Middle East - Anthony Ham [401]
Afamia Hotel (Map; 222 8963; www.afamiahotel.com; classic s/d €25/30, executive s/d from €30/35; ) The Afamia wins our vote for Damascus’ best midrange hotel. Traveller-friendly, well-located close to the Hejaz train station and a 10-minute walk from the Old City, the hotel has a mix of rooms that were renovated recently (executive) and older rooms (classic). There are plans for all the rooms to be renovated which will make it a fine choice whichever room you get. The newer rooms aren’t large but have plump doonas, comfortable beds, hairdryers, clean bathrooms and satellite TV; there are also plans for in-room ADSL internet access. Some rooms also have balconies.
Al-Majed Hotel (Map; 232 3300; www.almajed-group.com; d low/high season €32/55; ) This centrally located place has been built by a local who spent years working in the Gulf, and the decor and clientele reflect this fact. The clean rooms with pine furniture all come with satellite TV and some on the upper floors have views. The high-season price is more than it should be, low season is about right. For all its pluses, the quality of the rooms and service vary and get mixed reviews from travellers.
Top End
Prices in this category don’t include 11% tax.
Old Damascus Hotel (Map; 541 4042; www.old-damas.com; near Bab Touma; s/d US$75/95; ) With an intimate courtyard, lovely spacious rooms and an attention to detail that has few rivals in the Old City, Old Damascus Hotel is outstanding. We also love the fact that it’s run, at least in part, by women.
Beit al-Mamlouka (Map; 543 0445/6; www.almamlouka.com; s/d US$120/135; ) This courtyard house, which dates from 1650, has been converted into a sumptuous boutique hotel. Staying in the Süleyman the Magnificent room, with its painted ceiling and marble fountain, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, made even better by the hotel’s high level of service and great position within the walls of the Old City. There are only eight rooms, all of which are individually and beautifully decorated. The marmalade on your breakfast table comes from the trees in the courtyard and the rooftop terrace is a fine place to wile away an afternoon.
Dar al-Yasmin (Map; 544 3380; www.daralyasmin.com; near Bab Touma; s/d/ste US$120/140/175; ) Another lovely hôtel de charme (boutique hotel), arrayed around the courtyards of an old Damascene house, Dar al-Yasmin is one of the Old City’s most agreeable places to stay. Rooms are decorated in an antique style with soaring ceilings and traditional furnishings. Some are on the small side with tiny bathrooms, others are spacious with modern amenities. There’s wireless internet throughout and the service is gracious and discreet. If you’re coming from Bab Touma along Sharia Bab Touma, take the second street on the left, then the first lane on the right.
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EATING
The most atmospheric places to eat are the historic courtyard restaurants in the Old City, where prices are generally reasonable, at least by Western standards. If you want alcohol with your meal, you’ll need to venture into the Christian quarter rather than the area around the Umayyad Mosque, although some places in the latter area will whisper in your ear that alcohol is available. In central Damascus, the best restaurants are found in the area around Saahat Yousef al-Azmeh.
Central Damascus
The side streets off Martyrs’ Sq are crammed with cheap eateries, which mostly offer shwarma and felafel, but the southern perimeter of the square and the surrounding streets are more famous for their sweet shops, with windows dominated by great pyramids of baklava and other glorious Damascene sweets.
Another popular spot for cheap restaurants is just up the hill from Al-Rabie and