The American Colony Hotel

It is not clear what the original colonists, a millenarian Christian sect, who came to Jerusalem in the 19th century and became beloved philanthropists, would make of it but for the modern traveller the American Colony Hotel is entirely delightful. Staff are friendly and helpful, bedrooms are spacious and comfortable, the restaurants on the ground floor and downstairs serve delicious food, and the swimming pool, pleasingly screened but liable to be shaded when the sun is low, provides refreshment after the hectic bustle of the Old City, ten minutes walk away. With its trees and flowers, the exquisite courtyard is somewhere to linger, and the public rooms are beautifully furnished and feature photographs and documents that illustrate the history of the most prized city in the world. Access to the fascinating archive can be arranged. The combination of elegance, period architecture and whiff of a colonial past is irresistible. THE place to stay.