The Old Village Hotel & Resort
by the TopOfHotel team
The Old Village is a stay inside living history — 200-year-old sandstone buildings paired with modern service.
The Old Village is a stay inside living history — 200-year-old sandstone buildings paired with modern service.
In-Depth Review
The Old Village Hotel & Resort was built in the 1800s — the dense sandstone walls that once stored food and goods for the Nabataeans are now a 4-star hotel with a story tucked into every corner. Booking.com reviews sit at around 9.0/10, and the words guests reach for most are peaceful and exceptional staff.
Rooms and decor
The rooms blend old stone structure with contemporary Arabian furniture — high ceilings, sandstone walls and soft, even light that makes the space feel more like an old manor house than a standard hotel. Rooms are clean and bathrooms are modern, and because the hotel sits away from the busy part of town, it stays genuinely quiet.
Food and amenities
The medium-sized indoor pool stays open all day, which is a real draw after a hard day of walking in Petra. The continental breakfast has a decent spread of options. Some reviews note that dinner is not a standout, but the staff are happy to point you toward good restaurants in Wadi Musa instead.
Location and getting there
The hotel is about 2 km from the Petra entrance, but it runs a free shuttle every day, both in and out, so the convenience is close to that of a gate-front hotel. The one thing to watch is the shuttle timetable — it only runs at limited times, so tell the front desk the night before to reserve your seat.
Things to know before booking
This is a stay you choose for character, not for being able to stroll to the gate. The shuttle's limited schedule means planning your day around the hotel rather than the other way round. Dinner can be average, so budget for eating out in town. And at roughly 2 km out, you are reliant on the shuttle or a drive rather than your own two feet.
Our take
If you would rather sleep inside 200 years of history than in another anonymous room, The Old Village earns its 9.0. The combination of 1800s stone, a quiet setting, an indoor pool and a team guests keep calling exceptional makes it one of the most distinctive places to base yourself in Petra — as long as you can work with the shuttle times.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- The buildings date to the 1800s and once stored food and goods for the Nabataeans, so you are sleeping inside more than 200 years of history — a feel that is hard to find anywhere else in Petra.
- The medium-sized indoor pool stays open all day, which is exactly what tired legs need after a full day of walking through Petra.
- Guests repeatedly single out the front-desk and food-and-beverage teams as better than expected, and reviewers reach for words like peaceful and exceptional staff.
- The thick sandstone walls keep the rooms naturally cool, and the rooms themselves are clean with modern bathrooms while keeping high ceilings and original stone.
- A free shuttle runs to and from the Petra entrance every day, so despite sitting about 2 km from the gate, the convenience is close to that of a gate-front hotel.
- The shuttle to Petra only runs at limited times, so you have to plan your day around the hotel's schedule rather than your own. Tell the front desk the night before to reserve a seat.
- Some meals, dinner in particular, are rated only average and do not quite match what the price might suggest. The staff will happily point you to good restaurants in Wadi Musa instead.
- It sits about 2 km from the Petra entrance, so unlike the gate-front hotels you cannot simply walk to the gate and back whenever you please — you are tied to the shuttle or a drive.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Petra
Day tours, attraction tickets and experiences around Petra — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
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Insider Tips
- Tell the front desk the night before to lock in your seat on the free Petra shuttle — the schedule is limited and seats are not guaranteed on the spot.
- Don't count on dinner here; ask the staff for their restaurant picks in Wadi Musa, which they are happy to share.
- Catch the views over the sandstone mountains around Wadi Musa at sunrise and sunset, when the rock around the hotel looks its best.