sebal almasi hotel

BEAWARE. WASH ROOM There was half a used roll of toilet paper when we arrived. Hot water lasted at most two minutes, then went cold and wouldn’t heat up again no matter how I turned the faucet. The shower was cramped, and its drain didn’t work properly, so I stood in a pool of drain water. The toilet seat was much too small and slid from side to side, which felt dangerous. The hair dryer was so weak I could blow harder myself. They provided only a tiny soap and enough shampoo for a baby’s head, and towels were scarce. The door had a large open vent at the bottom, so there was no privacy: someone could look in if they got down, and my partner could hear everything. ROOM We’d requested a double bed, but arrived to find two singles. I had to move the beds and bedside tables together to make a makeshift double, which was very uncomfortable for my partner and me. The room looked run down, with stains everywhere, and was smaller in person than in the website photos. The coffee machine smelled bad and leaked some sticky, moldy substance, and there were no pods. No complimentary water bottles either. The iron leaked like a waterfall, the wardrobe door was hard to slide, and the faulty window wouldn’t open properly. OTHER Don’t pay for breakfast. The food looked old, was like inedible prison slop, and the selection was the smallest I’ve seen at a hotel. We left the door card asking for a room clean at midday, but when we returned in the evening nobody had cleaned it. Room service was basically nonexistent, the old telephone didn’t work, and staff communication was poor. We ended up buying our own toilet paper and water, reusing towels multiple times, and sleeping on unchanged sheets. The four elevators took forever, were inefficient, needed constant button pressing, and one jammed with us inside for a couple of minutes. POSITIVES It’s a maximum two-minute walk to the prophets mosque, there are taxis right outside, and plenty of shops nearby. The bellboy will bring outside food orders to your room, but stands there awkwardly expecting a tip. OVERALL We paid 1020 saudi rials for two nights, and it wasn’t worth it. We had a better experience at a 100 rial per night hotel. Expensive isn’t always better. The booking photos were deceiving, even though the location is great. Staff communication was poor, and it’s worth learning a little arabic to communicate. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel to anyone. Thank you for reading.

The worst part was how little consideration the staff showed. We were there with our children and had bought food from outside so we could eat calmly in the restaurant because it was crowded. They just sent us away, without an explanation or any attempt to help. Nobody offered a solution or tried to think along with us. The staff were incredibly rude, and the whole experience felt completely lacking in empathy and basic human decency.

I had a very bad experience, especially with the restaurant staff. A young Egyptian man at the restaurant reception was rude and unprofessional. Even though I was staying at the hotel, he wouldn’t let me use the restaurant restroom. My child was sick and couldn’t come downstairs to eat, so I tried to take some food up to the room. The employee forcibly snatched the plate from my hands. That was inhumane and unprofessional, especially toward a sick child. I strongly advise against staying here.

This was a pathetic experience, and I don’t recommend the hotel for a peaceful worship visit to madinah. I booked nearly a month ahead, but while I was on my flight, just 12 hours before arrival, they told me they’d given my room to someone from britain who was paying more. It was high season and every hotel was booked, so I asked where I was supposed to go with my family. The reception guys just kept laughing at us and said we were lucky they’d told us 12 hours beforehand, since they’d cancelled other clients’ bookings after arrival. They made fun of us and sarcastically said we could find another room for 3x more.