The Walled Off Hotel
Where:Bethlehem
Why:To visit Banksy’s hotel and visit Palestine.
When:June 2017
Who:Me and Ben
Welcome to The Walled Off Hotel, facing the 26ft high (8 meters) Separation Wall.
Is it Ben Pundole at Burning Man?! It could be!
Reception to the hotel and bar lounge adorned with Banksy’s artwork.
Literally sleeping in an artwork - the stenciled wall of one of two rooms designed by Banksy, and our room for our stay.
The bizarrely elegant artist room by Banksy with a telescope to try and look over the wall.
Room with a View - ‘the worst view in the world’ - with a smattering of graffiti. There’s a shop next door where you can create your own stencil, choose your spray paint of choice and get on a ladder!
This bit I loved! When checking in we were given a wad of paper that detailed, with images and descriptions, every single artifact in the room. From the little glasses in the bathroom, to the books on each bedside table, to statues, plants, everything. I meticulously went round the room marking each item off and counting each book. Steal anything at your peril, you’ll pay for it! When checking out, the same list was ticked off to make sure everything was still there.
And this was brilliant. How awful for anyone to steal from the hotel when every little thing was placed in that particular place for a reason. The whole hotel is a work of art for every visitor to enjoy. (However, we did steal a bar of soap or two!)
The Piano Bar is open all day, serving a mix of traditional Palestinian food and English dishes such as a ‘Walled Off Salad’ (see what they did there?)
Another well adorned nook in the Piano Bar.
What unites human beings is huge and wonderful, what divides human beings is small and mean’ - the museum in the hotel, there’s also a great bookshop.
The lounge on the first floor by the ‘out of order’ elevator.
The rolling hills of Bethlehem from Hosh Jasmin.
The divisive and unnecessary separation wall that is a constant daily reminder to Palestinians (and a reality) of their lack of freedom of movement’.
Highs & Lows
The ART! In the UK we can think, “oh sigh, another Banksy …”, but when you’re surrounded by his original work, and pieces you had forgotten you’d loved then it’s completely different. From the painting of the kid goat being cradled by a leopard, or the guard tower from the wall turned into a merry-go-round, or the protester throwing a bouquet of flowers, all are mesmerizing, disturbing and thought provoking.
The location - such a powerful location, just a walk away from Checkpoint 300 and all that that is, but Bethlehem is one of the most welcoming towns I’ve ever been to.
The hotel has a brilliant museum (non residents can visit for an entry fee, hotel guests go for free) that takes visitors through the years of the occupation to the present day. It’s an uncomfortable experience of local stories, artifacts and testimonies.
Important Bits
- Type
The ultimate pop-up statement hotel.
- Vibe
The Walled Off Hotel has opened in the centenary year of the Balfour Declaration, hence the tongue-in-cheek, mocking of the ‘Englishness’ of the hotel’s interior. In corners of the hotel, and in our room, we find more royal memorabilia and miniature glasses with foxhunts and hounds printed on them as if from a car-boot sale in the UK. But the vibe is welcoming and friendly, while the surroundings challenged us to see things differently.
- Location
Right by the wall that separates Israel from Palestine, near Checkpoint 300, situated in one of the friendliest towns I have visited, Bethlehem; with its refugee camps, armed-guards, unnecessarily blocked-off roads, and the best falafel and hummus in the world!
- Rooms
8
- Music
Music in particular comes from the baby grand piano; a ‘plays itself’ piano with moving keys is fun and again thought provoking. On the opening night Elton John played the first concert, remotely.
- Year Opened
2017
- Designed By
Banksy
- Pool/Gym
No
- Restaurant
The Piano Bar serves a simple Palestinian breakfast of falafel, hummus, shakshuka and some pastries, and then the ‘Walled Off Salad’ for lunch, Afternoon Tea and Mezze in the evening alongside locally brewed beer and local Cremisan wines.
- Bar
The Piano Bar
- Minibar
No mini bar, but we loved the lounge on the first floor next to the ‘out of order lift’ with tins of biscuits, tea and coffee.
- Wifi
Yes
- Children
Yes, it’s an education everyone should experience.
- Price
From the Budget room for $30 a night to the Presidential Suite, which is just under $1000. Our room was $295.
Go to Afteem’s near Manger Square
Manger Square, Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories
For the very best falafel and hummus ever (and Sami Tamimi from Ottolenghi recommended it as well!).
Dinner at Hosh Jasmin
Hosh Jasmin, El-MaKhrur Street
In the hills, just outside Bethlehem; the food is local, the wine is from Cremisan winery which is local, and they even make their own lethal liqueur!
Walk the Wall
Checkpoint 300/Bethlehem Road
And walk through the Checkpoint 300.
The Walled Off Hotel
The Walled Off Hotel, Bethlehem
In the Area
Hotel Location Caritas Street 182, Bethlehem
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