My favorite hotel: The Lyabi House Hotel, whose central location means that most sites are of walking distance. The hotel has modest accommodations but has local familial charm and is detailed with traditional handcrafted woodwork and ganch carving, especially highlighted in their dining room and courtyard for breakfast.
My favorite restaurant: Old Bukhara. The seasonal fresh vegetable dishes shine. Try their pumpkin dumplings, Achik Chuchuk — a simple but delicious Uzbek tomato & pepper salad, and their grilled vegetables. For meat-eaters, I recommend the beef, lamb or chicken shish-kebabs and Lagman — an Uzbek noodle dish. And always begin the meal with special warm Uzbek bread.
My favorite local drink: Fresh squeezed lemon juice. Bukhara lemons have a special shape and taste that is sweeter, and fresh pomegranate juice, when its in season. Green tea is also a must. Much like bread, tea is considered a ceremony in Uzbekistan.
When I want to feel cultured, I head to: The Ismail Samani Mausoleum, which represents the quintessence of 9th century Central Asian architecture.
If I'm getting a one-of-a-kind, luxury gift for someone I love, I head to: Rakhmon Toshev. His museum and home is full of incredible silk works, a veritable Ali Baba’s cave full of suzanis, which are embroidered textiles that have a myriad of uses. For textile pieces with gold embroidery, I would head to the beautiful workshop of Nodir Rasulov.
My favorite local clothing designer: For ikats and dresses, Feruza Ahrarova, whose workshop is very close to Lyabi House Hotel.
My favorite local home goods designer: There are so many. Rakhmon Toshev and Nodir Rasulov, of course, but you can also find beautiful silk embroidery and suzani at the workshop of Sanjar Nazarov and at the Bukhara Silk Carpets Workshop. Abdulvokhid Karimov is as charming as he is skilled in crafting ceramics, and his workshop is a pleasure to visit.
My favorite local artist: Davron Toshev, the brother of Rakhmon. He is supremely talented in the art miniature paintings, an Uzbek tradition.
When traveling in Bukhara: Take your time and meet the locals.
The most underrated aspect of life in Bukhara is: The people. I have always been impressed by their generosity, their warmth and their welcoming hospitality.