We hailed a taxi to
drive us the 45 minutes from Ben Gurion Airport (about 35 miles) to the Waldorf
Astoria Jerusalem (about $70 USD). The
Waldorf Astoria opened in April
2014 at the corner of Agron and King David Streets, with convenient access to
the outdoor Mamilla Mall and the Old City. The hotel occupies the former site
of the 1929 Palace Hotel, which later became a government building. The Waldorf
offers three kosher restaurants and bars (The Palace, King’s Court, and Garden
Terrace), meeting/event space, and fitness center. (There were rumors that a
spa and outdoor swimming pool were in the planning stages when we visited, but
I’m not sure whether they ever opened.) The Waldorf offers 226 rooms and suites. Our King
Grand Deluxe room contained a
large bathroom (with free-standing soaking bathtub, separate cubicles for the
toilet and shower, a large sink vanity, and AHAVA Dead Sea toiletries) with a large
closet located just outside. The bedroom area was a bit cozy, with a king-size
bed and a nightstand on each side, a desk/chair, and a comfortable lounge chair
in front of the sliding door that led out to the balcony (with two chairs). We
were a bit disappointed not to have received a lodging upgrade as Diamond
HHonors members, but perhaps the hotel was full. (Although the size of our room
totaled about 460 square feet, the bathroom and closet entry area probably
occupied more than 160 feet of that space, which made the bedroom area [where
we spent most of our time] seem undersized. Next time, we would probably just
book a regular King Deluxe room [which probably had a smaller bathroom but a
similarly sized bedroom] instead of splurging.)
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