Ramon Suites by Smart Hotels

This is not a hotel Let's start with that, this is a hostel. And for a hostel that charges around 700 ILS per night, it is ok. But.. This is published as a hotel... Charges for 2200 per night... The room is not clean, the toilet is awful Lots of rust and many old hairs of other people. The mattress is old and cheap from the kind you buy in 500 ils on Bnei Brak.. The TVs are old and not all the rooms are with air conditioners... We got to the room at 18:00 and in my room, the balcony door did not close. The safe is not sealed into the wall. The pool is very very small and not clean without any lifeguards... Even when we got the rooms there was no towels. Good stuff: Air conditioner worked There was hot water There was a microwave in the room. The breakfast was worth than on my army service, but no decent coffee. It seems they are out of staff and we sat with no room to move..

We were not impressed with the accommodation here. We stayed in the family suite. The main bedroom in the family suite was tiny. We couldn’t use the cupboard at the same time as walking around the bed. The cupboard was also wobbly and the desk doors were broken, the bathroom was even tinier with nowhere to put our stuff. The mirror was to chest height only. There was nowhere at all to put wet clothes. No pegs for jackets. A set of 4 little hooks in the bathroom to hang towels and that’s it. The bathroom cabinet was broken and screwed shut. The toilet was tiny too. There was only one socket next to the bed for the light, so if you wanted to charge your phone, you couldn’t use the bedside light. Every time we wanted to use the pool (during their advertised hours) it was closed. A different excuse each time. The rooms were clean at least.

I am from the UK. Travelled solo. Here in April 2023 for two nights as part of a three week trip to Israel. Mix of budget, mid range and top end accommodation, with a rental car in between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. I had this down as mid range when booking. When I booked this, based on previous reviews and researching it etc, I was expecting fairly budget rooms and swimming pool, but a bar and restaurant I could chill out in at night. It turned out I sort of got this the wrong way round. After looking at Street View at home, on arrival outside was as expected. Looks more like a housing block than hotel. This part of Mitzpe Ramon also a little rough around the edges. Lobby OK. However, once checked in, very pleasantly surprised. Rooms are in apartment blocks, marble type staircases and lifts. The rooms themselves are nothing short of five star. At least the one I got was. I may have booked a grade above standard can't remember. Big room, big seperate En Suite with shower and separate jacuzzi bath, toiletries bath robes flat screen, everything. Plus the pool is outdoors but in a glass building with a nice grassy area around it. So far looking like a steal at this price. That's the plus. Now onto the not so plus. The second night I was there was Shabbat eve. I had planned to eat out one night and stay in the other. Not and endless choice of places close by in ot Ramon anyway. So thought I would eat in the Friday. Just checked at reception to make sure bar and restaurant were open. Which was the point they told me they don't have a bar. Gulp. OK but I can get a beer from the restaurant? Not really. Was shown the soft drinks fridge in the lobby, where, along with all the coke and water and so, nestled two (different) bottles of beer. In terms of eating, all the restaurant did was a buffet (every day not just Shabbat). I was advised to go out. Which I did! And had a nice meal and beers at HaHavit. The second night however, after hiking Avdat National Park in the morning and doing an Adam Sela private jeep tour of the crater (I was told off for calling it the 'Crater' because it's not one), I was too tired to walk 15 minutes around the deserted streets of Mitzpe Ramon to wherever was open. So insisted on staying in. In summary, the same two beers were still in the drinks fridge, but they aren't now because I drank them, out on the terrace, I couldn't order a glass of wine because you can only order a bottle, and white which I wanted was only available in (unchilled) full bottles, not halfs. This was fixed by giving it to me in a plastic bag full of ice. I had the buffet, which was average. I did ask whether the strange sort of lack of drinks service was for religious reasons, but seemingly not. However clearly not a huge call for it. This was perhaps borne out by the other guests while I stayed there. The first day was dominated by a school group of Israeli teens, the second by Israeli seniors who, after dinner, gave 30 minutes singing in t