Middle East Hotels

Other Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

PAREV INN (PAREV DOON): THE NICEST PLACE I NEVER STAYED AT !

by DAO

I highly recommend that you stay with these super-nice folks. Do to an error on my part, I was not able to actually stay with them. When I showed up in Yerevan and rang them, I found out I had forgotten to email them my confirmation when I arrived in Yerevan. Within seconds they had negotiated a good hotel at the same rate. In effect they had taken swift and great care of me even though I did not end up being one of their guests.

Parev Inn is owned by a Canadian-Armenian couple and is near the Yeritasardakan Metro Station. They are easily contactable by email or telephone and, of course, speak English.

They are really nice and helped me when I really needed them.

Thanks nice Parev People!

PLEASE NOTE: These great pictures were actually provided to me by the folks at Parev. I told you they were nice!

They list as as standard:

European standard Bathrooms (no surprises), Air Conditioning, Refrigerator, Hair dryer, Soap & Shampoo, Rooms are cleaned everyday and the towels are changed. Bed Linen is changed every other day They do serve breakfast as well to get you off to a good start on your day.

TAJ TALAH: KING OF THE TOWERS- SANA'A,YEMEN: (AS FEATURED ON THE VT HOMEPAGE!)

by DAO

The Old Town of Sana’a is dominated by ancient ‘skyscrapers’ that are tower blocks built of stone, brick, mud, paint and wood. Taj Talah is an authentic building that is at least several hundred years old. It has all the unique features of such a building from the Mafraj (top room of the house used for socialising) to the deadly uneven and steep stairs. The hotel's Mocha Coffee Shop on the top floor allows you the best view of Sana’a in the city – day or night.

Please find my Nightlife Tip on this hotel here:

Old Town at Night

The Hotel is an authentic part of Old Sana’a. Rooms are basic, but clean and have brightly coloured windows at the top that reflect across the walls during the day. There are en-suite bathrooms which you pay a couple of extra dollars for. Flush toilets and basic shower. Rooms are a little warm so do keep the curtains closed during the day. The only bad thing about this hotel is that it is noisy, especially in the lower floors. People like to run, scream and kick bottles day and night as they pass the hotel. It is cheap and well situated, so a great place for sound sleepers.

Please Note: Many taxi drivers do not know how to find the Hotel. Ask them to take you to the “Masjid Dawud" or Dawud (David) Mosque in Old Town. It is just around the corner. They may stop short and tell you that you have to walk, it’s OK, you are very close.

Crowne Plaza Amman Amra (King Falsal Bin Abdel Azi: BEST LUXURY HOTEL NEAR THE AIRPORT AND MOTORWAYS

by DAO

Excellent location, services, staff and amenities. This is the lowest priced luxury hotel near the Airport and Motorways.

In addition to helpful staff there are several restaurants (not cheap) and 2 bars. There are 2 swimming pools (one indoor), saunas, whirlpools and a mini bar in your room. The Car rental company 'Dallah Rent A Car' has a desk in the lobby and cars in the car park. They give excellent rental prices.

If you speak to the staff, they will be nice enough to take you onto the roof to take pictures of the 7 hills of Amman.

See if anybody pays attention to the fact that one whirlpool is painted pink and the other blue in the leisure complex.

Luxury and accessibility that won't kill the budget. We stayed here for about $70 a night. The buffet was excellent.

There are nice shops/shopping mall next door and an ATM. Accross the street is a fantastic grocery store and sweet shop.

Amman, all of it, is only a $1-2 taxi ride away.

MECURE HOTEL IN SANA'A, YEMEN: DO NOT TRUST THEM !

by DAO

If you read all my hotel tips on VT you find that I always seem to have a problem with the Accor group of hotels. Their record with me – worldwide – is 100% bad stays. I have never had a good nights sleep or good service. This is no exception. I reserved on-line so I could stay in a bit of luxury on my last night here. I booked a month ahead of time because it had use of gym facilities and free airport transfers. Both were a complete lie. When I showed up all the facilities seemed to not exist! My room was smoking and noisy. Then I was forced to pay for my ‘free’ airport transfer and hassled for a tip! When I complained to the booking website I was told I would get a refund over the transfer. That was in 2006. Still waiting!

• Free airport transfers you have to pay for
• Forced to tip the driver for the same transfer
• Never repaid for the transfer – despite the website saying they would
• Non-smoking rooms that become smoking rooms
• Quiet room becomes a noisy room
• The gym that does not exist

ESSENTIALLY COMPLETE BASTARDS

General Overview: Hotels in General

by JohnniOmani

The region is far from a hot backpackers paradise and with the constant violence in Iraq etc the place seems it will stay this way for a long time to come making the hotels highly varied from country to country due to lack of first hand knowledge. Couple this with Arabs ability to travel to places where their family member are located and the pickings are slim. Other than Yemen, rock bottom budget is tough to find but possible. Prices reflect amenities and are accordingly high with about $20 US getting you a budget style up as high as $150 without blinking an eye. Budget hotels can be found in souq areas but in some cities 'natashas' roam around at night time. In general, search around the souq or bazaar area and you will find something that will be suffice for the night en shallah :)

No unique frills in the budget area other than the location of some of the hotels. Sometimes, the staff is friendly making up for the dirty interiors but that is another story in itself ;)

Gardin City Hotel: Best budge hotel in central Cario

by Doctor38

in every aspect the Garden city is an excellent value. It is located on a third floor in a building behind the The Semiramis Intercontinental Hotel within a walking distance from the AUC, Mogamma', The Nile, the Egyptian Museum, and the Tahreer (sadat) metro station.

My room was equiped with an air conditioner, a TV and had a Bath. Rooms were clean. Breakfast was good. Staff were friendly.

I paid around 60 LE for room + tax and breakfast.

Flat-hunting in Cairo and Alexandria

by maykal

I'm not overly experienced in this, but while staying with a Sudanese friend in cairo, we did spend quite a time investigating the rental market. He had arrived in Cairo at the beginning of the summer, which is the worst time of year to do so...rent goes up and apartments are harder to find. His 5th floor furnished apartment (no lift) in upmarket Mohandiseen cost him $300 a month, this price settled on after a lot of bargaining. We looked for cheaper options in the atmospheric old area between Khan el-Khalili and the Citadel, a maze of quiet streets away from mod-cons and tourists. It was described as a sha'abi or "local" neighbourhood, but most places on offer were unfurnished, i.e. not much use to a short-term tenant. The best way to find out what is available is to just ask around...by chatting to some men in a cafe, we were overheard by a passing woman who led us to a flat for rent. Returning some while later to the same cafe, someone else grabbed our hands and took us to a different flat. It is a bit hit-and-miss...one morning we found five apartments, the next morning we were sent on a wild-goose chase and found nothing...it depends who happens to overhear your conversation! Take an Arabic speaker with you!!

In Alexandria, again, summer is the wrong time of year to look, but at the end of the summer season, there will be plenty of options available...we asked around in Abu Qir and found a fully furnished apartment with a view of the sea for a very reasonable price...I forget how much exactly, but it was negotiable and certainly cheaper than anything similar in Cairo.

Flat hunting in Sudan

by maykal

Well, good luck! Khartoum is known among expats as being quite expensive when it comes to accommodation...as soon as the landlord knows that a khawaja (foreigner) is looking for a place to live, the rent skyrockets to ridiculous heights. Things to look for include a reliable water supply, constant electricity and a lockable door. Houses or apartments along public transport routes are markedly more expensive. Most expats prefer to live in areas such as Amarat, Khartoum 2, Riyadh and Arkaweet/Ma'amoura, and as such, these are the most expensive places to live. Omdurman is apparently cheaper, although again there are expensive parts. Elsewhere in Sudan, finding somewhere to live can be a nightmare...maybe Kassala was a special case, but I searched and searched for a house within my modest budget, but found nothing...it may have been because of the recent floods, it may have been because nobody wanted to rent to a khawaja, or I might have been just unlucky. It is possible to find home-stay accommodation with local families (easier for women), although a complete lack of privacy might get on your nerves after a while. Wherever you are looking, whether in Khartoum or outside, try and get the help of a Sudanese friend, or ask your company/organization to arrange it before you arrive.

Hotel Altinoz: Cappadocia, Turkey

by call_me_rhia

Just another 4 stars hotel... nice and with all comforts - and with 120 slightly anonymous rooms. The staff is friendly and the restaurant good - although not outstanding. Needless to say... it was chosen for us.

the turkish bath of the hotel is really (REALLY) nice - with lots of marble.

Hotel Cairo: Hamah, Syria

by call_me_rhia

Rooms at the Cairo are simple but extremely clean, all with private facilities. In the winter their heating system is very powerful, which never hurts. They also have a satellite TV in every room - with at least one channel in English (BBC if I remember correctly) and a couple in French) - which for 8 dollars a night it's a very good deal.

wonderfully friendly owners who fill u up with chai whenever you just drop by the reception desk... and very helpful too. They also offer tours of the area by taxi, and try to group people to share the costs - roughly 40 dollars for a taxi for a day sightseeing. And they have an internet station for guests...perfect!

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Middle East Hotels

5972 Hotels

Other Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

PAREV INN (PAREV DOON): THE NICEST PLACE I NEVER STAYED AT !

TAJ TALAH: KING OF THE TOWERS- SANA'A,YEMEN: (AS FEATURED ON THE VT HOMEPAGE!)

Crowne Plaza Amman Amra (King Falsal Bin Abdel Azi: BEST LUXURY HOTEL NEAR THE AIRPORT AND MOTORWAYS

MECURE HOTEL IN SANA'A, YEMEN: DO NOT TRUST THEM !

General Overview: Hotels in General

Gardin City Hotel: Best budge hotel in central Cario

Flat-hunting in Cairo and Alexandria

Flat hunting in Sudan

Hotel Altinoz: Cappadocia, Turkey

Hotel Cairo: Hamah, Syria

Explore the World

Questions and Answers