This was one part of my whole trip that I wasn't looking forward to. The Saudia flight from Bangkok arrived at Tunis at 20h15 (although we arrived closer to 21h00 due to the headwinds and turbulence) and the onward flight to Tunis was at 06h25 the next day. So I needed to overnight somewhere and I didn't feel like going through the process of getting a transit visa for Saudi Arabia and staying somewhere in Jeddah. So, thanks to the suggestion of posters at Flyertalk, I booked the one and only hotel in Jeddah airport, the Aerotel, which was airside, with no need to go through security and immigration.

The Aerotel was not cheap at SAR496 (EUR120) but it was well worth the cost. The room was comfortable and very clean, with perfectly regulated air conditioning and lots of space. The bathroom space was decent with a shower with perfect temperatures and a good water flow. I had a good sleep on the bed there and felt strong enough for the onward flight the next morning, although I had to get up at 05h15 and hurry down to the gate for boarding. This hotel, sort of built into the structure of the airport terminal, did not offer breakfast or dinner despite the existence of a disused restaurant. As I was in business class, I popped up to the Saudia lounge for a bit of food before turning in for the night. The new terminal building of Jeddah airport is a very pleasant place to while away the time while waiting for a flight connection.



Entry to the Aerotel in the terminal of Jeddah airport


On the way to my room I passed through the Aerotel restaurant, which was not in use


The corridors of the Aerotel were quite functional and you could tell that you were in an airport


The bed was very comfortable indeed and I wish I could have spent longer in it


In this photo, taken from another angle, you can see that there was plenty of storage space in the room


The bathroom and shower facilities were excellent