Hotels in Tel Aviv

Many of Tel Aviv’s hotels are comparatively high in price and modern in amenities and design, in keeping with a city barely more than 100 years old. The larger, internationally-branded hotels are generally located along the beach and often have pools and in-house restaurants. Smaller, boutique hotels, many of which are located in restored heritage buildings, boast the advantage of providing a more immersive, neighborhood feel. A number of chic, luxury boutique hotels are located on and around the tree-lined Rothschild Avenue. The Dizengoff Square area, which is further inland, is another hotel hub, especially for smaller boutique hotels.

Tel Aviv can be a very noisy city. In the more expensive, high-rise hotels, upper floors are quieter. 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. By international standards, many “deluxe” hotels are barely that, and many hotels claiming to be five-star properties are four stars at best.

For Tel Aviv stays of longer than a few days, consider renting a short-term furnished apartment. Airbnb (or VRBO.com) is the obvious choice, but pay close attention to the reviews, as—similar to Israeli hotels—price does not necessarily reflect the level of quality.

For a great selection of apartments with the highest standards of cleanliness and the best, most responsive service, a company called TLV2GO (073/797-1118 or email info@tlv2go.com) is highly recommended. The company is based in the heart of Tel Aviv and rents dozens of apartments in locations around the city, with an emphasis on luxury. They don’t charge broker’s fees or commissions and will help you find the place that’s right for your particular needs (for example, if you want to be close to the beach, they will do their best to see that you; or if you want to bring your pets).  If you’re looking for only high-end accommodation options, you can also try the Plum Guide (tel. 03/376-3289) a bespoke service that lists hundreds of unique homes throughout Tel Aviv. They have categories like pet-friendly, large groups, or pool, to help you find a place that perfectly suits your needs.

Central Beach Hotels

Tel Aviv’s Tayelet, or seaside promenade, runs parallel to Hayarkon Street on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. The major hotel chains are all right off the sea and have either direct access to the beach or are across a small but busy road. Because of the summer heat and humidity, a hotel with a pool can be a good investment. For a long block north of the Renaissance Hotel near Gordon Beach, Hayarkon becomes a wider thoroughfare with divider barriers, meaning guests staying in moderate hotels on the inland side of the street can’t just dash across the road and down to the beach. Skyscraper, residential building demolitions, and light rail construction are everywhere, and accompanying noise is a daytime fact of life.

Dizengoff Square and Ben Yehuda Street

This area is a good choice for a winter visits, when the weather is milder and you can bear the 5-minute walk to the closest beach. This area, which has exploded with boutique hotels in the past few years, is also a culinary hotspot.

Northern Tel Aviv

This area’s public beaches are more specialized in character than those further south: One area is reserved for religious beachgoers (and has separate days for men and women); the northernmost beaches attract families and students, while Hilton Beach (behind the Hilton Hotel) is popular with an easy mix of tourists, families, surfers, and the local gay community. The area is a little bit away from the Ha Yarkon Street/Ben Yehuda Street restaurant choices, but they are within walking distance, as are the restaurants in the Tel Aviv Port.

Southern 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 David InterContinental, tower over a rapidly gentrifying stretch between Tel Aviv and Jaffa, approximately 2.4km (1.5 miles) south of the main Hayarkon Street hotel district. Old Jaffa is a 15-minute walk along the Seaside Promenade, and the bustling The Carmel Market (from which you can reach the restaurants and cafes of the trendy Nahalat Binyamin, Neve Zedek, and Rothschild St. areas) is a 5-minute walk across a shabby, but perfectly safe, park. Further inland, the new boutique hotels offer Tel Aviv chic, though in summer, they lack the city’s beach ambiance.