Mena Red Sea Palace Jeddah

The Red Sea Palace is a hotel that's a bit past its prime but quite serviceable, and it is less extravagantly priced than the glittering luxury hotels that line the corniche road far from the city center. Its biggest asset is that it is one of the few comfortable accommodations close to the UNESCO-listed World Heritage "Old City." The room was spacious, with good Wi-Fi, and the bathroom facilities were up to snuff, though I must mention two demerits. There was no toilet paper in the room when I arrived at night, but fortunately there was not an urgent need for it till the next day, by which time I had pleaded with a room attendant down the hall for a roll. Also, one of the rolling wheels on the desk chair was not properly attached, and the chair overturned on me. When I pointed this out to the room staff, he immediately switched the faulty chair with one in another guest room, which solved my problem.... Some hotel staffers were warm and welcoming. Some behind the front desk seemed chilly and unhappy to be there. I should add it was not a bustling lobby -- but then again, I did not see many obvious tourists around the Old City till my third day in Jeddah, when I began to see actual European tour groups. I wondered where they were lodged, since I saw no such people at the Red Sea Palace.

It was a pleasant stay. I would like to come back