The best accommodations Saudi Arabia

Budget & Tips

There are three main types of accommodation in Saudi Arabia: hotels, hotel residences and homestays.

Hotels: the hotel offer is always excellent, often with very large rooms. They are classified from 3* to 5*. The 3* hotels are often small establishments, with few rooms, and not necessarily a restaurant service. The 4* hotels always have a restaurant and a gym. 5* hotels offer a wide range of services, including a swimming pool, often covered, with special hours for women. Rates range from 320 SAR to over 800 SAR.

Hotel residences: the apartment hotel is a very common concept in Saudi Arabia. The rates are lower than in hotels because the services are less extensive. You will often rent an apartment with a kitchenette and sometimes a living room separate from the bedroom. The comfort varies from small residences, sometimes with limited cleanliness, to very comfortable residences with services worthy of a hotel. Some residences have a restaurant, but it is rare. The price ranges from 160 SAR to 450 SAR depending on the comfort and the city.

Homestay. In AlUla, due to the limited supply of conventional accommodation and high demand, homestay accommodation has become very popular. Residents have built large houses, with a part reserved for the reception of travelers. You will not be staying with the family. The rooms are often large, when you don't have an entire apartment to yourself. They are concentrated in the new town of Al Aziziyah, 15 km south of AlUla. A car is essential. Breakfast is never included or served, but you have access to a kitchen. Rates range from SAR 400 to SAR 600, depending on the season.

To be booked

It is essential to book your hotel as early as possible if you are going to AlUla during the festival period, to Jeddah during the F1 Grand Prix (March) or to Taif during the rose picking season (March-April). Elsewhere, due to limited tourism, there is little tension.

What's very local

In some low-end aparthotels, towels are not always included.

Saudis like their comfort and the rooms are often large, with a separate living room and several bedrooms, so that the whole family can stay.

All accommodation options are listed on the Booking.com website, the essential companion for your overnight reservations in the country.

For food lovers

Hotels almost always offer continental breakfasts, served as a buffet. So you don't have to follow the traditional salty breakfast of falafel, hummus, foul madames (mashed beans) or mutton liver. But nothing prevents you from tasting all these delicacies in the company of Saudis in a small specialized restaurant.

Smokers

Smoking is not permitted in enclosed public spaces in Saudi Arabia. Some hotels still offer smoking rooms, but this is becoming less common. Please ask at the reception desk.

Tourist traps

Saudi Arabia is a very safe country and tourism is still in its infancy. Therefore, there are no particular scams concerning accommodation in the country.