I had spent a week traveling around southern Iraq, staying at various hotels. It was quite exhausting. I was absolutely thrilled when I got to Erbil and walked into the lobby of the Erbil View Hotel. The lobby is spacious, stylish and clean. I was welcomed by the friendly and lovely Yasmeen, checked in very early and was even allowed to enjoy the complimentary breakfast, although I checked in far too early in the morning as I had just come off a 6 am Basra flight. I really appreciate this. I had booked my room on *********** and was upgraded to a large room. I was on the seventh floor and loved the view. As some people have mentioned, there is a large mosque directly opposite. The call to prayer woke me up daily at approximately 4 am. The room was spotless. The bed was comfortable and big. The bathroom was spacious, clean and very modern. I only paid approximately $60 a night. Erbil was a great place to stay as it is a pleasant city and you can take lots of day trips by shared taxi. The location of the hotel was really good. It was a 15 minute walk to the bazaar area. Unfortunately I did not find too many restaurants near the hotel. Most of the time I took a Careem (Uber) or taxi to get around. After a few days, I checked out and went to another city. I ended up returning to the hotel twice! It is my safe haven and peaceful oasis in Kurdistan. One thing I really appreciated is that I was able to reserve a room with the hotel via Facebook messenger. It was so uncomplicated and fast. Another thing I loved is that I could pay by VISA card. There was a 3% fee, but at least it was an option, unlike in so many other hotels in Iraq. The breakfast buffet was the best I had had on my trip to Iraq. There were so many delicious things to eat. Apart from the wide array of Iraqi delicacies, at times I also appreciated having a bowl of cornflakes and a slice of toast with peanut butter. The only suggestions I would like to make are: they should have a large water dispenser in the breakfast room instead of the ubiquitous plastic cups of water. There is so much plastic waste all over Iraq. I always hang my towels up to dry and did not need fresh towels every day. Nevertheless, they were replaced daily. This would also save the hotel money and be good for the environment. There is a shop nearby where you can buy alcohol for the occasional night cap in your room;-) Otherwise, there are some lovely little convenient stores nearby as well as many pharmacies and some hairdressers. All in all it was a 5-star stay for me, even if I did not use the gym or jacuzzi. I will 100% stay there again. Supass to all the lovely employees who were flexible and friendly!