Prima Park Hotel - Jerusalem, Israel

We spent half of our trip to Israel at the Prima Park Hotel in Jerusalem. We spent several nights at this hotel, which is "off the beaten path" in Jerusalem. Located near the knesset, the hotel is a short train ride from the heart of Jerusalem. The location wasn't really important to my wife and I as most of our days were fully booked with our tour group. The bus picked us up out front each morning and dropped us off at the end of the day. For our purposes, the hotel was convenient.

We arrived at this hotel after a long day that began in Tiberias. We visited the Yardenit baptismal site, Beit She'an, the Church of All Nations and The Garden Tomb. We arrived at the hotel near dinner time. Which was convenient. The hotel serves guests a buffet style meal. We ate our breakfasts and dinners at the hotel. The food was pretty good, with a massive selection to choose from. The only day that was mildly irritating was Shabbat, which this hotel honors. Only one elevator runs for gentile guests on Shabbat, while the other stops at every floor for observant Jews who are not allowed to push any buttons. That wasn't terribly bad, although I was chastised for riding the automated elevator unknowingly. Other guests rudeness certainly isn't the fault of the hotel. The other irritant was the coffee. My recollection was that the automated coffee maker was shut down and the coffee they were serving was tepid. I rely on a good cup of coffee to start my day off. This experience is not unusual, I believe most hotels are probably going to have similar issues. It's one of those things that you "grin and bear" as a visitor to someone else's country.

My wife and I were on a high floor, to the right of the elevator bank. Or room was on the right side of the hallway overlooking the train station. The view was actually nice for an area that is not rural. I have had many rooms that overlook the HVAC system on a lower roof or worse, a neighboring office building. This view offered a nice perspective of the great architecture at/near the train station. This photo also gives a bit of perspective on how far you will walk to get to the train station if you opt to take a train into town, which is just a couple of miles away. My wife and I did take a taxi one night to have dinner with a friend who was also visiting at the same time. The taxi was inexpensive, although not in the best state of repair.

Prima Park Hotel puts out a decent spread. For a room that includes breakfast and dinner, you can expect to pay upwards of $250 per night. Depending on the time of year. For tour groups, I am sure the price is lower. The hotel designates seating for tour groups. Our group was generally seated in the upper dining area seen in the background of this photo of the spread. Speaking of rude guests, we also had an issue with guests and the seating situation. Another group that was holding an event at the hotel decided unilaterally to remove the signs from one of our tables and commandeering it to their own use. That left us short. The staff was very pleasant about finding another table for our use.

Prima Park Hotel is located in close proximity to Yad Vashem and the Dead Sea Scrolls Museum. They also offer some special package deals that include admission to some of the nearby sites. The hotel has a variety of amenities. We did not have time to take advantage of any, other than the wifi, which was typical of the hotels I have stayed in. Slow and spotty. For those who need a gym or swimming pool, the hotel partners with a nearby university withing walking distance. The hotel also has a laundry service and a synagogue on the premises.

Our visit to the Prima Park Hotel was pleasant. The most important facet is that the bed was comfortable. It was a bit stiffer than I like, but comfortable. Especially after a long day of walking. The staff were mostly friendly, although there were a couple of workers in the dining room I found to be a bit cold. The food was good. The location was fine for our purposes. Overall, an accommodating hotel. If I were to visit on my own, I would consider staying at this hotel. Although I would likely end up using my Marriott points to stay free, instead.

Please be sure to check out the rest of my journeys in Israel!

A Christian Guide to Israel

Hotels
Cinema Hotel Tel Aviv, Israel
Ron Beach Hotel, Tiberias, Israel
Prima Park Hotel, Jerusalem, Israel

Attractions
Caesarea National Park Caesarea, Israel
Mount Precipice Mount Kedimum, Israel
Sea of Galilee Boat Ride Tiberias, Israel
Yigal Alon Museum (Jesus Boat) Ginosar, Israel
Capernaum, Israel
St. Peter’s Restaurant Kinneret, Israel
Caesarea Phillipi Banias, Israel
Gadot Lookout and Memorial Golan Heights, Israel
Jordan River Baptismal Site Yardenit, Israel
Beit She’an National Park Beit She’an, Israel
Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Israel
Garden Tomb Jerusalem, Israel
Western Wall, Jerusalem, Israel
Western Wall Tunnels, Jerusalem, Israel
Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem, Israel
Bethlehem New Store Gift Shop
Pool of Bethesda, Jerusalem, Israel
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel
Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, Israel
House of Caiaphas the High Priest, Jerusalem, Israel
The Upper Room, Jerusalem, Israel
Tomb of King David, Jerusalem, Israel
Masada National Park, Masada, Israel
The Dead Sea, Masada, Israel

Churches
Discalced Carmelite Monastery Muhraqa, Israel
Basilica of the Annunciation Nazareth, Israel
St. Peter’s Church Capernaum, Israel
Church of the Multiplication Tabgha, Israel
Church of the Beatitudes Tabgha, Israel
Church of All Nations Jerusalem, Israel
Church of Saint Anne, Jerusalem, Israel
Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem, Israel
Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, West Bank

The first three photos are my own. They may be reproduced with permission. The last two photos are stock photos from the hotel website.