Firstly, we had a great vacation and everything was well organized. All our pick-ups, drop-offs in different cities, guides etc. came on time. The train and hotel reservations were all there. I didnt have to call anyone to follow up - which is a relief because we didnt have a local sim. Additionally, we also didnt have to pay cash (since most places dont take credit cards and we wanted to keep the cash for local markets etc.). Everyone was friendly and nice. I also liked the fact that I had someone local assigned to me, so that I could text him whenever I had questions. His name was Sultan and he always responded promptly to my questions and tried to accommodate all my requests.
Secondly, Uzbekistan was a beautiful place. The history, architecture, culture were all amazing and as someone who has read about the silk route a lot, it was fascinating to see those places in person.
Our travel guide in Khiva, Ali, was very experienced. He was able to answer all our questions (since my husband is a history enthusiast). He not only took us around Khiva but also arranged food for us (like a picnic basket) for the train trip to Bukhara (Which was a great idea since there was no other way to get food on the train)
The train ride to Bukhara was better than I had hoped. It was a great idea to book the entire coupe for our family, since it gave us privacy and we already had only limited space for luggage.
Our guide in Bukhara, Gulchehra, was on time and friendly. She told us a lot of personal stories and kept our daughter engaged, which was very nice of her. She was not as knowledgeable as Ali and also preferred to sit with our daughter in most places, instead of accompanying us inside. Also in the local market, she didnt really help us negotiate prices when we were buying tea and spices. So while I would definitely recommend her for families traveling with children, she is not suited to accompany people who know a lot about history (and are interested in learning more).
Asal, our guide in Samarkand, was very friendly. She also had a very interesting way of explaining things - by asking questions, making us guess answers before she gives them. This made it interesting for my 10 yr old. She even took us to a couple of stores since we wanted to get some cosmetics that we couldnt find ourselves. She is very young and while she knows basic details, she was also not too knowledgeable about history. She was also very sweet with my daughter - so same recommendation as Gulchehra, great guide for families with kids but not for those interested in learning more.
Nusrat, our guide in Tashkent, was very experienced, knowledgeable and made the day very enjoyable for us. He often bought us local food items like bread, fruit to keep us going (and refused any money from us) and even took us to the post office so that Sahana, my daughter, could send post cards to her friends back home.
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Hotels: Khiva - Farovon, Bukhara - Mercure, Samarkand - DiliMah, Tashkent - Hyatt Regency.
