The things guests ask us most, answered the way we would answer them on WhatsApp — including the parts that are not flattering.
5.7 km by road from our Iskan building and 6.2 km from Rabwa — 15 to 25 minutes by car depending on traffic and season. Both are in the King Fahd district, between the 3rd and 4th ring roads. It is a drive, not a walk.
Within roughly 3 to 4 km of the Haram the residential buildings have been converted to hotels and commercial space, and residents moved out because of the crowds. Apartments of this standard do not exist inside that ring at any price.
About SAR 25 to 35 each way, more at the busiest times. Uber, Careem and Jeeny all work for the journey there. Aim to arrive at least 30 minutes before the prayer starts — roads close during and just after prayers for crowd control.
Do not try to book an Uber from outside the Haram — hundreds of thousands of people are doing the same and the roads are often closed, so drivers accept and then cannot reach you. Walk to where local taxis are dropping passengers off, agree a price before getting in rather than using the meter, and show the driver the location on Google Maps. Expect the same SAR 25 to 35.
No. Makkah has public buses but none serve the Haram, and there is no stop within walking distance of it on any public route — a forty-seat bus cannot make a dent in the crowd leaving a prayer. There is an express shuttle from the Haramain train station to the Haram at about SAR 8 each way, but we are a 6 to 7 minute drive from that station, so a taxi straight to the Haram is quicker and simpler.
Most guests do not. The usual pattern is to go once and stay — leave before Asr and return after Isha, praying three prayers there — or go before Dhuhr and stay through the evening. Fajr and Dhuhr are prayed at a local mosque nearby. One taxi each way, not five.
Yes — both buildings lie west-south-west of the Kaaba at 5.7 and 6.2 km, well inside the boundary on that side. The Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites runs a campaign, Makkah kulluha Haram, stating that the multiplied reward for prayer applies in every mosque within the boundary and not only in Masjid al-Haram. Some scholars restrict it to Masjid al-Haram itself, and praying there is superior on any view. See our page on being near the Haram for the sources.
Yes, a ground-floor garage at both buildings with a door directly into the lobby where the lift is. No steps, roughly 20 to 30 feet from the car to the lift.
It depends on the apartment — from two in a studio up to nine in a four-bedroom. Every property page lists exactly how many it sleeps and which beds are in which bedroom, so you know before you book rather than after you arrive.
Iskan is under four years old. Rabwa is older but modern, and both have lifts reachable from the ground-floor car park. Iskan has the newer fittings and interiors; Rabwa has the more generous room sizes, with noticeably larger bedrooms.
Yes, throughout. In the larger apartments the living room is on central air conditioning and each bedroom has its own split unit, so you can cool the room you are in. The one-bedroom apartments and studios are fully centrally air conditioned.
The apartments have a full modern kitchen — electric cooker, oven, microwave, sink and worktop space to cook properly rather than just reheat. The larger units with a kitchen also have a washing machine. Studios have a more limited setup; check the individual page.
Furnished to a luxury standard for Makkah: modern furniture, floor-to-ceiling curtains, smart TVs and high-speed fibre wifi throughout. The photographs on each property page are of that actual apartment, not a show flat.
Yes, high-speed fibre optic in every apartment, included. It is quick enough for video calls home and for several people streaming at once.
Rabwa is on a quiet side road and is peaceful day and night. Iskan is nearer a larger street with an open park area where street food stalls and coffee vendors set up at weekends, and more so during winter and Ramadan — lively at some times of year. Every apartment in both buildings has double glazing, so inside stays quiet either way.
Check-in from 3pm, checkout by 11am. The gap is not arbitrary — the apartment has to be fully cleaned between guests, and on a third of our changeovers someone is arriving the same afternoon.
It is self check-in. Access details, directions and photographs are sent before you arrive, so you can let yourself in at any hour without waiting for anyone to meet you.
Yes. The calendar on this site is the live calendar, so anything you can select is genuinely free. Send the dates and we confirm before anything is agreed or charged.
Outside Ramadan and Hajj, you can cancel free up to one month before arrival; bookings made inside that month are non-refundable. For Ramadan and Hajj, advance bookings can be cancelled free within 48 hours of booking, and bookings made within 7 days of check-in cannot be cancelled. Bank payments are refunded by the same route; anything else we sort out with you directly.
There are no steps between the car park and the lift at either building — a level route of roughly 20 to 30 feet from the car to the lift door. We have not measured door widths or turning space, so we will not claim full wheelchair accessibility. Tell us what you need and we will describe the route honestly before you book.
Yes. Your host is British and answers messages personally, in English or Arabic, from the first message to the last.
Message us on WhatsApp and you will get a straight answer from the person responsible for the apartment — or send your dates and we will tell you what is free.