Israel has been a tourism destination for over two thousand years. Whether it's their first journey, or a return trip to a land that has become a second home, travelers continue to come, although visitor numbers are way down from what they were during the years of the Peace Process in the 1990s. What does this mean for potential visitors? There are advantages and disadvantages.
On the plus side, in response to the wave of tourists that descended on Israel for the turn of the millennium, many new hotels were built, and many older hotels were extensively renovated and expanded. Tourism in 2003 is back to its 1980s levels, but there's now an enlarged hotel and country guest-house infrastructure with spanking new rooms that are going for a pittance.
Israel used to be a relatively expensive country where it was hard to find good value for your money. All that has changed. Now more than ever, the Eleventh Commandment is, in effect, "Thou Shalt Not Pay Full Price for Hotel Rooms!" Check out the travel agencies advertising special rates in the on-line daily Jerusalem Post (www.jerpost.com). The deals you can get from packagers or by booking independently are exceptional, but you have to plan ahead for the very best deals. On the other hand, for the first time in years, it's easy to freewheel when you visit Israel -- rooms are available everywhere, and rental cars can be arranged on the spot. Travelers to Israel (myself included) report receiving lots of personal attention at hotels, restaurants, museums and historical sites.
Actual (as opposed to published) hotel prices are constantly changing and subject to bargaining, but at the moment, travelers on moderate budgets can upgrade to previously unattainable luxury hotels like Jerusalem's King David for the a fairly reasonable price. Jerusalem's newest luxury hotel, the David Citadel, built in 1998 as a rival to the nearby King David, is now officially offering double rooms with breakfast included for $180, and bargaining or a good travel package might even bring that price down.
Throughout the country, facilities at museums, national parks, nature reserves and holy sites were all been renovated and upgraded to accommodate the deluge of millennium visitors (naturally, most of these projects were not completed until the millennium crowds had come and gone). As you tour biblical and archeological sites throughout the Israel, you'll be among the first to enjoy the many new, inventive, state-of-the-art visitors centers that help you to understand and connect with these places in a personal way. You'll also find these sites are free of the usual hordes of tourists
You'll find that security is good inside Israel, and daily life continues as usual. While the rest of the world is adapting to new standards of vigilance against terrorism, the security drill is second nature for Israelis. Israelis used to say, "Where else in the world do you have your bags checked before you are allowed to enter a supermarket, department store, theater or café?" The answer to that question is now an increasingly long list of places. Security checks are likely to be the most you'll see of the Middle East's political problems when you visit Israel (or even Jordan and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula).
Security Updates
For the latest updates on travel to Israel from the U.S. State Department, go to: https://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html. For advisories geared towards citizens from the U.K. and Commonwealth countries, check out www.fco.gov.uk.
The U.S. State Department (and many European foreign ministries) advise travelers to avoid municipal buses in Israel during the morning and evening rush hours; avoid visiting shopping malls and crowded places like the Mahane Yehuda vegetable market in Jerusalem -- especially on Thursdays when it is crowded with pre-Shabbat shoppers; and avoid the Old City of Jerusalem on Fridays, the Islamic day of prayer.
The Old City of Jerusalem has so far been quiet, but the Temple Mount/Harem Es Sharif complex in Jerusalem's Old City, site of the magnificent Dome of the Rock and the El Aksa Mosque, has been closed to non-Muslims until further notice. For now, visitors will have to be content to view these two landmarks from vantage points elsewhere inside the Old City. Again, both Palestinian and Israeli merchants in the Old City bazaars are desperate for business and are being incredibly nice to travelers. Bargains abound!
Sadly, the West Bank/Palestinian Authority area continues to be in turmoil, which means its ancient towns of Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus and Jericho are totally off limits until conditions improve. If you were planning to spend much of your time visiting those places, this is not the time to come.
Got Your Mind on Your Money?
At press time, the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Israeli shekel remains at approximately 4.5 shekels to the dollar (so, one shekel equals about 22 U.S. cents), which is what was reported in Frommer's Israel, 3rd Edition, so price calculations remain the same. Each year, the shekel's value fluctuates between 4.5 and 4.8 to the dollar, but it generally stays within this range. The current rate of exchange between the euro and the shekel is approximately 5.1 shekels to the euro, or put the other way one shekel equals 20 Euro cents. Also, at press time, the shekel/sterling exchange rate is 7.1 shekels to one British pound.
Planning Your Trip
Since Frommer's Israel, 3rd Edition was published, the North America-Israel airline scene has changed drastically. Mainstays like TWA and Tower Air are permanently gone. In June 2001, Delta inaugurated the most comfortable direct service in the business between JFK and Tel Aviv, but the route is presently suspended.
All of the major carriers have upgraded their business class service. Luxurious, but not nearly as expensive as First Class, a seat in business class can turn the long flight to Israel from torture into airborne bliss. You'll arrive rested, ready to go, and almost immune to jetlag. If you've been collecting Frequent Flyer bonus points, an upgrade could be a very worthwhile investment.
Continental's four year old non-stop Newark-Tel Aviv route is thriving. It's upmarket Business Elite class service is probably the best of this category in the business, featuring pampering service, good food and VERY roomy seats that come close to reclining into beds.
El Al is the only carrier offering non-stop flights to Tel Aviv from New York's JFK Airport. El Al has reconfigured the cabins of its planes to create a new Platinum Class section that offers more space and more comfort. The Platinum Class replaces El Al's less luxurious Business Class. Through the end of 2003, El Al is offering a special Companion Fare deal on its Platinum Class service: a $250 round trip Platinum Class ticket to anyone traveling with a full fare Platinum Class passenger. There are no blackout dates for this offer.
With its close connections to the Israeli travel industry, El Al offers a variety of land package arrangements that are fabulous deals (no other airline comes close to matching El Al in this respect). These packages can only be purchased with a round-trip North America-Israel El Al ticket. El Al now offers reciprocal Frequent Flyer Miles in arrangements with Delta, American Airlines, Qantas Airways, and South African Airways. You can also get points for free tickets and upgrades on El Al when you stay at the Dan Hotels, Sheraton Hotels, Le Meridian Hotels, Radisson Hotels, and Inter-Continental Hotels.
A number of European carriers offer service from North America to Israel, but all require a change of planes en-route. Also note that due to the tourism slump, some of these airlines no longer fly non-stop from Europe to Israel, but instead require an additional plane change in Cyprus, which can make for a very long flight if you're coming directly from North America.
Swiss International Airlines (also known as Swiss), the new carrier that has replaced the now- defunct Swissair, offers the best connections between flights on its New York-Tel Aviv route, which stops in Zurich. You connect to the Zurich-Tel Aviv flight within one or two hours, and there are no stopovers in Cyprus. Swiss International has also just redesigned and upgraded its business class compartments: they now match the best in the skies for comfort and décor. Swiss International doesn't require you to buy a round-trip Business Class seat -- if you need to save money, you can do Business Class on only one half of a round-trip ticket.
If you're planning a few days stopover in London, Paris, Rome, Greece, or Germany on your trip to Israel, then British Airways; Air France; Alitalia; and Olympic and Lufthansa are worth looking into. Stopovers in the home countries of national airlines are usually free, and these airlines offer good land package arrangements. Alitalia is the European airline that carries the largest number of passengers between North America and Israel; it and offers land package options for passengers making pilgrimages to Rome and the Holy Land. The airlines of some of the East European countries offer slightly better fares and the chance to explore less-visited countries en route to Israel. Be aware that refunds from foreign carriers, especially those of East European countries, can sometimes be tricky.
Driving in and around Israel
Remember that Israeli rental cars are not insured for travel in the West Bank or Gaza! From Jerusalem, however, there is one road passing through the West Bank that your rental car is currently insured to travel (although you should re-check with your car rental agency). At present, you ARE permitted to drive on Highway One between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, which runs through a largely uninhabited part of the West Bank, and is the main road from Jerusalem to the east. Highway One ends at the north-south running Highway 90. You can take Highway 90 south along the Dead Sea to Masada and on down to Eilat, but currently it is NOT safe to drive on the part of Highway 90 that runs from Highway One north through the Jordan Valley toward Bet Shean and onward to the Sea of Galilee (the usual route from Jerusalem to the Sea of Galilee). Until further notice, drivers from Jerusalem to the eastern Galilee must stay within the 1948 borders of Israel by detouring westward to the outskirts of Tel Aviv, and from there driving north along the coast to the Galilee. Many agencies do not insure vehicles for East Jerusalem either, so it's best to verify any possible travel restrictions when you sign your rental agreement.
For Travelers with Disabilities
In Israel, there's been a slow but ongoing effort to provide access for visitors with disabilities -- even at sites famed for their inaccessibility, like Masada. A new network of wheelchair-accessible pathways has just been completed atop the dramatic plateau of Masada. The year 2000 marked the publication of Access In Israel: A Guide for People Who Have Difficulty Getting Around, by Gordon Couch in cooperation with the Pauline Hephaistos Survey Project, published by Quiller Press in London. This is the first updated edition of Access In Israel since 1990. The book is an invaluable guide to special needs accessibility in airports, hotels, restaurants, parks, museums and other sites in Israel, although it does not rate all hotels, restaurants and sites, and in a few instances (as new access projects are completed), this edition is already out of date.
An extra source of access information is Arik Vamosh (mim@netvision.net.il), who was disabled during the 1973 War, and who has long been an advocate for Israelis with special needs. Arik is on the staff of the Umbrella Organization for Israelis With Disabilities. He travels extensively throughout the country and has surveyed accessibility in many hotels, restaurants, parks and museums. Arik has kindly offered to share information and advice with Frommer's readers who contact him. Arik's wife, Miriam Feinberg Vamosh, is a writer and licensed private guide who is uniquely aware of the problems that travelers with disabilities face. She has been on the recommended list of private guides in Frommer's Israel for many years.
For Gay and Lesbian Travelers
Israel has come a long way since the 1980s, when laws regarding homosexual activity were removed from the books. An open gay scene has recently emerged in trendy Tel Aviv. Among the new places to check out in Tel Aviv are He-She, 8 Ha Shomeret St. (tel. 03/510-0914), probably the busiest gay bar in town, with a youngish crowd of Israelis and foreigners; and The Out, 45 Nahlat Benyamin, at the corner of Montifiore St. (tel. 03/560-2391), a two story spot near the city's most trendy restaurant neighborhood that hosts a yuppy crowd. The Out offers live Israeli rock on Mondays. Monday night is gay night at The Scene, 67 Allenby St. (tel. 03/510-8523) and many of the other discos along this stretch of Allenby also set aside special gay nights.
In Jerusalem, the gay scene is growing a bit more quietly. Shonka, at 1 Ha Soreg St. (tel. 02/625-7033) is Jerusalem's newest restaurant hit and stylish dance bar. Thursday night is gay night, which usually revs up midnight. The bar is good, and if you come early for a meal (before 10pm) the inventive Mediterranean Rim menu is excellent, though not cheap.
Note that in the Palestinian/Arabic communities throughout Israel, and in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, Jordan and Egypt, any kind of openly gay or lesbian behavior is forbidden both by custom and law. Extreme caution and the lowest possible profile is advised.
Plant a Tree in Israel
If you'd like to plant a tree in Israel with your own hands, just call (Toll-free) 1-800/223-484 within Israel to arrange it. The cost per tree is $18. The website for the Jewish National Fund's tree planting program is: www.jnftrees.com.
Jerusalem
Where to Stay
A good number of major and minor Jerusalem hotels have closed or are open on a skeletal staff basis until the situation improves. In-house restaurant services, room service hours, and many other services and amenities listed in Frommer's Israel, 3rd Edition, are presently curtailed. Even the banquet size breakfast buffets served by most Israel hotels have been cut back somewhat. On the other hand, rate cuts and discounts abound, and this is perhaps the one chance travelers on a budget may have to stay at the King David, or other top-class hotels, for upper moderate rates.
Jerusalem's luxurious new Hilton Hotel, opened in 1998 on King David Street as a rival to the venerable King David Hotel, is no longer a Hilton, and has changed its name to the David Citadel Hotel, but this name change may not be permanent. Its phone number is now 02/621-1111; fax 02/621-1000. E-mail: davidcitadel@hotels-of-israel.com.
Another of the city's major hotels, the recently remodeled Laromme, has also changed its name. It is now the Inbal Hotel. Phone and fax numbers remain as listed in Frommer's Israel 3rd Edition; the new website is: www.inbal-hotel.co.il.
Where to Dine
The drop in tourism has put a damper on business at the wonderful array of restaurants that developed in Jerusalem over the past decade. Tel Aviv can easily support a lively restaurant scene, but in conservative, religious Jerusalem, upper bracket and unusual restaurants depend on the tourist market to survive. It used to be that the city's best restaurants were largely clumped together on prominent thoroughfares and pedestrian malls. Now, due to security concerns, the new wave of eateries are often located along innocuous, hard to find side streets.
Because of recent dips in tourism, many restaurants open and close at irregular times that may vary from day to day and week to week. We have included specific times where possible, but it is always a good idea to call ahead before visiting a restaurant here.
Ocean, for a decade the city's top spot for luxurious, inventive dining (and a favorite of former Secretary of State Warren Christopher on his many trips to the Middle East) has closed, but the restaurant's talented sous-chef, Ginadi Nasrieh, who perfected Ocean's signature style of exquisitely delicate citrus-wood grilling, is now practicing his art at Jerusalem's newest gourmet restaurant hit, the lively Shonka Restaurant, 1 Ha-Soreg Street (tel. 02/625-7033), located off Jaffa Road, two short blocks east of Zion Square. Unlike the very formal Ocean, Shonka is a stylish but casual spot with a menu that's elegant but hearty. In keeping with the times, Shonka is also less expensive than Ocean was.
It's worth calling ahead to see what specials Shonka has in store that week. Sunday evenings, Shonka offers a 130 shekel ($31) tasting menu that lets you sample as much as you want of everything on the menu. Ginadi's repertoire includes such a dishes as from rich, melt-in-your mouth foie gras, fabulous fresh mussels, and lamb kebabs that are incredibly dense with flavor. Most highly recommended is the seafood; there are few people in Israel who can coax as much flavor and texture out of a shrimp as Ginadi. Shonka offers a variety of lunch and dinner specials. Shonka is open daily for lunch and dinner. As it becomes a dance club towards midnight, it's best to plan for a dinner that will finish by 10:30 or 11pm , though food continues to be served into the wee hours.
Cavalier, 1 Ben Sira St (tel. 02/624-2945), hidden away in an alleyway off Shlomzion Ha-Malka St., is a small, easy-going, elegant (but not pretentious) choice for fine dining in contemporary French style. Chef/owner Didi ben Aruch has carefully planned everything here, from the soft music that covers neighboring conversations to the excellent wine list and the menu filled with an ever-changing list of nightly specials. Standouts include lamb sirloin in curried couscous with mushrooms, carrots, and pine nuts; exquisite shrimp; fillet of drumfish in citrus oil; Coquilles St. Jacques served on a bed of crisp, finely chopped nuts and artichokes; sashimi of red tuna; and fine veal carpaccio served with shavings of Parmesan. Desserts here are worthwhile; the chocolate volcano is spectacular. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner.
Vaqueiro, 54 Hanevi'im St (tel. 02/624-7432) is Jerusalem's most popular new moderately-priced dining spot. This kosher South American-style restaurant is the brainchild of an Israeli from South Africa who is a master at grilling. Take your pick from the large all-you-can-eat menu of either meats or fish, which are brought to your table fresh from the fire. The setting, a charming 19th-century mansion separated from the street by a walled garden, offers both atmosphere and security. Open Sun-Thurs noon-midnight and Saturday evening after Shabbat. Business lunch, served until 5pm, is $10. The fixed price all-you-can-eat dinner is $20. Plan to visit on a very empty stomach!
It used to be hard to find good fish in Jerusalem. Not so anymore. The moderately priced, non-kosher Sea Dolphin, 9 Ben Shitah Street (tel. 02/623-2272), situated not far from the Yoel Solomon/Rivlin Street Mall in the center of West Jerusalem, serves shellfish as well as a wide and ever-changing array of very fresh fish. Each main dish comes with a large selection of interesting Middle Eastern salads that are served as a first course, so you may not want to order an appetizer. The restaurant is stylish and remains busy despite the tourist slump. Sea Dolphin is open daily for lunch and dinner (times vary, so call ahead).
Kosher Indian food is not all that easy to find, but Jerusalem's Kohinoor Restaurant at the (Holiday Inn) Crown Plaza Hotel, Givat Ram (tel. 02/658/8867) offers a remarkable opportunity for kosher diners to enjoy the complex, varied cuisines of the sub-continent. Justly famous for over a decade, this year Kohinoor has expanded it's menu to include a new range of Goan and rich, spicy South Indian coconut milk dishes, all prepared within the rules of kashrut. As an added treat, Kohinoor's Indian-Jewish owner, Reena Pushkarna, has printed a beautiful, instructive new menu that includes careful explanations of each dish as well as a number of Reena's own handwritten recipes. Kosher cooks who like to experiment will be frantically taking notes as they dine, but Kohinoor and its non-kosher affiliates -- the Tandoori Restaurants in Tel Aviv, Herzlia, and Eilat -- are known for their graciousness, and will makes copies of the recipes for those who are interested. A set-price all-you-can-eat luncheon buffet is often served in addition to the a la carte menu. The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday for lunch and dinner and on Saturday in the evening (times vary on all days, so call ahead).
A new little budget gem, deceptively simple but offering good value, is Ola La, 5 Havazelet St, (tel. 02/622-2844), on a side street that runs off Jaffa Rd., just off Zion Square. Its owner/chef, the ever-ebullient Olga (nicknamed Ola), is a recent immigrant from Russia who was once a biochemist, but who also dreamed of being a restaurateur. Immigrating to Israel, with its surplus of scientists, made living out her fantasy an economic necessity. Olga turns out a great menu of fresh fish, salads, home-style soups, borscht, and buckwheat pancakes. Olga has made her establishment into a tiny home away from home for both Russian immigrant and Israeli regulars. The restaurant serves a kosher vegetarian/fish-only menu. The lunch specials, including Olga's marvelous fresh fish, are great deals, and are offered until late afternoon. Look for the fresh Mediterranean Denis oven-baked in foil -- it's delicious with garlic and butter, but Olga will prepare it to your specifications. The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday 9am to 8:30pm and Friday 9am to 2pm.
Askadinya, 11 Simon Ha-Zadik St., (tel. 02/532-4801), a new little restaurant set in an old stone house and garden just half a block from Highway One (the unofficial demarcation line between East and West Jerusalem), serves an inexpensive to moderate menu to both sides of the city. The atmosphere is friendly, and the chef's inventive, lively, menu has received rave reviews from tourists and from Jerusalem's international journalist community. This place is very busy on Friday evenings, when many restaurants in West Jerusalem are closed. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Monday from noon until midnight, and Tuesday from 7pm until midnight.
Exploring Jerusalem
As mentioned above, because of the political situation, the Temple Mount, or Haram Es Sharif, containing the Dome of the Rock and the El Aksa Mosque has been closed to non-Muslim visitors. Check with your hotel or with the Municipal Government Tourist Offices to ascertain whether this site has re-opened. Meanwhile, in the Jerusalem Archeological Park (www.archpark.org.il) just outside the southern wall of the Temple Mount, the newly opened Davidson Exhibition and Virtual Reconstruction Center gives you the chance to take a virtual-reality tour of the Temple Mount as archaeologists believe it appeared in the Herodian period -- from the late first century B.C. until the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Located in the ruins of an early 8th century Islamic palace uncovered by archaeologists at the foot of the Temple Mount, the Davidson Center contains a small museum with artifacts found at the site, as well as videos and computer information on the Temple Mount's history. There is also a small display of some of the actual discoveries made over the past 30 years in archaeological digs along the outer periphery of the Temple Mount's walls. In Jewish/Herodian times, the traditional entrance for pilgrims to the Temple was via two sets of gates in the southern wall of the Temple Mount. The piece de resistance of the Davidson Exhibition is a dramatic, computerized reconstruction of the route that visitors to the ancient Temple Mount would have taken, through tunnels that led from the southern gates up to the surface of the sacred enclosure.
Shopping Tip: A Jerusalem Craft Tradition
Jerusalem is home to two world-famous Armenian ceramic workshops, the Palestinian Armenian Pottery Workshop, Nablus Rd, next to the East. Jerusalem American Consulate (www.armenianceramics.com) and Jerusalem Pottery, located at the Sixth Station of the Cross in the Old City (www.jerusalempottery.biz). Originally, these workshops repaired and maintained the extraordinary ceramic tiles on the Dome of the Rock. Hand painted tiles from the workshops adorn the exteriors and interiors of buildings throughout Jerusalem, from St. Andrew's Church to the American Colony Hotel. The beautiful tile wall panels decorating the Sukkot Patio at the Residence of the President of Israel, were designed by Marie Balian of the Palestinian Pottery Workshop (Mrs. Balian has been honored with a special exhibition of her work at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.). The Karakashian family's Jerusalem Pottery Workshop is especially known for its individual tile designs. For almost a century, the artisans of both workshops have also created hand-painted plates, vases, and other ceramic items for sale to the general public. Both of these generations-old workshops have just taken the plunge and opened websites that are worth checking out (although neither site shows the full range of the workshops' repertoires).
The West Bank
The West Bank, which includes the historic biblical towns of Bethlehem, Jericho, Hebron and Nablus (Shechem) is closed to visitors, and most Western governments have advised their citizens not to visit the West Bank until the political situation improves.
Tel Aviv
Unlike Jerusalem, Tel Aviv's hotels and restaurants remain busy, and new hotels, restaurants and cafes abound. Here are some of the newest picks to open since the current edition of Frommer's Israel was published.
Where to Stay
Israel's cities have a surplus of expensive hotels, but good moderate and inexpensive hotels are hard to find. Plus, in the past, moderate hotels with any charm or personality have been non-existent. The big news is that during the past year, Tel Aviv has begun to remedy this situation.
The beautiful, art deco Hotel Cinema, Dizengoff Square (tel. 03/520-7100; www.atlashotels.co.il), is probably Israel's most enticingly designed moderate range hotel. Occupying a landmark Bauhaus-style cinema building from the 1930s, the hotel's up-to-the-minute, very comfortable rooms are decorated with specially designed art deco carpeting, textiles and furnishings that recall sets from Fred Astaire-Ginger Rodgers classics. You check in at the cinema's candy counter, beneath an ultra modern staircase to the mezzanine, and are given a bag of popcorn with your key. There's a sauna, jacuzzi, and rooftop terrace overlooking Dizengoff Square. The drawback for some, however, is the solid wall of noise that comes along with the hotel's Dizengoff Square location. Quieter rooms in the back are in great demand, but for light sleepers, even a back room with double glazed windows may not be enough to keep out the Dizengoff din.
Pleasantly located half a block from the beach, the bright little moderately-priced Hotel de la Mer, at the corner of Nes Ziona and Ha-Yarkon Streets (tel. 03/510-0011; www.delamer.co.il), is perhaps the prettiest boutique hotel in the country, with delightful suites as well as standard rooms, all carefully designed and laid out according to the precepts of Feng Shui. Owner/manager David Steuer is very helpful and provides many extra services. Tell him you saw his hotel listed on the Frommer's Israel guidebook website, and see kinds of special deals he can offer. Noise is not a major problem here. The junior suites with terraces are among the most attractive hotel rooms at any price in Tel Aviv.
The sleek new Sea.Net Hotel, 6 Nes Ziona Street (tel. 03/517-1655; www.seanethotel.co.il), offers spanking new rooms with Internet dataports for personal computers, as well as interactive TVs, Internet access and pay-per-view video rental. Rooms are stylish, ultra modern and comfortable; the ambiance is efficient rather than personal and cozy. The beach is a short block away from this moderately priced establishment.
The new Isrotel Tower Hotel, located on the 7th to 15th floors of a round landmark skyscraper overlooking the sea at 78 Ha-Yarkon St. (tel. 03/511-3636; e-mail: isrtower@isrotel.co.il) is a sleek choice for business travelers. The hotel's 90 two-room suites contain a living room with kitchenette, bedroom, 2 TVs, stereo, 2 dataports, microwave oven and convertible living room couch. Tower suites can sleep four people; Executive Suites include breakfast, use of business lounge, refreshments, free access to the health club, and special rates for meeting rooms. The beach is across the street, and the hotel's pool is perched on the roof and offers dramatic vistas, though the pool area is not great for very young children or people with a fear of heights. Corporate and long-term rates bring this expensive property down to the moderate price range.
Dizengoff Square Apartments, 89 Dizengoff St. at Dizengoff Square (tel. 03/524-1151; www.hotel-apt.com), caters to a mix of tourists and business travelers. It offers a variety of rooms and suites with kitchenettes for one to five people. The range of prices runs from inexpensive to moderate. Everything is new, attractive and comfortable. There's a basic business facility, and the manager, Mr. Neeman, offers all the personal, friendly advice and service you could want. Again, rooms at the rear are more protected from the high noise level on Dizengoff Square.
The Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel and Towers, 115 Ha-Yarkon St. (tel. 03/521-1111; www.sheraton-telaviv.com), long one of the best of the upper-category beachfront choices, has completed a sweeping new renovation. The guest rooms are fresh, sleek, and decorated with spring colors, and the public areas are light, airy and spacious. As part of the Sheraton's renovation, in-house dining options have been re-thought. Across the board, menus are healthier and lighter, and theSheraton has a prestigious new restaurant, the Olive Leaf. The Sheraton was voted Best Business Hotel in Tel Aviv for 2003 by Travel and Leisure. This hotel would normally fall in the "expensive" or "very expensive" category, but great specials are currently being offered (double rooms are going for $165 per night if you book for 5 nights, with a rental car included in the price).
Where to Dine
Unlike Jerusalem's dining spots, restaurants in Tel Aviv are bustling, and a crop of great new choices has been popping up.
Raphael, 87 Ha-Yarkon St, beside the Dan Hotel (tel. 03/522-6464) is the most highly acclaimed of the new luxury restaurants in Tel Aviv. The restaurant is beautifully designed and overlooks the Mediterranean. The extraordinary menu, created by Chef Rafi Cohen, is a rich, ever changing selection of Cohen's own interpretations of French bistro, Mediterranean Rim and Northern Italian cuisines. The lamb dishes, the calamari, and the sweetbreads are always exceptional. Though the menu is expensive, specials at lunch and dinner can put this restaurant into the upper moderate price category. The restaurant is open Sunday through Friday 12:30pm to 3:30pm and 7pm to 11pm, and Saturday 1pm to 4pm.
The Olive Leaf, in the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, 115 Ha-Yarkon St. (tel. 03/521-9300) is a Modern French/Mediterranean Rim restaurant that is the most stylish kosher restaurant in Israel. Elegantly simple, calmly innovative, and without a drop of tacky glitz in its decor or menu, the moderate to expensive Olive Leaf is a great opportunity for kosher (and non-kosher) visitors to experience beautifully prepared contemporary cuisine The restaurant is open for dinner only, Sunday to Thursday from 7pm to 11pm.
Baraka, 22 Ahad Ha-Am St. (tel. 03/517-2828) is another excellent, though expensive, choice. With it's innovative contemporary French menu (spiced up with a touch of Moroccan flavor) and mildly exotic décor, this is a romantic place for a special meal. Come early if you want a leisurely dinner -- later in the evening, Baraka becomes a place to party and be seen. Baraka is open from 7pm to 11pm.
Carmella, 46 Rehov Hatavor at the corner of Rehov Rambam (tel. 03/516-1417) is a new, fabulous collaboration from three of Israel's best chefs -- Daniel Zach, whose legendary French country restaurants in the Galilee have never been accessible to enough customers; Uri Yeremias, the moving spirit behind Akko's inventive Uri Buri Seafood Restaurant; and Dalia Reynaud, an incredible pastry chef whose gem-like Bistro Dahlia Reynaud in Jerusalem is famous for the richest quiches and Alasatian tortes in Israel. All three have joined forces in bustling Tel Aviv. Carmella's tasting menu (NIS 135, or $31) is currently the culinary toast of Tel Aviv -- a four course banquet in which you can order half portions, so that you can actually sample eight dishes. Look for dazzlingly fresh ceviche of chopped shrimp in olive oil, lemon juice and hot pepper, exquisite desserts, and a constantly-changing-but-always-great menu of French/Mediterranean Rim cuisine. This upper moderate to expensive restaurant is open Sunday through Friday noon to 11pm and Saturday 1pm to 5pm.
Odeon, 10 Ha'arba'a St. (tel. 03/562-8868) is the big new hit on this trendy restaurant-filled street near the Tel Aviv Cinematheque. The price range is moderately expensive; the style is modern New York/TriBeCa. Some of Odeon's major attractions include grilled spare ribs in a coffee barbecue sauce; fillet of Mediterranean buri prepared in a zucchini, pepper and lemon curry sauce; semolina crusted calamari salad; the most fabulous Caesar Salad dressing in Israel; and excellent roast beef and hamburgers. The banana and caramel mousse with coconut-lemongrass sorbet packs them in. No one leaves Odeon hungry. Open daily 24 hours.
Lilith, 42 Maazeh St (tel. 03/629-8772), located on the fringe of the Rothschild Blvd. restaurant area, has long been an excellent moderate to expensive choice for Modern California/Mediterranean cuisine. The chefs here are also justly famous for their mastery of the fine art of grilling. The restaurant has become kosher, and its owner has donated her beautiful restaurant and her culinary secrets to ELEM, a training project for young people in distress. Lilith's perfectionist standards remain intact -- you won't find a more exquisitely grilled salmon steak (or a sea bass or bream), or more flavorful salads and pastas anywhere in town. The complete lunch menu specials are bargains, offered from noon to 5pm Sunday to Thursday. Open Sunday to Thursday from noon to midnight, Friday noon to 3pm, and Saturday after Shabbat.
Muldan, 98 Ha-Yarkon St. (tel. 03/527-8418) is a new moderate to upper moderate restaurant with glatt kosher certification just across the street from the Dan Hotel. In Tel Aviv you don't often find glatt kosher restaurants with delicious food and real style that are also convenient to the tourist hotel district, but Muldan (which means: facing the Dan) wins on all points. Décor is designer rustic; and the open kitchen turns out hearty portions of delicious charcoal-grilled lamb, chicken, quail, fish and steak, all served with potatoes or rice and vegetables, plus house bread and salad. Many of the interesting first courses are large enough to share or to have as a main course. Dinner specials are served until 6pm weekdays. Open Sun-Thurs 11am-midnight and Sat after Shabbat.
Birnbaum and Mandlebaum, 35 Rothschild Blvd. (tel. 03/566-4949), is Tel Aviv's classic expensive restaurant for steaks and meat. Leave your cholesterol worries at the door and enjoy everything -- fine chopped liver, a variety of hefty steaks, top quality sirloin burgers, corned beef, and fried onion rings. There's also a variety of chicken, fish and seafood. The wine list is excellent, as is the service. Open daily noon-midnight.
Struzzi, 60 Rothschild Blvd. (tel. 03/566-5655), is a very affordable little pizza and pasta place with a pleasant terrace, located right in the Rothschild Blvd. area of classy restaurants, bars and cafes. Have an tasty, inventive, inexpensive pizza here, and you can party-hop through the area without investing in a major meal. Open daily noon-1am.
Fast Food Tel Aviv-Style
Felafel is Tel Aviv's fast food of choice, but although you'll find it everywhere, there are alternatives. Agadir Burger Bar, on the right near the start of the Nahlat Binyamin Pedestrian Mall if you're coming from Allenby Street (tel. 03/510-4442) is as close to (non-kosher) hamburger heaven as you'll come around these parts, unless you're addicted to McDonald's (which is on the Herbert Samuel esplanade, just south of the Dan Hotel). Agadir's specialties are thick six to eight dollar burgers -- you can have yours with garlic butter, or portobello mushrooms, or all the standard fixings (including Heinz ketchup). If you're vegetarian, you can order a mushroom veggie burger. If you are up for dessert, Agadir Burger Bar is famous for its white chocolate mousse. Agadir Burger Bar is open daily 10am until after midnight. For a burger with a view (also non-kosher), try Mike's Place, 86 Herbert Samuel Esplanade, overlooking the Mediterranean, where a dedicated staff of Israeli-Americans hand-grind their sirloin burgers on the spot and grill them on charcoal. Besides a memorable sunset, the easy-going Mike's Place offers live music nightly and a full bar. Mike's Place should be open daily 5pm until after midnight, but call to confirm. Contrary to North American belief, grilled chicken schnitzel and fresh salad in pita bread is the real hamburger of Israel (rather than felafel). One of the best schnitzel sandwich stands in town is a nameless little spot next to a small branch post office on Ha-Yarkon Street near Nes Ziona Street, which is open Sunday through Thursday from 11am to 7pm and Friday from 11am to 2pm. You have to wait because each schnitzel is freshly grilled to perfection. A great antidote to felafel burn-out!
Herzlia
Just north of Tel Aviv, and virtually a suburb, the city of Herzlia is home to a number of the best restaurants in the country. Erez, at the corner of Maskit and Berekit Streets (tel. 09/955-9892) has developed from a gourmet bread bakery into a restaurant serving the most exciting Modern Israeli cuisine in the country. Owner/chef Erez Komarovsky is endlessly inventive and brash in creating his menu, which changes almost every day and has started to receive international acclaim. The dishes are like free verse poems in their components and presentation: lamb shish kebabs on skewers of rosemary stalks served with couscous tabouleh dotted with ruby pomegranate seeds; grilled chicken breast in sumac, zaatar and dill served with roasted eggplant and okra; and shrimps and calamari with coconut milk, mango and local Israeli herbs. Everything is strong and cosmopolitan, but is filled with the flavors of Israel. The dinner menu offers the largest variety of Erez's creations. The atmosphere here is casual and fun, the prices are moderate, the wine list is adequate, and desserts are wonderful (the chocolate marquise is divine). It's a worthwhile endeavor to journey up here from Tel Aviv for dinner. And for those who love inventive meals, this place is worth a trip from anywhere in Israel. Open daily from 8am to 1am. Breakfast is served until noon, lunch is servedfrom noon to 6:30pm, and dinner (featuring a different, more extensive menu) is served from 6:30pm until closing. Evening reservations are strongly advised.
Haifa
The big news here is the re-opening of the Baha'I Shrine, Haifa's greatest landmark, overlooking Haifa Bay and home to the dramatic Hanging Gardens. Both the shrine and the gardens have recently been re-opened to the public after extensive renovations. Eighteen paradise-like gardened terraces now cascade down the slopes of Mount Carmel.
Meanwhile, at the foot of the Bahai'i Gardens, Haifa's 19th century German Colony district is going through a period of major gentrification. Ben Gurion Boulevard, the neighborhood's main thoroughfare, located right at the foot of the Baha'I Gardens, has been turned into a promenade lined with new top-quality restaurants and cafes.
The Haifa Tourist Board Visitor's Center, now located at 48 Ben Gurion Boulevard, (tel. 04/853-5606; fax: 04/853-5610; www.tour-haifa.co.il) has moved to the Ben Gurion Pedestrian Promenade complex (see new address above), although this new location is not convenient to most of the city's hotels, which are up on the top of Mt. Carmel. The visitor center is open Sun-Thurs 8:30am-6pm and Fri 8am-1pm. You can e-mail the Visitor's Center at info@tour-haifa.co.il for information on hotel and bed and breakfast choices in Haifa.
The Dan Gardens Haifa, 24 Yefe Nof Street (tel. 04/838-3666; www.danhotels.com), is a modern 30-room bed and breakfast that's perfect for guests who want a moderately-priced hotel choice and careful personal attention. Formerly the Dvir Hotel, it has been added to the prestigious Dan Hotel Chain, which renovated the building from top to bottom and upgraded in-house food service. Located a block from the Central Carmel Carmelit Station, and boasting wooded grounds, great views, and free use of the swimming pool at the nearby Dan Panorama Hotel, this is now the best middle range hotel in Haifa. In fact, with the present tourism slump, rates here are often close to budget range! One caveat: a long outdoor staircase from the street up to the entrance to the hotel could make staying here difficult travelers with disabilities.
The Port Inn Hostel Guest House, 34 Yafo Road (Jaffa Rd.) in the German Colony (tel. 04/852-4401; port_inn@yahoo.com), is the good, charming budget accommodation choice that Haifa has needed for so long. It's a very simple lodging, set in a nicely re-done 19th century house near Ben Gurion Blvd. There are five rooms with private bathrooms, one room with a shared bath, and two separate single sex dorm rooms. All rooms are air-conditioned. There's also a patio, a cozy lounge, a computer with Internet access, and a kitchen open to guests. All of these amenities help give the Port Inn a congenial atmosphere. Doubles are $50, breakfast included; discounts may be available, especially these days.
There are some great new restaurants on up-and-coming Ben Gurion Boulevard Promenade in the German Colony.
One such gem is Isabella , 6 Ben Gurion Blvd. (tel. 04/885-2201), a moderate to expensive Italian restaurant. This place is famous for it's robust menu filled with designer pizzas and focaccias, as well as fine pasta and meat dishes. Isabella is open daily 11am to midnight.
Located in a charmingly restored 19th century German Colony building, Hashmura 1872, 15 Ben Gurion Blvd, (tel. 04/855-1872) is the most romantic place in town for gourmet dining, with an exquisite Contemporary French menu. The restaurant is brand new, and not to be confused with the nearby, now-closed 1873 Restaurant (these mysterious name numbers refer to the year each building was constructed). Call for open hours and days, as they are irregular.
Tiberias, The Galilee & The Golan Heights
Telephone Area Code Alert: The telephone area code for all numbers in the Galilee and Golan is now 04, which makes it the same as the area code for Haifa and the Western Galilee. At the time that Frommer's Israel, 3rd Edition was printed, the area code for Tiberias, the eastern Galilee and the Golan was 06, but this area code has been terminated and all numbers listed with an 06 area code prefix in that guide are now in the 04 area code.
Although the Galilee countryside has not been a terrorist target, the tourism slump has hit this area hard and many rustic guest-houses, restaurants, and even major hotels in Nazareth and Tiberias have gone out of business. Few new establishments have opened here.
Negev Desert, Eilat & Sinai
Telephone Area Code Alert: The telephone area code for all numbers in the Negev, the Dead Sea Region and Eilat is now 08. The 07 area code, which was in effect for these areas, has been terminated since Frommer's Israel, 3rd Edition was published. All phone numbers listed with an 07 area code prefix in that guide are now in the 08 Area Code.
Negev Desert
As Israel has developed and solidified its position as a hi-tech, 21st century country, it has become increasingly difficult for travelers to find the idealistic, hardworking, reclaiming-the-land society that is so much a part of Israel's world image. The once-simple guestrooms at kibbutzim (collective settlements) in the Galilee and central Israel have morphed into semi-luxurious country hotels where travelers experience little interaction with the workings of the kibbutz communities. However, three small desert kibbutzim in the dramatic Arava Valley -- Kibbutz Lotan, Kibbutz Yahel and Kibbutz Ketura -- are becoming places where Israel's pioneering spirit and vision can be shared. All of these kibbutz are located 30 to 40 minutes by car from Eilat.
Founded in the 1980s, largely by Israelis from English-speaking countries, these kibbutzim are involved in the process of building creative communities in the desert and making the region bloom. All offer guest facilities and a wide variety of programs that allow travelers to get to know both the desert and the kibbutz.
Kibbutz Lotan (www.birdingisrael.com or contact Mike Nitzan at lotan-programs@lotan.ardom.co.il) is a fascinating example of a sustainable desert community and is the kibbutz best prepared for visitors. Lotan's Center for Eco-tourism and Creativity offers extensive bird-watching programs and tours, plus programs in desert ecology, alternative ("green") building techniques, permaculture, recycling, and holistic medicine and massage. The kibbutz also offers short and long desert hikes. Tours of the region can be arranged, including Bedouin hospitality encounters, Red Sea snorkeling and diving, excursions to the nearby Timna National Park, or even visits to Petra, in Jordan. There are special programs designed for youth and others for families. At times, the kibbutz hosts workshops on Arab/Jewish understanding and intercultural communication. Accommodations are simple, but air-conditioned, either hostel-style or in private doubles that include kitchenettes and private bathrooms. Meals can be arranged in the kibbutz dining hall, which serves kosher food. There is a large outdoor kibbutz swimming pool, especially refreshing in the summer.
Kibbutz Yahel (www.ardom.co.il/maayan-midbar) and Kibbutz Ketura (www.textstore.co.il.ketura) also offer a range of tourism programs, and it's worthwhile to check them out as well.
Eilat
Upmarket Eilat has added yet another luxury hotel to its collection: the new, hi-rise Hilton Queen of Sheba Eilat, North Shore .(tel. 08/630-6666; www.hilton.com). This hotel is unique because its features a complete wing of family rooms equipped with kitchenettes. The hotel offers a CYBEX health spa, and is about 300 feet away from the good beachfront of its neighboring competitors, the Dan Eilat, the Isrotel Royal Beach, and the Sheraton Herod's Palace.
The Texas Grill (tel. 08/633-8880), on Eilat's North Beach Promenade near the Howard Johnson Neptune Hotel, is one of the busiest restaurants in town, specializing in piles of beef short ribs served in tasty barbecue sauce with crisp potato wedges. This place also serves sirloin steak, fried chicken, grilled fish, and dynamite brownies. Moderate prices. Open daily 1pm-midnight.
Tricolor (tel. 08/638-3333), in the Meridien Hotel near the North Beach Promenade, one of the two finest kosher choices in Israel, serves an elegant, exquisitely conceived menu of fish and contemporary pasta. Top marks go to the divine fish couscous, the wonderful house bisque, and an array of excellent sushi and tartare presentations. Tricolor is open Sunday through Thursday from 7pm to 11pm, and Saturday from sundown until 11pm.
Dolphin Reef (tel. 08/637-1846; www.dolphinreef.co.il), a private beach two miles south of downtown Eilat, has long been one of the city's most pleasant places to swim, featuring sands dotted with thatch-roofed shelters and waters kept as free as possible from rocks and spiny sea urchins. Added pluses include the chance to watch the Dolphin Reef's 12 resident bottlenose dolphins leap and frolic in the water (they are free to come and go as they please) and the opportunity to participate in the supervised Swim/Snorkel/Scuba Dive With Dolphins programs for a charge of approximately $45 per half hour. Call the main number for Dolphin Reef (listed above) to reserve a space in the programs.
Recently, Dolphin Reef has added a wheelchair access pier to its facilities, so that people confined to wheelchairs can enter the water easily and swim with dolphins. There are never any ironclad promises of close-up encounters with the Reef's dolphin community, but these creatures often display unusual sensitivity to visitors who have disabilities. Special changing facilities for visitors in wheelchairs have also been set up.
Since the publication of Frommer's Israel, 3rd Edition, the Dolphin Reef has also installed a somewhat Zen indoor environment of three serene, densely landscaped Relaxation Pools (sweet water, mineral water and salt water) where for $25 an hour during the day on weekdays, and $35 at night and on weekends, you can float in soothing water, listen to relaxing music, and receive a massage. The $7 general entrance fee to Dolphin Reef Beach is included in the Dolphin Encounter and Relaxation Pool fees, and if you do a Swim/Snorkel/Scuba Dive With Dolphins activity, you can bring an additional guest into to the beach without charge.
If you want to reserve time in the Relaxation Pools, ask for extension 4 after you call the number above.
Sinai
The desert coastline around Sharm-el Sheik, at the southern tip of Sinai, continues to fill up with luxury resort hotels, some of them far more dazzling than even the most luxurious from four or five years ago. The new 307-room Ritz Carlton (tel. 069/661-919; www.ritzcarlton.com) is among the most incredible of the newcomers -- a lavish, modern Arabian Nights vision floating amid vast, man-made reflecting pools, streams and waterfalls, and surrounded by lush gardens where there used to be barren desert. The new 460-room Hyatt Regency Sharm el Sheik (tel. 069/601-234; www.sharmhyatt.com) is a sprawling, exotic low-rise overlooking the "Gardens" dive site, on a bay beyond the main (now overdeveloped) hotel center at Na'ama Bay. Both hotels are self-contained, well supplied with a variety of restaurants, and far enough away from the central resort district at Na'ama Bay that most guests tend not to leave the hotel grounds.
The funky, beautifully-sited diving resort of Dahab has taken a big step toward bridging the hippie-yuppie gap with the opening of the new upper-moderately priced Dahab Hilton (tel. 69/530-140; www.hilton.com), a well-designed low-rise hotel located right on the beach, which offers wonderful snorkeling opportunities. The hotel offers specials that can bring a stay here into the budget range.
Jordan
What's New in Petra and Aqaba
The beautiful, inventive Taybet Zeman Hotel (tel. 962/3-215-0111), located 9 km (5 and a half miles) outside of Petra and created from the stone houses and lanes of an old Bedouin village, is now run by the Sofitel Hotel Chain. You can make reservations for the Sofitel Taybet Zeman through the Accor/Sofitel International Reservations system (in the USA tel. 800/763-4835). Although official rates remain at $175 to $250 for a double room with breakfast, you may find specials as low as $69 for a double, breakfast included. This is a fabulous deal for one of the most charming and unusual hotels in the Middle East.
Much to the dismay of romantics and adventurers, the Petra National Park closes at sunset (with the exception of guide-led candle light tours; see below), even though this mysterious, long-hidden site is especially evocative in the evenings and was once a great place to camp at night. Camping is forbidden, but recently the park service has been offering Monday and Thursday night candle light tours, starting at 8:30pm for JD 12 ($18) -- a great way to spend the evening.
The new 215-room Aqaba Movenpick Hotel, Beach Corniche (tel. 03/203-2040; www.movenpick.aqaba.com) is now open. Located on the beach not far from the town center, it's the newest and most interestingly designed luxury hotel in Aqaba. Rates run from $205 to $230 for a double room, breakfast included, but again, there are all kinds of specials. Reservations are also taken through Movenpick Hotels (in the USA tel. 800/344-6835).
To stay abreast of current deals and the everchanging situation in Israel, check out the official Israel Ministry of Tourism website at www.goisrael.com. For information on neighboring Jordan, simply go to www.see-jordan.com.