National Hotel Review in Jerusalem
The National Hotel is in the East of Jerusalem. I had already been staying on the other side of the city for a conference for a few days and then moved to the National Hotel. The National Hotel was reasonably priced and I have to say it was so much better than the hotel I previously stayed in and nearly half the cost. To check latest prices and book Booking.com or Agoda
I arrived at this hotel feeling ill as was coming down with a cold and all I wanted to do was check into my room and sleep. It was only 11.30am and check in wasn’t until wasn’t until 3pm. The receptionist was friendly and said she would see if they had a room available which they did so checked me in early which was much appreciated.
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I had made the hotel aware I have mobility issues and cannot manage many stairs and she asked me if I was ok to use the lift as the rooms on the ground floor can be noisy. The receptionist made me feel so welcome as did all the staff during my stay. I was in room 109, the room was lovely and I heard very little noise from the road, corridor, or other rooms.
It had a large comfortable double bed with a duvet, blanket and two good quality pillows with two extra in the wardrobe which I used as I like a lot of pillows. My room were large and airy. There is air conditioning or heating controls but I didn’t need to use these. My room was very clean and smelt of pine when I arrived.
There are an adequate amount of plug sockets. One of the strange things is though and I am not sure if this is a common thing in Israel but one of the light switches next to the bed didn’t seem to do anything. But later on when I tried to make a cup of tea and the kettle wasn’t working the maintenance guy came up and clicked this switch and magic the electricity worked – I did feel a bit silly but have never come across this before.
There is a safe which is easy to use and was large enough for my tablet and valuables. A fridge but I didn’t use this. One of the most cherished item was the kettle as I ended up being confined to my room for a couple of days due to my cold.
Luckily though I had my own teabags with me as none were provided but there was one sachet of sugar for some reasons. Being a true Brit I need lots of tea when I am ill to make me feel better.
The furniture is good quality and I didn’t notice anything broken. There was a large wardrobe, two bed side tables, a desk, a table and two comfortable chairs and a rack to put your suitcase on so lots of space to store my belongings.
The TV had a channel that showed some English speaking programs and a news channel. I like to have a TV for background noise. My room didn’t have a balcony but I noticed some others did. I had the view of the main street but I didn’t hear much noise from it.
Breakfast is served on the first floor which is accessible by 2 lifts or a flight of stairs. There was an excellent selection. You could have omelettes that were freshly made. Juice, milk, tea and coffee. Lots of breads and cakes. Salads, cheeses, cold meats, hummus, falafel, fruit, cereal, yoghurt, and it was all delicious.
The staff here were friendly and on the 2nd day he remembered my room number and that I wanted tea. There were lots of tables and when I had breakfast there was plenty of space.
As I mentioned I was ill with a cold and the cleaner was a bit concerned and came to ask me if I was OK, I said I had a cold and he went and got me a box of soft tissues for my nose which was really thoughtful and even brought me another box the next day. Little things like this make a stay really memorable.
I would recommend anyone to stay here. It is in walking distance to the old city and the Tomb of the Kings. It is less than 10 min walk from the light rail system which was easy to use. If you would like to see some more reviews check out TripAdvisor
I arrived on a Thursday and the area was buzzing with locals. Apparently they have a half day on a Thursday so there were lots of school children around and it was quite noisy. A total contrast on Friday when everything seemed to be closed. There were local shops and eateries but these were not open at all on Friday. I was aware things were going to close from Friday evening until Saturday evening due to Shabbat but was surprised for things not to open at all on the Friday.
There was a mini market across the street that had drinks, and sweets and crisps. But I didn’t explore much more of the area.
I had room service on the first day for lunch which was a turkey sandwich and fries. There was only a thin slice of turkey meat on very thick crust dry bread so this wasn’t the best. The next night I had a pizza which was tasty. Room service prices are not that much different to what is being offered in other restaurants however they only accept cash and it cannot be charged to the room. There was also a coffee shop and the cakes looked delicious.
The reception is very helpful they exchanged some money for me. They don’t accept credit cards but luckily, I had some sterling which they changed. I asked for the rate and it was competitive with what was being offered in the money exchange places. They also booked a shuttle to the airport for 62 shekels.
On the first day they brought me some sweet snacks and a bottle of water about 4pm which was a nice gesture.
There were a mixture of nationalities here. Some English speaking and all the staff I encountered spoke English.
Other facilities at the National Hotel in Jersualem
Free Wi-Fi – password protected and good connection
Toiletries
24-hour fitness centre
Coffee / café – I noticed the cakes that looked delicious
Rooftop terrace
Free self-parking
Hairdryer
1 free bottle of water
I use hotelscombined.com to find the best rate and then I will book directly with my favourite hotel booking agents. I use the following two depending on the best deal. I like these companies as they have easy to use websites, apps, customer service, loyalty discounts and the best prices. Bookings.com or Hotels.com
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