Those who follow my blog are aware that I write a lot of movie reviews. I am taking a break to review a hotel my wife and I stayed at last year during our two week trip to Israel. I hope to interject a few travel reviews into my blog in the coming weeks. Israel was an amazing trip. The hotel we stayed at in Tel Aviv at the beginning of our trip was a boutique hotel in a converted cinema. The cinema motif was visible throughout the hotel. What an appropriate choice for a couple of film buffs.
We arrived in Tel Aviv after a tiring flight on El Al from New York. It was a direct flight, but we were exhausted. We were met at the airport by our tour group, where we boarded a bus to the hotel. The hotel is a fairly decent drive from the airport. By the time we got checked into our room, we were ready to crash.
The bed:
Before getting to that welcoming bed, we had to get to our room on the third floor. My one complaint about this hotel was the narrow elevator. With a tour group of tired travelers all trying to get to their rooms, this small elevator could only fit a couple people at a time. We settled into our room before heading down to the dining room on the second floor for a briefing with our tour guide. The dining room features an array of movie posters on the walls.
The room was small but comfortable. There were some cinematic stills on the walls and the light fixtures kept with the cinematic theme. The bed was reasonably comfortable and the bathroom small, but efficient. The water was a good temperature (not always the case when you are traveling) and the room came with some basic hygiene items. We didn't spend much time in the room as we had an early departure in the morning. However, we did have an opportunity to look at some of the cinematic relics as we headed down to an amazing breakfast in the morning.
The old projectors and framed stills were located in a lobby area outside the dining room on the second floor. There was a grand staircase that guests can use as an alternative to the elevators. For breakfast, we didn't have luggage to tote around, so we were able to take advantage of the staircase and avoided the cramped elevator. The strong connection the hotel has with its roots as a theater was evident in small details. It was tastefully done.
I regret I didn't take any photos of the dinner or breakfast, both of which were included in our stay. The meals were excellent. The dinner buffet was kept open for our late arrival and had a limited menu. But the breakfast buffet went all out. There were a variety of artisan breads and rolls, plenty of fruit, meat, eggs, porridge, and even halva (for those with a sweet tooth). Breakfast also included coffee and juice. It was an awesome way to get our calories together for a long day of walking.
We booked this hotel as part of a package, so I a have no idea what the group rate was. It seems to run just under two hundred dollars if you book it through one of the internet booking companies. That tends to be at the lower end of the spectrum for a hotel in Tel Aviv. Most of the ratings I can find place this hotel at 4.5/5. I would concur with that rating. Definitely a hotel worth checking out if you are planning to stay in Tel Aviv. Particularly if you are a movie buff like me.