Al Battal Hotel

We went for Umrah as a family, and the staff welcomed us warmly. Everyone, including the buggy service team, was friendly, helpful, and available. The buggy runs 24/7, and they helped us from the heart. A big thumbs up for the buggy car service! They also helped us get a taxi. Some staff don't speak much English, but an online translator worked well. Wi-Fi was available in reception and in the room, and WhatsApp worked fine for communication. I'm sincerely grateful to them. There was water, coffee, and tea at reception. Our room was clean and comfortable, and the price was good for what we got. The AC was very strong, so we tried opening the window, which worked fine and gave better ventilation than the AC. We saved a lot of electricity. The bathroom was clean and fine too. The room may feel compact with three beds, but we spent much more time at Masjidil Al Haram anyway, so it worked perfectly for us. The hotel is a bit hidden and up the hill, which was confusing at first. The buggy made going up and down convenient, and from there it's around 6 minutes to the Masjidil Haram gate.

I slept well on the mattresses, and the room had soap, towels, and shampoo. The hotel is clean, and the staff are very friendly. Some speak English and some Urdu. It’s 1,100 steps from my room to inside the haram, measured on my smartwatch, so it’s easy to walk there. The hotel is on a hill, though it isn’t too steep, and they have an electric cart to take elderly guests from the hotel to the end of the road. I enjoyed my stay and would come back. Just don’t expect luxury.

We paid more than 1000 riyal for one night, when the same room could be booked on the spot for 300. We’d booked a triple room on agoda during Ramadan, but on arrival they took us to a different nearby hotel. The room there was extremely small and hazardous, and the beds couldn’t fit people who are 6 feet tall. They take advantage of people, many of whom are in Ihram. Better to avoid them.

The caddy car service for getting around was the best part. It’s cheaper than other hotels in its class, and has a water heater, refrigerator, AC, kettle, and free water refills. I’d recommend staying here for a backpacking Umroh trip.