Windows of Jerusalem Vacation Rental Apartments

I recently stayed at Windows of Jerusalem 2 separate times during July 2017. We were a group of 13 (6 adults, 7 kids) and had 2 apartments each time. For the most part, our stay was very good. The apartments are clean and spacious. The beds are comfortable and every request we had was satisfied. We did not try to cook a meal but ate carryout and leftovers in our apartments a number of times and found we had everything we needed, except napkins - which we bought. Having a washing machine and dryer was great - let us pack a lot lighter than we would have otherwise. Just beware, the dryer takes a lot longer than ones in the US. And if you're staying for more than a few days, you will likely have to buy refills of consumables (toilet paper, laundry detergent, paper towels) as WoJ doesn't refill after you use what they provide. My biggest issue with WoJ was that we checked in after hours both times and the 2nd time was really bad. You need an elevator card to get up to your apartment and then a key for the front door, both of which are left in lock boxes - one in the lobby and the other outside your apartment. For our first stay, things could not have gone more smoothly. We were upstairs and relaxing within 10 minutes of arrival. However, the 2nd time I was given incorrect lock box information for BOTH of the elevator cards! What are the odds of that? Fortunately I still had the emails from our first stay and we were able to get into one of the lock boxes. (The 2nd lock box I was directed to use simply did not exist in the lobby.) So we had only 1 elevator card to use as we were traipsing up and down 13 flights with luggage for 13 people. I did try calling the office when I first had problems, but there was no after hours number that anyone answered. For awhile there, we really thought we were going to end up having to check into a hotel for the night. So if you are arriving after hours, I would highly recommend asking for an emergency number - before you leave! And to WoJ - I would highly recommend including an emergency number that is ALWAYS answered in the off-hours arrival emails. Other than that, our stay was very good. The next morning I went to the office and they readily gave me 4 additional elevator cards. I also asked for more towels and there was no problem getting extras. When I told them about our problems the night before, they left an apology note and a bottle of wine for us in our room. And, we were only traveling around the county for 3 nights between our 2 stays, so they let us leave some luggage with them during our travels so we didn't have to drag all the suitcases with 2 weeks worth of stuff. THAT was very helpful. As everyone has mentioned, the location can't be beat. The tram right behind the building is very convenient and a lot less expensive than taking taxis everywhere. We had 1 apartment with a spectacular view of the Old City and the others had views that were fine. We were on floors 8, 10 and 13 and did not hear any noise from the street level. If I were traveling with a group, I would definitely stay here again.

We had an amazing stay. The location couldn't be better -15 minute walk from the old city, 3 minutes from machne yehuda, 5 minutes from Ben yehuda, 10 minutes from mamila. Loads of great food right nearby. The service is excellent, the staff was helpful both before and during the stay and accommodating of all our requests. Parking is difficult so if you're renting a car, consider the expense of the parking lots in the area. (Plus our rental car got damaged in the lot, costing us $200 for a damaged tail light)