Location

Only 3 minutes walk to the light rail station (Yafo center). You can find lots of restaurants in this area. It’s funny that “Shammai” suites is actually on Ben Hillel street and not on the adjacent Shammai street!

That’s King George street from the balcony.

Shammai Suites is above Pizzahut. And by the way, the building in the back with glass used to be a cinema, and a new hostel just opened there!

The reception desk on the ground floor felt squeezed. Well, this building was probably just an apartment. So no common area. You get a key to your apartment. There are 7-8 floors here and I think there are 2 apartments on each floor.

I had no idea why I was upgraded again? I was given a family suite and there was only 2 of us…  I booked this place using Hotels.com, and the reception lady saw my order and upgraded us to this room, worth $200! 50 square meters! When you enter it’s the living room, a toilet, a 2-single beds room, plus an en-suite!! Woo-hoo!

A modern and spacious bathroom.

2 single-beds sort of fit here. But the other room….

Wow! A double bed! Comfortable mattress, everything you need is here. A closet, tv, mirrors and another bathroom is here! It’s pretty luxurious! I was just sharing 2 bathrooms with 20 people in a hostel in Tel aviv…

But remember, I was “upgraded” to this room and let’s be more objective here, haha! A good thing about staying in an apartment like this is that you get a real kitchen! (but remember you are paying a similar price, and in other places, though there’s no kitchen, breakfast is included!) Having a kitchen will certainly make you feel more like home, even if you are just boiling hot water.

Yes, I can confirm it is a real kitchen!

Two windows behind curtains lead to the balconies. Shammai Suites is located on Ben Hillel street.

This street on the left is Shammai street.

Final Verdict

Nothing not to like about this place! Comfortable, clean, great location, and the most important part… it comes with a kitchen! Great for privacy. But if you don’t like making breakfast yourself, consider other options.

Shammai Suites in Jerusalem — 2018

Location

Paamonim Jerusalem Hotel is located in the new city. Yafo center light rail is 1-minute walk away. And about 10 minutes walk to Mahane Yehuda market. 17 minutes walk to Damascus gate! The location is ideal!

The look of Paamonim Jerusalem Hotel from outside doesn’t stand out. The signage was small. Google Maps street view still has old data. But I don’t think it is hard to find if you know you are looking for this place.

At the entrance on 1st floor, it doesn’t quite show is a hotel. But take the elevator to 2nd floor where reception is . 

There are two lounges on the 2nd floor. One is a lobby for rest, some tea bags and cookies are provided (but not as generous as BY14TLV in Tel Aviv) And then the other lounge is for dining, and where we had our breakfast in the morning.

From the lounge- The Bell building! (Paamonim means bell)

There are only 4-6 rooms per floor, oh, and I think there’s a clinic on the 4th floor. It’s weird that this elevator is shared. But let’s just say it is hard to acquire an entire property in Jerusalem! And this place is branded as Aparthotel. (I think)

Let’s see our quadruple room. A small kitchenette is at the entrance but it means just a microwave and a sink. Anyways… I don’t know if with a microwave the counter can be called a kitchenette, but I guess everyone’s opinion is different.

And the room was small. About 20m2.   I took this picture standing between two single beds. You can’t open a suitcase at the same time. (unless you drag is to dining table)

The second room is with a door and looks like a proper room. The double bed here is 2 single beds.

The view from the balcony!

I was super happy with the shower room. Hot water was really “hot” water, and finally, I saw a normal hairdryer that doesn’t look like a vacuum machine.

Toiletry set. Again, Sea of Spa.

Facilities

I don’t remember seeing any facility except Shabbat dinner service?

Breakfast

I am so fond of my breakfast memory here. They serve from 7 am till 10 am, but they wrap up at around 10:30. The ambiance, the options, and just everything are wonderful. A friend of mine compared with 5-star hotel she stayed in Jerusalem, and she said she felt more relaxed here! This is THE place to chat!

Let’s see the options…. make your own orange juice! Yay! My happiest memory! (But it’s not available on Shabbat as you aren’t allowed to work)！

Cute signages

Salad zone. No meat. Israel is too kosher for us.

Spreads. You can use jam and honey from the shelf!

Cereals, milk and a super slow coffee machine. Not available on shabbat by the way!

You don’t see backpackers here. People who stay here aren’t pilgrims or tourists either (except us? haha). I think most people are on business trips here. So maybe that explains why a microwave is enough.

Final Verdict

Location is right next to Yafo station! Lots of restaurants nearby. Generous breakfast option. Some tea bags and available in the lobby. Reasonable price ($200 for 4) but kitchenette wasn’t of much use and room size was small.

Paamonim Jerusalem Hotel  — 2018