Lonely Planet Review

Built into a topsy-turvy icing cake tower house the Arabia Felix is about as close to a travellers centre as you can get in Yemen and is a good place to hook into the scene.

Situated on the edge of the dry wadi/road that runs through the old city and just a hop and a skip from the banks and offices of the Midan at-Tahrir, this long-standing hotel has a position that is hard to fault. The finest attraction is the idyllic little courtyard full of flowering bushes where it's easy to fall into conversation with all manner of interesting visitors. It also serves, debatably, the best breakfast in San'a. The rooms are firm and functional but many of the 'en-suite' bathrooms are nothing of the sort and some are so small they are virtually unusable. The management could be a little friendlier.