Dar Yacoub Hotel

The staff were friendly and tried their best, and the old city location was central. There was free WiFi, soap in the bathroom, and the bedroom air conditioning worked, sort of. The adhan from the beautiful old mosque nextdoor was amazing, not a recording like you get from most places. It could be such a lovely hotel, with its original features and Agatha Christie feel, but it needs a lot of money spent on it. The bedding was still hairy and sweaty from whoever had used it before. When we asked for fresh linens, they had to buy new sheets and pillowcases. The sheet was too small and ripped when we tried to put it on. The mattress looked like it had seen a murder, and the pillows might once have been white, but were now solidified sweat. The power kept cutting out, which is normal for Lebanon, so at least I didn’t see the full horror. My nose was already screaming. The bed was unbelievably noisy. With a light-sleeping baby, we had to stay completely still so we wouldn’t wake her. My wife had to sleep under a towel because there was no clean blanket. The floors were sticky. Everything was sticky. The bathroom was sort of okay, but needed a deep clean. Soap was there. Something moved when we entered the room at night. I’ll be generous and say it was a lizard, because the alternative is grim. It was expensive for a grim bed and no breakfast. I wish I had the money to buy the place and fix it up.

The team were helpful, but don’t expect amazing service. It’s a small old hotel with just a few rooms, and really the only place that would rent you a room in Saida’s old souq. It does the job and gives you somewhere to sleep when you need it. I’d urge them to clean the rooms better and wash the covers more often. There’s humidity because it’s so close to the sea, so in summer the bed covers can smell a bit bad. The hotel itself is old, but there are amazing food and coffee shops around it. And last but not least, people in saida are so generous, brave, and helpful.

Abed is lovely, and the location is great.

The location is great, right in the middle of downtown Sidon. There isn’t much service or in the way of amenities, though. It’s really just somewhere to lay your head on a pillow.