5 Best Hotels in Bethlehem, Around Jerusalem and the Dead Sea

Rooms are named for nearby villages in this stone-walled, clean, and modest guesthouse that overlooks a busy market street a few steps from Manger Square. Breakfast is served on a shaded terrace outside. This guesthouse shares space with an artists' initiative, so don't be surprised to encounter young singers or painters in the lobby. It is also part of the Lutheran Evangelical Christmas Church of Bethlehem, which dates back 150 years. Ask for a quieter room facing the courtyard.

Scientist Nabil Rishmawi renovated his grandmother's house and created a gorgeous heritage hotel where he serves breakfast on a shaded courtyard. In the evenings, you will find him waiting up for you at the front desk. Two pistachio trees grow on the roof within eyesight of the Church of the Nativity. All rooms have air conditioning, Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, minibars, and thick walls. Ask for a room with a window, as not all have them. You may wake up to the sound of clanging church bells, but in Bethlehem that is part of the charm.

This boutique hotel in a renovated 19th-century house is run by the Maan lil-Hayat (Together for Life) group that uses its proceeds to support its programs for Palestinians with intellectual disabilities. Many of the staff who clean the rooms and do laundry are living with disabilities themselves. The rooms are decorated with beautiful original floor tiles and some have arched ceilings. Breakfast is fresh and varied and served in an airy dining room that has intricate paintings and a balcony over the city. This hotel is wheelchair accessible.

This guesthouse in Beit Jala sits on pretty grounds with 5 kilometers (3 miles) of paved walkways. It began as a girls' boarding school and today remains part of the German Evangelical Lutheran School. Rooms are modest but clean and air conditioned. Breakfast is made with local produce and spices like za'atar and olive oil. It's a short taxi ride away from the hubbub of Manger Square, and worth it if you want a retreat where kids can stretch their legs. The guesthouse can also arrange transfers from the airport and excursions.

This hotel conceptualized by the renowned-but-anonymous graffiti artist Banksy and others has "the worst view in the world" (the concrete slabs of the Israeli-built separation barrier in Bethlehem), as well as a lobby and bar decorated with things like slingshots and a statue of David surrounded by a plume of tear gas. A small museum with riveting artifacts gives an excellent history of the conflict. Double rooms are pricey compared to other Bethlehem hotels, but the stay here will be memorable. The presidential suite has a fountain running through a bullet-punctured water tank.