Petra Hotel & Hostel

This is a large and prominent hostel that is located directly inside Jaffa Gate, at the mouth of XXX street. It is an excellent location. The hostel has two floors, the first of which is the second story of the building. The roof of the hostel also offers additional rooms, as well as the option to rent a mattress or tent on the roof itself and sleep under the Jerusalem stars. It is a simple yet quite large hostel, considering it is inside the Old City. Each floor is comprised of a large common area, which includes several seating areas, a communal kitchen and fridge, and a TV. On the first floor there is internet access which is available for 10 sheckles/hour, as well as a public bookshelf and a dining table. The dorm-style rooms all open onto this main room.

The rooms house about 6-8 each, and many have bathrooms in the room. Communal bathrooms are also available. The showers in the bathrooms are typical of the middle east – a showerhead mounted on the wall without a basin or a tub.

The atmosphere is home-like, and the building has an aura of age. Some of the furniture is run-down and well worn, but nothing is dirty. The atmosphere is delightfully consistent with the adjacent buildings – the beginning of the suq. There are stained glass windows and light fixtures.

The outstanding feature of this hostel is its view. Because of its prime location, every window in the hostel has a stunning view of either the wall of the Old City and the street below, or the rooftops of the Old City. Seemingly every room opens onto a balcony. The best area, by far, is the roof, where there are separate rooms with an incredible panoramic view of the entire Old City as well as the Mount of Olives, Mount Scopus, etc. Every landmark is visible!

This is an average quality hostel in a stellar location. The downside of being directly inside Jaffa gate is that the morning traffic and din of the street can be heard with the windows open. Higher rooms are better both in terms of view and in terms of the noise. On the other hand, for 30 sheckles per night, one can't go too far wrong.

Rates:
30NIS/day
28NIS/week
25NIS/month

Rooftop:
20NIS – mattress only
25NIS – mattress with bedding
30NIS – tents (varies by size of tent and number of people)

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
January 2005