Hotels

Most of Tel Aviv's hotels are on Ha-Yarkon Street, which runs along the beach from Mograbi Square northward. The luxury hotels are on the sea side of Ha-Yarkon. Most of the mid- and lower-class choices are on the inland side of Ha-Yarkon, or on Ben-Yehuda Street. The Dizengoff Square area is another hotel area. Tel Aviv can be a very noisy city. If you're looking for a moderate or budget hotel, don't take a room facing a main street unless it has air-conditioning and soundproof windows. Get off the heavily trafficked streets or take a room in the back; Tel Aviv hoteliers charge the same rates for front and back rooms.

Private Rooms & Apartments -- The Israel Tourist Information Office, 7 Mendele St. (tel. 03/520-7600), compiles and prints a list of agencies and individuals who rent rooms and apartments. Though they will not make a contact or reservation for you, and they cannot guarantee the quality of service or accommodations, the tourist office staff will give you a copy of the list for free. The office is open Sunday through Thursday 8am to 4:30pm.

Hotel Dining -- All in-house hotel restaurants in Tel Aviv are kosher. Most are bland and overpriced, but in a city that's short on kosher restaurants, a few hotel restaurants really shine, and are good choices for kosher and nonkosher travelers alike: the elegant Olive Leaf at the Tel Aviv Sheraton Hotel & Towers; the always interesting Asian-fusion Pacific Grill Bistro at the Crowne Plaza; and the rustic French Aubergine at the David Intercontinental. Except for these star choices, you'll do much better to step out and enjoy Tel Aviv's lively, wide-ranging restaurant scene.

Along Ha-Yarkon Street

Ha-Yarkon Street runs along the Mediterranean. The deluxe hotels are all right off the sea and have either direct access to the beach or are across a small but busy road. The southern end of Ha-Yarkon is run-down, but new construction is upgrading this area. Just before the Dan Hotel, the street becomes more upscale; north of Atarim Square, Ha-Yarkon becomes a pleasant residential thoroughfare, but not as interesting for strolling. Near Gordon Street, Ha-Yarkon becomes a wider thoroughfare with divider barriers; guests staying in moderate hotels on the inland side of the street can't just dash across the road and down to the beach.

Just for Kids: Family-Friendly Hotels -- Two all-suite hotels right on the beachside on Ha-Yarkon Street are good bets for families with children: Best Western Regency and the Park Plaza Orchid Tel Aviv. Both have kitchenette facilities. If you have a car, and are willing to drive 25 minutes north of Tel Aviv, Kibbutz Shefayim Guest House, with its adjacent water park (including a swimming pool with waves), is fun for younger children and a very pleasant base for exploring the Tel Aviv/coastal region.

South Tel Aviv

Across a divided thoroughfare from the sea (but a 2-block walk to a guarded swimming beach), two high-rise hotels, the Dan Panorama and the massive David InterContinental, hold forth alone as a tourist island in a relatively isolated, empty stretch between Tel Aviv and Jaffa, approximately 2.4km (1 1/2 miles) south of the main Ha-Yarkon Street hotel district. There are no adjacent, interesting streets for strolling that surround these hotels, and the beach in this area is not great for swimming. But Old Jaffa is a 15-minute walk along the Seaside Promenade, and a 5-minute walk across a not-well-tended park takes you to the bustling Carmel Market (from which you can reach the restaurants and cafes of the trendy Nahlat Binyamin and Rothschild St. areas). Note that walking through the empty Carmel Market at night is not advisable. Across the highway is the excellent beachfront Manta Ray restaurant. Rates here are lower than for a comparable hotel on Ha-Yarkon Street.