ניו פאלם

This was my first time staying in a hostel. I was worried about this hostel after reading the reviews. It turned out ok for me. I checked in ok. I was meant to be at the crowded end, but for some reason I was lucky and was given a decent room with my own toilet and shower. The room was clean with great wifi. It was next to the lounge with a widescreen tv. The first few nights it was nice and peaceful but on some nights it was noisy till about 11pm as people liked to come and watch tv and chat about their travels. In the lounge there was unlimited tea and coffee. There was no breakfast as such in the morning. The location is good as there are plenty of shops to always grab something to eat. The hostel is near the following points of interest: Damascus Gate, Bus station for buses going to Bethlehem, Bethany, Bethpage and Mount of Olives.The Garden Tomb,The Church of Holy Sepulchre, Temple Mount, Western Wall, various shops, Cafes, fruit and vegetable stalls are also nearby. The staff member (an old man) whom I saw each morning was ok with me. He greeted me and told me to be careful when I am walking around very late at night in certain areas. The hostel is ok if you are busy going out on tours and not camping in a lot.

Please do not book with this hotel. I booked three weeks in advance and then emailed them the night before to advise my arrival time the next day. The reply I got back was the room is now gone . No apologies or help to find a room elsewhere and they then ignored all further email . This left me stranded with little option to find another place at short notice.i later found out other people had the same thing happen to them. They basically gave our rooms to somebody else who paid a higher price . I even visited the place to give them my thoughts and the man was so rude and the place was so dirty . They may be cheap but there is a reason behind this. Location is the only thing they have going however pay an extra £20 -£30 a night and you can find more decent reliable places near by.