Nukhbat Al Jiwar Hotel Makka

The food and service were just average, and the room wasn’t very clean. It’s a 10-15 minute walk from the Kaaba, and I liked the Turkish-style tea they brewed. About 90% of the guests are Turkish. My room faced an empty interior space, so opening the window didn’t bring in any air. I had to run the air conditioner to ventilate.

We stayed three nights, then moved to another hotel because this one wasn’t worth it. The room rate was quite low at 80 riyals a night, but the quality felt even lower. The cafeteria meal was 40 riyals per person, yet there was hardly anything to eat, and the place was packed and stuffy. It’s on a mezzanine with no windows. In fact, the hotel generally has few windows. Our room window looked onto an interior void, and without constant air conditioning the stuffiness was unbearable. With no daylight, we lost track of day and night. The toilets were poor, with no separate shower area, and the flush didn’t work when pressed, so we came up with the fix shown in the picture. There seemed to be no housekeeping or other staff. We waited more than an hour just to get to our room. The elevators are very old. The hotel is near the Kaaba, but has no dedicated shuttle. You take the free bus from the stop in front and go through the tunnel. It’s easy to get there by bus, but coming back is crowded because everyone in the area uses it. After the night prayer we waited in line for an hour to board. We arrived at the end of November.

They gave us a room even though I’d booked the wrong dates, so they didn’t leave me stranded. For a reasonable price, it was a good stay. It’s a modest place rather than a luxury or holiday hotel, but it had what we needed for Umrah. The room was clean and air-conditioned, with hot water. Turkish food was served morning and evening, from 06-10 and 18-22, which worked well with prayer times. We could pray morning and evening at the Kaaba and still have dinner at the hotel. The hotel is very close to the Kaaba, and free buses run regularly from right outside.

We came for Umrah, and the bus stop is right outside. The rooms are clean, though there are a few small things missing. A curtain would help in the shower area. There’s a hairdryer in the bathroom, but nowhere to plug it in.