Hashimi Hotel in the old city of Jerusalem

Jerusalem is one of the most incredible cities in the world. There are numerous districts/neighborhoods to choose from when finding a place to stay and I really wanted to find something unique during our stay in 2008. I had narrowed it down to the historic old town which took out all the pricey chain hotels as most of them are in newer parts of the city. I then needed to choose whether or not we wanted to stay in the Jewish, Christian or Muslim quarter of old town. We decided on the Muslim quarter as it was not quite as popular as the others. After much research I stumbled on a small guesthouse in the heart of the old city called Hashimi Hotel. This cute little place felt a lot like a hostel (simple and small rooms) but it had one amazing feature…an INCREDIBLE rooftop lounge that overlooked the entire old city of Jerusalem. It also was located on an incredible street called Khan al-Zeit. Upon entering the old city through Damascus Gate you find yourself right in the middle of an busy souq (market). This souq has one main street (walking room only) and the Hashimi Hotel sat right in the middle of it. You would walk out the front door and immediately you were surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of a middle eastern market place. I remember vividly walking through the market and thinking “I hope our hotel is someplace close by” and then immediately spotting it. It was run by a Muslim family (you had to be married to share a room)and the place was beautiful. Our little room had 2 small beds, an AC and a private bathroom (which was the size of a closet). The view out our window (both in the room and the small window in the bathroom) was of the rooftops and alleyways of the Muslim quarter of the old city. I remember showering one night and looking directly out the window (yes, it was that cramped) and listening to hustle and bustle of the market below me. As I mentioned earlier the crown jewel of this place was its rooftop lounge. I had read that it was one of the best views in the city but when I first saw it I almost fell over. You have a clear view of almost the entire old city, the beautiful Dome of the Rock mosque and the Mt of Olives in the background. Every morning they would serve breakfast up there (incredible bread and hummus) and Lindsay and I would load up our plates and just stare. We literally couldn’t believe that we were looking out at the beautiful city of Jerusalem. It was especially beautiful in the morning and the evening and one of our favorite things to do was to get goodies in the market and then head up to the lounge to watch the sunset over the old city. The way the sun lite up the old buildings and gold roof of Dome of the Rock was simply breathtaking. Jerusalem is an intense city and it can be hard to find some time to simply take it all in. However, the rooftop lounge of Hashimi Hotel offered peace, quite and one of the best views in the city. We LOVED going up there to take in the beautiful scene in front of us…Jerusalem.


View of Jerusalem from the rooftop lounge

Picture taken from the Hotel front door looking out at the street and souq

View in the late evening