) wear a
t-shirt, then pretend to roll down your sleeves symbolically when
being offered food and drink.
5. Never accept any offering of food, drink etc. with your left hand.
Both hands is best.
6. If there is only a well, not a river nearby, never abuse it as a
bathtub. Water in general and wells in particular are precious in
this country.
7. When bringing your own food or drink never forget to offer it to
everybody. Never attempt to munch your biscuits secretely. If you
can't resist eating your own biscuits then wait until you are on
the road again.
8. Perhaps last in this list, but not least: Show due respect to the
dogs and animals of your host. The dog will only respect you if
advised by his master to do so. Mongolian dogs are no pets!
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