The main thing going for the Al-Gawaher are its very friendly, hospitable, helpful and laid-back group of guys who work there - a breath of fresh air from my experience of the usual distant, vacant and aloof service in Middle Eastern hotels.

I stayed in Al-Gawaher for 5 nights. The price is very cheap (400 Syrian pounds for a single room without bathroom, 600 SYP for one person a double room with bathroom, 1200 SYP for two people in a triple room with bathroom). Sleeping on mattresses on the roof is even cheaper, but unfortunately that wasn't an optioon at this time because I was there in winter.

There is unlimited free wi-fi available, which is great (and rare for the Middle East!). Hanging out in the lobby is a good way of meeting other travellers, and the staff can be both talkative or leave you alone on your laptop, whatever you prefer, they're very relaxed.

My main complaint about the hotel is the fact that the availability of hot water is very erratic, to non-existent at times! I had to run the 'hot' tap for a good 15 mins to get the hot water to flow, and often it didn't become hot/warm at all, no matter what time of day it was...not good in the wintertime in Aleppo! Also, the surface/bottom of the shower design is very dangerous - it is a split-level surface in the bathtub that you have to stand in to have a shower, so it is very slippery and awkward to stand in...I fell down once! There is also a chronic lack of toilet paper and soap in the hotel. No breakfast available.

However, there are either electric heaters and fans or split-system air conditioners in every room, the rooms are large, beds comfortable with sufficient blankets, facilities are clean for the most part and the location of the hotel is excellent, right between the Al-Jdeida Christian Quarter and the Old City, the 2 main areas of interest in Aleppo.

I would recommend this hotel for budget travellers, especially backpackers, as a laid-back no-frills place to meet people...just watch your step in the (cold) shower!

The rooms are very run down, bathroom is dirty, A/C is very loud, etc. However, it is cheap. So what do you expect if the place is this cheap? Again, for some travelers, it will be an okay choice for a night or two, allowing one to save money. But for many others with higher expectations, it is best to probably stay away. The staff was rather helpful to me, though they are more concerned with hanging out with each other than helping guests - but this is a no frills place, so one probably shouldn't expect top quality service.

It's got a reasonably good location mid way between the old city and the Christian quarter and the room had good aircon. However, the sheets were dirty and smelt and the bathroom was dirty and the loo didn't flush which they did absolutely nothing to fix. This wouldn't have been unbearable but the young guy on reception was patronising and unfriendly, making unpleasant jokes rather than helping us. We left.

Al-Gawaher is tucked away on a side street in the Bab al-Faraj neighbourhood. They have email access, so you can reserve in advance if you need to. Stayed for 2 nights in a twin room, which was ice cold (I visited in the Winter season) - the huge radiator in the room proved to be a show piece and belongs in a museum. After fiddling with the water pipes in the rest room for a good 30 minutes, my shower spewed out a trickle of luke-warm water. The security lock on my door was missing key components and I was forced to keep my door closed by placing an item of room furniture against it.

The communual areas on each landing are massive and decorated with traditional Syrian furniture, nice place to hang out if the beg buds won't let you sleep.

For the cost of a night at al-Gawaher, you could easily stay at a much cleaner, cosier and friendlier hotel off the main road. Stay at the al-Gawaher only as a last option.