There are two Damascus hotels known to every backpacker: Al-Haramein and Al-Rabie. I flip a coin and choose Al-Haramein.

I'm disappointed to learn the current rate is 250SYP for a shared room—$5 to sleep with three other people?! I'd imagined Syrian prices to be on par with Egypt's and experience slight sticker shock. [NOTE: Outside of Dahab, my expenses in Egypt were actually a bit higher than in Syria. The cost of Egyptian attractions more than made up for cheap lodging and food]. The friendly receptionist wants to know up front how many nights I will stay; I decide on two.

The hotel is built in a restored traditional Damascene home, with lovely skylights, terrace, and graceful common areas. It is located on a narrow cobbled lane in the charming old Souk Sarouja area, while Hotel Al-Rabie is just up the street. Here, every other shop sells camouflage clothing, with a tailor working busily away in the window. Children play past midnight, and the neon lights across the way never dim.

There are several shared rooms on each floor, which are spacious, with firm beds and marble floors. My photocopies from an outdated guidebook remark that the toilets are horrible and that you pay per shower, but the toilets seem normal to me. The showers are located in the basement and are unlimited at the current room rates; I wish we were on the old system, because by coincidence I never take a shower at Al-Haramein. [NOTE: This is not quite as disgusting as it sounds; it's just a timing thing].

In the daytime, tables and chairs are set out by the entrance, a refreshing place to eat and people-watch. Al-Haramein offers food and drinks, but cheaper deals are easy to find close by. The best shwarma stand is on the corner, fresh juice or frozen lemonade stands are less than a block past that, and an excellent cozy breakfast café is up on another corner.

Al-Haramein also offers "roof" sleeping for 150SYP, but considering it's not a separate area, but simply the third floor right outside the rooms—forcing me to step over prone bodies on my way to the bathroom—it looks too uncomfortable to be worth the $2 savings. I prefer the second floor because there's a nice common area instead of roof-sleepers.

The receptionist looks disappointed when, on a whim, I check out early to go to Mar Musa, but welcomes me warmly when I return. On my second stay in Al-Haramein, I discover for myself the relatively liberal attitudes of Syrians when my shared room includes a boy.

The staff at Al-Haramein, especially the blond female receptionist, are extremely knowledgeable about all tourist concerns. The receptionist directs me to Hammam Al-Qaimariyya and seems to have a bus schedule imprinted in her brain. Conveniently located, charming, and safe, I would happily stay at Al-Haramein again.

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