The Boutique Hotels of the Middle East

DAMASCUS, Feb. 18, 2010 — -- How to travel in the Middle East without feeling like you're in Milwaukee? One way is to ditch the homogenous hotel chains, most of them American, for something more intimate.

The boutique hotels of the Middle East offer all the comfort of an upscale Arabesque mansion, some with the prices to match. That may mean drafty bathrooms and no elliptical trainer, but it's an authentic way to taste your surroundings.

There is no official definition of what makes a boutique hotel, but one standard is that they have fewer than 100 rooms and a lot of charm – easy to find on and off the beaten path of the region's hottest cities.

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Everything in Cairo seems busy and crowded. That makes the Villa Belle Epoque, a 13-room hotel in the Maadi district, especially worthwhile.

Opened in March 2009 and quickly hitting the Sunday Times' hot list, the 1920s home and its outdoor pool are surrounded by lemon, mango, and olive trees, nestled within the lush green streets of the Nile-side neighborhood. Double and triple rooms are furnished in period style, and hotel staff are ready to help with travel and tour arrangements.

Billed as "Cairo's First Boutique Hotel," the Villa Belle Epoque is an awfully good start. Single rooms start at $240 per night.

Aleppo is a gem of the Middle East, a city small enough to be quaint and large enough to be a quality stop on any Middle Eastern tour.

The Baron Hotel is intertwined with its fabled history: it's believed to be the oldest hotel in the region, with T.E. Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia, as a past guest.

Highlights are the ornate ground floor bar and restaurant, downsides are slightly run-down rooms of aged neglect. But for singles starting at $64 a night, you may be willing to take a chance. Call +963 21 211 0880