I agree with previous reviewers that one must come here only after adjusting one’s expectations. I don’t normally stay in these types of accommodations, but wanted to give it a try after seeing the reviews and because of its location. I’m sorry I did, but I may have caught them on an “off” week. Regardless, I won’t be going back.
I had a single room, which was actually more like a closet with a small, not-very-clean bathroom. Dust bunnies regularly traversed the floor every time there was movement in the room – gross. The size of the room and bathroom didn’t bother me, but the unsanitary nature of the rooms sure did.
There was no A/C, which for me turned out to be a mistake. The Old City of Jerusalem is very dusty, and while you have to leave the window open at night if you don’t want to swelter, the dust gets everything dirty. But to be fair, they do tell people that they have no A/C upon booking, and they do make it clear that it is primarily staffed by volunteers, so comfortable temperatures and clean rooms may be a bit too much to expect.
My major complaint about the place is the front desk people and the owners. I had the misfortune to be there when a fair number of their board members were also staying there. This meant that everyone was falling over themselves to take care of the board members and ignoring the other guests. When I asked one of the staff members for a clean towel, she glared at me and stomped down the hall to get it from the locked closet, making it clear that I was putting her out. It turned out that she was the owner, so maybe I was actually putting her out. When I was trying to get some help from the man at the front desk to arrange a taxi for my students and I was told that some of their board members had just arrived and he didn’t have time to “deal” with our request. Likewise, when I asked to change rooms (I was willing to pay for a larger, nicer room), I was told that they were holding their best rooms in case one of their board members decided they wanted to change.
Breakfast was nothing special, nor was the coffee (which is a real shame in Israel – they generally have great coffee). The silly thing is that they have an espresso machine right there in the breakfast room, but we were told that they don’t use it for their guests during breakfast but only for visitors who come to the “coffee shop” during the day and pay for it. I would have happily paid for a cappuccino at breakfast, but oh well.
I was never there during the afternoon when they supposedly opened the little café, but I would certainly recommend it as a place to visit during the afternoon for a coffee or snack. The courtyard is lovely and the complex does have an oasis-like feel to it. I just wouldn’t recommend this property to someone to stay as a hotel guest – unless, of course, they were a board member…
- Christ Church Jerusalem
