Best hotels to stay in during Umrah

When deciding which hotels to stay in when you plan your Umrah trip, the first thing to bear in mind is that Saudi hotel standards tend to be lower than the hotel standards in Europe. That means a four-star hotel could provide you three-star service. Even among 5-star hotels, there could be disappointments.

Another aspect to bear in mind is location. When visiting the holy cities, a closer hotel is most convenient – you will most likely be going to pray Salah in the Holy Mosques five times a day. And as location matters, obviously hotels that are closer to the Holy Mosques are more expensive. Some hotels in Makkah and Madinah offer a free shuttle bus service to the Holy Mosques, but these can get very busy during Salah time.

If you do choose hotels that are at a distance with the thought of grabbing a taxi to the holy Mosques, bear in mind that the costs will add up, and at the end of your trip, you would’ve probably spent around the same amount as you would have if you had paid for closer hotels.

You can of course check out hotel reviews online, but we’ve made a list for your convenience - based on hotels we’ve stayed in.

If you’re not tight on budget, here are the hotels we’d recommend:

Makkah:

- Raffles Makkah

- Dar Al Tawhid Intercontinental

- Conrad, Jabal Omar

Madinah:

- Oberoi

Here’s a list of good five-star hotels:

Makkah:

- Pullman Zamzam

- Hyatt Regency

- Swissotel Al Maqam

- Shaza

- Makkah Clock Royal Tower (Fairmont)

- Hilton Convention

- Hilton Suites

Madinah:

- Pullman Zamzam

- Crowne Plaza

- Anwar Al Madinah (Movenpick)

- Frontel Al Harithiya

If you are on a tight budget, we’d recommended the following four-star hotels (based on reviews and location):

Makkah

- Retaj Al Bayt Suites

- DoubleTree by Hilton

- Amjad Al Deafah Hotel

Madinah

- Dar Al Hijrah Intercontinental

- Dar Al Iman Intercontinental

- Al Muna Kareem