Terelj Hotel & Spa

Pricy but pretty good for Mongolia. Our room was luxurious, nice decorations including antique items display throughout the property. Good spa (steam room) and massage. Easily best food we had in Mongolia. Restaurant had a long menu with a lot of Mongolian specialties we loved including a sampler plate to try several dishes. Hot cloudberry and lingonberry juices were particularly tasty and interesting. Apart from a couple of minor glitches with the service that were eventually fixed we had a great stay.

The hotel sits in one of the most stunning locations imaginable — Terelj’s scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately, the rooms are the exact opposite. For a property that calls itself “luxury,” the accommodations are small, poorly designed, and completely waste the potential of their surroundings. Instead of waking up to sweeping mountain vistas, you’ll likely find yourself staring at walls or rooftops. It’s baffling how such a prime location is paired with such underwhelming, uninspired rooms. Definitely not worth the premium they charge. The front desk staff, however, were fantastic. Every request was met promptly, with genuine warmth and professionalism. They deserve a full 5 stars for service. The spa was a complete letdown. My masseuse spent more time scrolling on her phone than actually doing the treatment — unprofessional, disrespectful, and far from the relaxing experience I paid for. On a brighter note, the food was excellent. The kitchen offers a surprisingly wide range of vegetarian and vegan options, and everything I tried was delicious.

We originally were to stay there on August 16, but the hotel cancelled our reservation a few weeks before arrival because they were hosting an event that night. Quite upsetting, we had to rearrange our tour which left us with less than 18 hours to stay there later in August (in between our Gobi stay and last 2 nights in Mongolia). I should have just cancelled completely with them, but I was really looking forward to dine in their fine restaurant The hotel is beautiful, and the surrounding park lovely. The room was excellent, comfortable and plenty of hot water (but a tub instead of a walk in shower, my pet peeve). Service was excellent as well. However, for a luxury hotel, there were some disappointments. First and foremost, and the main reason I wanted to stay there - the main restaurant was closed! The one where they serve the multi course meals that reviews rave about. Apparently when they are not full, they don’t open that restaurant! I wish they had informed us before, I would have skipped the long drive out there for 1 night. We ate at the other restaurant, and it was disappointing. The tomahawk steak was supposed to be medium rare and it was medium to well done and tough. The roasted vegetables we ordered were not cooked enough and inedible. The rest was just ok. Breakfast was cooked to order in a lovely room overlooking the river and was very good. The last disappointment was the pool/jacuzzi. On both, the water was not clear and I was worried about the condition. The jacuzzi was colder than the pool. They called the manager who apologized and said they would “turn it on” and it would be ready the next morning. Well we had to leave after breakfast (we really came to enjoy that restaurant that was closed!!!), so that was not helpful. Would not go back