For those who are visiting Eilat (or are going to do that) without plan (like most of you do), here are some tips for you to make your life a bit easier if you want to see something of Eilat. It’s the problem of getting there and how to move around and with what. Did you know that you can fly to Eilat instead of driving for 4 hours by car? Do you know how much that cost? It cost you $35 and 35 minutes. Voila, you earned your reading back with this.
Eilat’s accommodation ranges from the good to the bad to the downright ugly – this is not a place to expect a charming or unique hotel experience. As is the case with most resort towns, the cost of hotel rooms rises by about 25% at weekends and 50% (or more) during Israeli school holidays and in July/August. Reserve ahead during these times. The prices we have cited in our reviews are at the higher end of the mid-season range. If you enjoy staying in five-star chain hotels, you’ll be spoiled for choice. There are more than 50 options around the lagoons at North Beach and along the road to Taba, including nine Isrotels, two Dan Hotels and seven hotels in the Leonardo/Herod group. Most have bland decor, restaurants where the fixed-price buffet reigns supreme, large pool areas and decent but not exceptional levels of service.
Beaches and water sport are the dominating swimming activities in Eilat and in this article you will see what you can do here and what beaches we are talking about. In Eilat, there are two types of beach/water-tourists; those who love to swim in the Red Sea and those who prefer the water pools of their hotel.
Here follows a gallery about restaurants in Tel Aviv. This gallery actually belongs to the article Restaurants in Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv has loads of restaurants in all kinds, representing all areas of the Arab world, as is the rest of the world. And you know what, you can always find something for any budget. You can choose a boutique type restaurant, or you can choose a restaurant, where you have a full meal for a few shekels. And then there are those restaurants, which are based on the rising crop of ‘chef restaurants’ and an ever-growing number of swanky brasseries.
This is a gallery about the hotels mentioned in the Where to Sleep in Tel Aviv article.
There are accommodation choices to meet every budget and style requirement in Tel Aviv, but the city’s ever-expanding range of boutique hotels includes the most alluring options. The best location for visitors is the wedge of the south city centre bounded by Rothschild Blvd, Sheinkin St and Allenby St, which is richly endowed with cafes and restaurants. It’s also within walking distance of most sights. Further away, Jaffa offers some stylish boutique options and a vibrant Arab-influenced street life.
It’s not quite as old as nearby Jaffa – history here stretches back ‘only’ 1300 years – but Ramla’s bustling market, underground pools and crumbling Islamic architecture make it an interesting half-day trip from Tel Aviv. Try to visit on a Wednesday, when the market is at its busiest and most colorful. Established in 716 CE by the Umayyid caliph Suleiman, Ramla (spot of sand) was a stopover on the road from Egypt to Damascus. Prior to the arrival of the Crusaders in the 11th century, it was Palestine’s capital and it maintained its importance in the Middle Ages as the first stop for the Jerusalem-bound pilgrims who came ashore at Jaffa. Following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War the majority of the Arab population were expelled or fled and was replaced by poor Jewish immigrants, mainly from Asia (eg India) and North Africa. It’s now a friendly mix of Arabs (20%) and Jews (80%).
The self-titled ‘Israeli Riviera’ offers 12km of the finest sandy beaches in Israel & the Palestinian Territories, while the town itself exudes a rather strange, time-warp feeling, almost like an out-of season French seaside resort. It’s popular with families, who flock to the spacious promenade with its parks, flower beds and water features. As at Herzliya, the beaches are a favourite with visiting European (especially French and Russian) tourists but are far less crowded than those of Tel Aviv. In August or September, the town has the dubious distinction of hosting the annual two-day Netanya International Clown Festival.
Just 12km north of central Tel Aviv, Herzliya is popular due to its fine, clean beaches, marina mall and string of seafront cafes. Named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, Herzliya started as a small farming community in 1924 and now consists of two main areas separated by Hwy 2. Middle-class, suburban central Herzliya, east of the highway, is mainly residential and commercial, while Herzliya Pituach (west of the highway) – a neighborhood of huge villas that’s home to some of Israel’s wealthiest residents – is where the beaches are. Herzliya Pituach is also home to Israel’s blossoming high-tech industry; as a result, modern office blocks are rising up all.
