The King David Hotel

We stayed at the KD the second week of September. We were upgraded to a mini suite and it was amazing. Excellent views of the Old City and a well appointed room. The personnel working at the KD were of the higest caliber; very professional and were always looking to assist with anything you needed. I couldn't imagine wanting to stay anywhere else. Quick walk to the old city, 10 min tops. Awesome pool too! I would recommend the following for Christians looking to tour the country: -Rent a car. It's doable, nothing too different than driving in the U.S. Once you get out of the city it's wide open road. It's busy in downtown Jerusalem but I felt that it eased up significantly after 10:00 am. -Drive Hwy 90 all the way north to The Sea of Galilee region. 2 hours of amazing desert scenery. There's so much more to Israel than just Jerusalem. It's amazing country in the north and cannot be missed. Take Hwy 92 back south. -Must see: Masada, Mt. of Beattitudes, The many churches along the north side of Galilee, the city of Tiberius, Kursi (site of the Gadarenes miracle). The Old City of Jerusalem: The way of the cross (Via Dolorosa), Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Gethsemane, Bethlehem-Church of the Nativity. We went to a beach at the Dead Sea, just ok..it was too brutally hot to enjoy, wouldn't do it again. We did a rededication Baptism at Yardenit on the Jordan River, great experience, but seemed a bit touristy and commercialized. We always felt safe in every quarter of the Old City and pretty much everywhere we went. Note that many of the Christian sites are in the Muslim Quarter and this also where most of the shopping is in the Old City. I never experienced such friendly people everywhere we went! Give yourself at least 2-3 days to explore the Old City. If you want to visit Bethlehem it's a breeze. Some don't realize that Bethlehem is in Palestine, so an Israeli cab cant cross this border. We took a cab from the KD to the checkpoint, cost: about 40 shekels ($10 or so), walk into Palestine (no documents checked), a bunch of cabs are waiting right outside the entrance into Palestine. 20 Shekels for one of these cabs to the Church of the Nativity from there. Dont let these cab drivers talk you into going anywhere else, just that Church. Btw a great, great restaurant in Bethlehem: "Innovation", a 5 min walk from the Church and it has amazing views of the city. YOU HAVE TO BRING YOUR US PASSPORT with you to cross back into Israel. Great restaurant a few blocks from the KD: Olive and Fish All in all the KD is it when you come to Israel!!! Dont consider other spots based just on commercial brand names, KD rocks! The one critical point: It states on the website that parking is free; it wasnt clear what was going on to prevent this, maybe construction? So KD corrected this by valeting the car everyday. It just required an explanation everyday to the bell hops that the car indeed had to be parked. This might not apply when you visit the hotel but KD def has to make it clear whether parking is something that the hotel can accommodate. Cant wait to go again!! Shalom

Stayed here with my wife and friends for a "Destination Celebration ". Although there are now quite a few Luxury hotels in Jerusalem nothing else is in the same league(IMHO).although some of the rooms need a bit freshening, and there may be some hotels a bit more technologically updated; itching quite matches the elegance and Old World Charm of the King David". The entire staff was wonderful and extremely efficient. The grounds and pool area are unmatched! No me there's no other Hotel like it in Jerusalem

First and foremost, the King David is a destination unto itself. Even if one does not stay here, one must stop by to take in the majesty and history of the place. A brief walk through the lobby, with its long list of signatures of the heads of state and celebrities that have stayed there through the years, is worth a visit. Built by the British to house its dignitaries during its rule from 1918-1948, the hotel commands a presence on the other side of the valley (the valley to which Adam and Eve were reportedly banished) from the outer walls of the Old City. The views from this side of the hotel are spectacular. We stayed on the renovated 5th floor, with one room facing the Old City, the other, the newer part of the city and the historic YMCA building. The rooms easily sleep 3 and are luxurious for a couple, with hardwood floors, 5 fixture bathrooms, super comfortable beds and remote controls for the blinds (which we loved, given the eastern view). As others have stated, the service is definitely below what one would associate with this hotel. Although the stay started with a personal escort from the assistant manager, service was below par. (During this entire introductory tour of our rooms, all I was thinking was "Where are our bags?... I'd like to get changed and get out for dinner." I also thought that the tour was unfair, as it almost solicited a tip to the senior staff, while the bags was delivered when we were out). We were also disappointed that the shampoo/soap were not replenished properly each day. Also, one of the phones was filthy upon our arrival, and it took a couple of calls and some waiting to get it remediated. The concierge desk can also definitely use improvement. The one dinner reservation they made for us was to an empty restaurant (we did not go in), that was nearby other, obviously popular places, that had availability. Not sure what was up there. Overall, they should be more knowledgeable and, candidly, have more "pull" as the KD concierge. We also had more confusion getting taxis than was warranted. Every trip seemed to entail some long conversation between one of the valets and multiple cab drivers (with one trip ending up being taken for a bit of a ride). Better off hailing from the street. Pool was beautiful and the staff there very nice. I was able to get lounges both times, but I went pretty late in the day. Pool needs to be heated (or, if heated, heated more) as the chilly evenings make it too cold, even during warm days. Even my girls, who will swim in anything, did not enjoy it, which was disappointing to me as the pool seems to be fairly well known. Finally, a big shout out to HANY, who made our breakfasts a highlight of each day. We were fortunate to meet him the first morning (a crowded and limited menu Shabbat) and stick with him for our 5 mornings there. He anticipated our needs and made sure we left with water everyday. A great guy. I did not get a chance to visit the other, new luxury hotels nearby, and I may try one on a future trip, but my wife and daughters may not allow me. They are in the (valid) camp that there is only one King David... I just hope management does not take this treasure, and its important place in history, for granted.