Travel Tips

The Russian era "Aurora Sanatoria" is "billed" on it's WEB page now as "Issyk Kul Aurora" resort hotel. They even have an English language page on the WEB!
The pictures I had of the "activity board" showed, jet ski's, 4 wheel ATV's, horses, water skiing and more. The room rates are not "unexpected" for a western "resort". Hopefully they will have followed a suggestion I made while I was there which was to have the menus that guests use to select their meals for the next day available some place in the dinning room in English as well as Russian!

The rooms here are not meant for those who vacation indoors, even if they spend a lot of time in bed! There were: beds, hanging closet space, a small (hotel room size) refrigerator , some curtains on the windows and THAT'S ALL FOLKS! Everything else you could or should want was in the main section of the hotel/resort/MEDICAL WING! Yes, as in "days of yore" as a "sanatoria" they offer various "medical treatments": masseuse, mud baths, and MORE. By western standards some of those treatments are a bit UNUSUAL to say the least but they are available on request. Their WEB page has a listing of available services. Check them out for what you need.

The dinning room is a statement of modern POSH even it this is a former Russian resort/sanatoria. While it may not really be The Grande Hotel Europe of St. Petersburg, that was never meant to be a Lake shore resort. This is NOT a "fast food" place. You sit down and are served by waiters and waitresses for Lunch and dinner, breakfast was a bit more informal but still there were people there to help you, supply extras as needed and bus the tables.

There was a sign just as you exited the front lobby toward the lake detailing what activities would be found in what area.
The map shows all of the paved walk areas on the grounds. So those who seek "low impact" activities can just saunter about and enjoy the outdoors. Bird watch or, as Russians are also uniquely likely to do, just sit and talk to each other. Or you can "entertain" your kids.

Least you think I was kidding you, here is the children's "play area"

Notice the "blood" on the fangs, I have always wondered how Russian families got their kids to behave so well!

The lake in March did not look very inviting but it is obvious that the shore was a popular "hang out" in summer. There were rest room facilities in the beach area and what may well have been a "snack bar".

Lake Issyk Kul is in a basin among the mountains. While there was no snow on the ground when I arrived it did snow late the next day and during that night. but it was nearly gone by the next afternoon. Casting an eye about the area though you can see the snow line on the surrounding mountains.