Al-Gawaher Hotel

Al-Gawaher Hotel is a good hotel. Each floor has its own common area and little fountain. It's located right in the center of Aleppo off the central Bab Al-Faraj (which is impossible to cross). It is also a mere five minutes' walk to the Old City of Aleppo, about ten minutes to the Al-Jedida Christian district (where all the drinking happens), and very close to the bus terminal.

We stayed in a private room and for the low price, it is worth it. Besides, they don't have dorms here. The rooms are clean and have TVs, and some have air conditioning. Our bed had bedbugs on the second night, but we really think that wasn't due to lack of cleaning or hygiene. The staff are friendly as long as you warm up to them, and can be a lot of fun. We spent quite a bit of time in the reception talking to Hamza, the excitable guy who works there that everyone loves.

There are quite a few Iraqis staying in this hotel -- the refugees from the civil war in Iraq that have money live at hotels. So we met a ton of Iraqis, and most were cool, but some of them were scary (as in, "this guy might have been in the insurgency" scary). But we found it to be a very interesting experience to meet them.

All in all, it is a great place to stay, and we would stay again. However, we didn't see any of that free tea.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
November 2008