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The Walled Off Hotel
- Where:
- Why:To visit Banksy’s hotel and visit Palestine.
- When:June 2017
- Who:Me and Ben
Highs & Lows
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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.
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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.
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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
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Type
The ultimate pop-up statement hotel.
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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.
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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!
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Rooms
8
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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.
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Year Opened
2017
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Designed By
Banksy
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Health & Wellness
No
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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.
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Bar
The Piano Bar
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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.
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Children
Yes, it’s an education everyone should experience.
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Price
From the Budget room for $30 a night to the Presidential Suite, which is just under $1000. Our room was $295.
- Website

Go to Afteem’s near Manger Square
Manger Square, Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories

Dinner at Hosh Jasmin
Hosh Jasmin, El-MaKhrur Street

Walk the Wall
Checkpoint 300/Bethlehem Road

The Walled Off Hotel
The Walled Off Hotel, Bethlehem
In the Area
Hotel Location Caritas Street 182, Bethlehem