Simsim is situated in the heart of the Old City of Nazareth, Israel's largest Arab city and it's name, simsim, is taken from the Arabic word meaning Sesame. The house is from 1910. Beautifully, colourful renovated with all facilities - simsim makes the best home for budget travellers. Good location to discover the Galilee, Golan, Akko, Haifa. The owner has the best knowledge of the city and the area around to give you the best tips for your trips.
If you're looking for a great place to stay, SAMIRA GUEST HOUSE is the place to be. It has everything: a great location (in the middle of the old city), confortable beds, really nice terrace, a house full of delightfull decoration details, and, the best of all, you'll meet 2 amazing and welcoming people: Sami and Saskia. They'll make sure and will do everything to make from your visit to Nazareth, one of the best of the whole trip. I stayed in Israel for 15 days and that's how I felt. Honestly people, do not think twice.
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Date of stay: September 2013
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Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip:No bunk beds. Amazing single beds with confy matresses.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is an oasis of calm and serenity in the heart of the Old City. The spotlessly clean bedrooms are simple, charming and elegant with interesting original art, and the brand new bathrooms are of such a high quality that they put many 5 star hotels to shame. The staff are incredibly helpful, thoughtful and kind, particularly the lovely Sami. We arrived without a booking as the place that we were originally booked into which will remain nameless was disgustingly dirty and the owner so offensively rude that we walked out. Samira guesthouse saved our lives and our sanity! Can't thank you all enough and if I'm ever in Nazareth again, this would undoubtedly be my first choice - and I can be a hard person to please. If only all accomodation was so perfect.
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Date of stay: May 2014
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Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Right from when I walked in, Samira Guest House felt very homey. Sami, the owner, is there at all times and he has no trouble making you his friend. He works very hard to keep everyone happy, giving all sorts of information like numbers of his friends at other cities, routes to take if traveling places, and just about everything else you need. The guest house is also small enough to provide a warm atmosphere between the guests themselves, who can easily mingle at the terraces where breakfast is provided, and possibly plan their days together. I was also lucky enough to get people who don't snore at night! The house is very well located, in close proximity to the white mosque and the main basilica.
Even though some outdated website sent me 30 minutes away from the city claiming an incorrect location of the hostel, once I got to the house my happiness was restored faster than Sami learns languages.
Definitely recommend :)
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Date of stay: August 2013
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Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed a total of 7 nights at Simsim Hostel over two separate visits to Nazareth in the last couple of weeks, using it as a base to hike and tour in the area, and I loved it.
It’s located in the heart of the Old City on the doorstep of the Market in a lovely old building. It has a fully equipped kitchen (cooker, toaster, kettle, fridges, cutlery, crockery, pots, pans, free tea, coffee, oil and spices); a separate area to wash & dry clothes by hand; separate toilets, showers & wash basins; a lovely area with large dining table and comfortable couches to sit & relax; and mixed and single-sex dorms.
The hostel also has an interesting collection of books explaining the history and culture of the area and a cafe/bookshop/gift shop right next door, displaying some great artwork and playing a relaxing and eclectic mix of music, including traditional and jazz.
Silke & Sami (owners) are very kind, easy-going, helpful and respectful and the hostel has the double advantage of being spotlessly clean, but also having all the character of a genuine Old Quarter building (eg: stone floors and stained-glass windows). Crisply-laundered bed linen is provided for each guest.
If you’re looking to do some tours Silke & Sami can help you to arrange these or, if you prefer to make your own plans, they respect this also and give you space to do so, providing information when asked.
Enjoyed my stay here very much.
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Date of stay: October 2018Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This hostel is located very close to all sights. Spent there one night with friends. Nazareth by itself is a very lovely place full of cute buildings and streets besides all the historical sights. Sim sim hostel is quite small comparing to other places we have been to so we enjoyed some quiet time there. 😊
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Date of stay: July 2017Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sami J, Owner at Simsim Guest House
Responded Jul 5, 2017
Thank you very much for your recommendation regarding simsim but also the location of Nazareth in general as a interesting and beautiful spot to explore.
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I've stayed here for one night with a friend before a conference and had a great experience. We arrived late afternoon after hitchhiking over 100km and we were quite exhausted. The staff greeting us were warm and friendly making us feel comfortable straight away. The cafe below the guesthouse is lovely, I can imagine myself relaxing there after a day of exploring. We stayed in a dormitory, which was quiet and comfortable. I also really liked the common room with the colorful design, sofas and plenty of books! The kitchen was well equipped and also included everything for a nice cup of tea or coffee. There was also a large (and clean!) fridge. The bathroom is mixed but nicely separated for privacy. It was obvious that the place is kept clean. Unlike some hostels where I've stayed over the years, here you could also find cleaning tools available so you could actually leave the bathroom the way you found it!
All in all we had a great stay with my friend before the conference. The location is very central and easy to find. Oh and have I mentioned that we met Martin Luther King III in the cafe? (He was coming to the same conference.)
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Date of stay: October 2016
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Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sami J, Owner at Simsim Guest House
Responded Jul 5, 2017
:) Thank you. We are happy, that you enjoyed yourself in simsim, Liwan, Nazareth.
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I've now stayed twice in Simsim. Both times were excellent. The dorms and facilities are clean, the beds are comfortable with outlet plugs and lights at each bed, and the building is a lovely old city building. There's a nice common area and a great kitchen with lots of spices and all the dishes and appliances you need. And free coffee and tea. The owners and staff are super helpful and full of information. The best part is the location near the vegetable market and a short walk to several bus stops and all of the major attractions. Overall I recommend it and will stay here every time I come to Nazareth.
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Date of stay: February 2017Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sami J, Owner at Simsim Guest House
Responded Apr 1, 2017
Dear Liz. You are always more than welcome. The best things come in three - you know ....! Take care!
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Booked this place gor the great comments here to encounter something totally different. No hitings in the rooms caused a terrible night sleep,freezing cold and unconfortable beds that i cant barely call that made me wake up with cold and back pain.no secure rooms,no lock to shut the doors. Rooms are located in a separate building that is also cold with doors open.i didint expect the palace but i at least expected basic things,like heatings to have warm night. No hairdryer or toeels provided,my worse place to stay in my trip to israel. Location might be ok but totally no worth it.
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Date of stay: January 2017Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sami J, Owner at Simsim Guest House
Responded Jan 23, 2017
Dear Gata. Yes, our hostel is in an old building, which we renovated by keeping the original charm. High ceilings, wood framed windows etc. Actually I don't know about 2 buildings. There is a kitchen, bathroom, common area and there are bedrooms - everything next to each other in one house. Our atmosphere is very familiar. The place is small and we prefer to have the rooms without lock. For valuables there are enough lockers provided. There is a heater in the common area. The bedrooms are not heated - this is the way people in this area used to sleep and still do. And this is why we provide several blankets and traditional "bed heating". And for sure we have towels, which we rent for the cost of the laundry - all information are written on our black board. You are the first guest complaining about the comfort of the beds. Unlike other places, our beds are long enough for tall guests. Never mind. We are thankful for every comment. All the best for you. Silke
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Lively cafe is attached to the hostel, which is clean and set up dorm style. Our fellow guests were all very warm and ready to have a drink together.
The owners were so helpful with their suggestions of things to see in and around Nazareth, that we decided to stay and extra night. We're so glad they did, because there was a group playing music in the cafe the last night we were there, where we met some amazing locals, and sang along with them.
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Date of stay: October 2016
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:Dorm style room, so expect to be sharing with other guests.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Everything about the place was disgusting. From the bedding to the bathrooms. Reception desk area was filled with roaches. Saw 6 roaches in less than 5 minutes. The location was horrible and unsafe. Sammie the owner was extremely rude and charged us hidden fees and when confronted he refused to admit that it was his mistake that the fees were not placed on booking.com and it was unjust. No screens on the windows to keep the roaches out. Rooms were extremely hot with no air condition.
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Date of stay: July 2016
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Nazareth area.
LOCATION
IsraelNorthern DistrictGalilee RegionNazareth
NUMBER OF ROOMS
3
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Simsim Guest House
Which popular attractions are close to Simsim Guest House?
Nearby attractions include St. Joseph's Church (0.09 miles), St. Gabriel's Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation (0.3 miles), and Synagogue-Church (0.2 miles).
