If staying at Nordirbek (near Labi Hauz) do not arrange any taxi with the manager or owner. He told us, he know any driver and the driver will come and pick us up at 8.00 am to go to Shax-ri-sabs with 2 more people. Then he asked for 10.000 som, as advanced paying to give it to the driver, actuallly this was his "commission". At 9.30 we still were in the taxi, the driver at the roadside trying to find two more people....
So we got out and arranged with an other car, but we were to far away from the Hotel to get the "commision" back.
Normally it was o.k. to use the Hotels connections to find a car at a good price; especially good it worked in B&B Meros in Khiva!
Hotel Jipek Joly in Nukus is also overpriced, but there you have less choice to find a car and driver if you don`t speak at least basic russian.