The Old Souk in Jeddah

The old souk buzzes just like you'd expect an old arab souk to. Go after dark when its a bit cooler. Lots of open fronted market stalls and gold shops. And haggling. There are probably bargains to be had if you know what to do.

Provided you know where you're going and you're not a woman on your own, much of Jeddah is quite safe to explore, but because it's a strict Muslim state, there are things you need to respect. Everything stops and shuts up for prayer for an hour when the sun sets. Strangely, this happens to be the busiest time on the roads. I'm told that you're excused from prayers if you're travelling. On the subject of the roads . . . be afraid . . . be very afraid.

Quick Tips:

Tip one: There are a few restrictions on what you can and can't do, especially if you're a woman. And it's quite difficult to get into Saudi. You normally have to be invited in by someone.

Tip two: If you're driving, find a way of looking in all directions. It's every man for himself.

Tip three: Traffic lights are there for GUIDANCE only. If you're waiting at a red light facing two busy lanes going across, don't be surprised if the guy next to you fancies his chances and makes a break for it.

Tip four: You don't get windscreen washers in Jeddah. Instead you get people trying to sell you things when you're stuck in traffic. Usually it's chewing gum, but sometimes it will be a parrot in a cage or something like that.

tip five: You're not supposed to take photos of anything (nobody really knows why), so you may get your film confiscated at the airport.

Tip six: The Saudis have a very strict interpretation of what pornography is. Be prepared to have brazen hussies like Britney Spears obliterated with magic marker from any magazines you might be carrying on arrival.

Tip seven: No drinking.

Best Way To Get Around:

Jeddah is vast and sprawls for about 25-30 miles along the red sea coast. You also need to know where you're going. So if you don't have a guide, get your hotel to sort you out with a taxi. He'll also know where it's wise to go and where it's not.

The hotel is in a good spot for business purposes, easy to get to/park and a few miles from the old town. It's right on the Red Sea, so it was nice at night to (carefully) cross the dual carriageway and sit and watch the sun go down, which happened about 6:45pm.

The room was OK. Reasonably spacious, clean, and maintained, with an OK bathroom and shower. Motel standard, I'd say. The room had air-conditioning, which at the time of arrival was tuned to a fairly vicious freezer level - this was easily adjusted, though.

Downstairs, the lobby was very nice. Glass, marble, etc. Light and airy with doors opening out onto the highway out front and the nice gardens to the rear. There were tennis courts and leisure facilities that I did not use.

A buffet-style breakfast was served downstairs and was very nice. There was a good selection of cold and salad foods (including humous and smoked salmon) and pastries, doughnuts, and croissants. You could also get a hot plate made for you, with a chef on hand to make you an omelet. There were also sausages and (beef) bacon. Lots of juice, teas and coffees, good staff - very nice.

They also have a free shuttle that picks up and drops off from the airport. This is valuable, as it means you don't have to take your life in your hands with the local taxi drivers.

I ate here and I've written about it in my dining entry.

There are not that many restauraunts in Jeddah, and some of the better ones are in the many hotels - like this one.

As it's Swiss-owned and relaxed, it's a place where more liberal Saudis can meet up and talk without, say, having to be segregated or have their heads covered. The religious police tend not to come into these places, provided they don't work their tickets too much. There is, however, a "family only" segregated area - also known as "No Bachelors."

The food here is very good, and they have a theme night most evenings. Sometimes French, Mongolian, Italian, etc., when there is a special menu available and chefs on hand in the open-air, canopy-covered dining area to make some fresh stuff of your choice for you. The quality is excellent, as is the standard of service and politeness of the staff. Being KSA, though, there is no alcohol available, but they do have a range of very interesting fruit cocktails.