Inside Jeddah's newly opened heritage hotels

Set on the Red Sea, Jeddah has played an important role as a key trading port in centuries gone by and as gateway to Mecca. While today, it's a vibrant modern city, attention has turned to restoring and regenerating the UNESCO-listed historic old town at its heart, Al Balad. Its iconic merchant houses, built of coral stone and teak, and with their distinctive latticework balconies known as rawsheen, are being sensitively returned to their former glory. 

Now, three of these exquisite historic houses have been opened as Heritage Hotels, the first in Saudi to have that classification. Intimate and luxurious, the original features of the buildings have been carefully kept and restored while plumbing and electricity have been skilfully added in an unobtrusive way. The furniture, crafts and artworks were principally sourced from local artists and artisans, some of whom can be visited in their nearby studios.

Each of the buildings has its own personality. Nineteenth-century Beit Jokhdar is perhaps the jewel in the crown with nine rooms and suites, including a two-bedroom Royal Suite with its own private hammam. The building’s wonky floors, original floor tiles, and green woodwork transport you back in time to its glory days. 

Nearby, charming Beit Al Rayess is all creams and browns, and is effortlessly cool. While it now has modern plumbing, a ceramic bowl outside the bedrooms is a reminder of what the original family would have used for their ablutions.

Finishing the trio is the chic but homely Beit Kedwan, with just two bedrooms plus living areas, making it ideal to be hired in its entirety by a family or two couples. Like the others it has a private roof terrace to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Al Balad.

At just one square kilometre, the pedestrianised old town is literally on the doorstep and easy to explore on foot. The souks sell everything from spices and clothing to glittering gold jewellery. Many artisan workshops and artist studios are open to the public, most notably in the shady flower-filled alleyways of the quarter taken over by the Zawiya 97 collective.

Some of the other historic houses are now museums and do spend some time at the Tariq Abdulhakim Centre, a new museum and cultural centre, covering the life and times of Saudi Arabia’s most famous musician and composer, and with fun interactive music installations. teamLab Borderless, the Japanese art collective, are due to open a much-anticipated space in 2024.

Then it's back from the hum of the streets to the tranquil oasis of the hotels where sweet figs, aromatic Saudi coffee or refreshing teas await behind the original wooden doors of the hotels.  

No meals are included but Johkdar has an excellent restaurant, and if you splash out on breakfast it's a feast in every sense of the word which will last you through the day. Imagine a selection of freshly baked breads, a trio of fragrant dips, earthy foul mudamas which has been simmered overnight, warm halloumi drizzled with honey, eggs any style, and a selection of fresh exotic fruit.

The good news is that another 34 historic houses are due to be restored into heritage hotels over the next three years.

More information: Rates start from SAR 2,200 (approx. £463/$587) which includes airport transfers but no meals. albaladhospitality.com

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