Where to Stay

As Tel Aviv is both a holiday resort and Israel's leading business center, there is a plethora of accommodation options to choose from. Hostels to deluxe five-stars, from self-catering holiday flats to business hotels.

All of the deluxe accommodation, with the exception of the Sheraton City Tower (which is in the business district of Ramat Gan) is on the coast. Hotels such as the Dan Panorama, Sheraton, Crowne Plaza and Hilton are right on the beach and a sea view room is recommended. The higher the floor, the better the view.

These hotels offer wonderful Israeli breakfast buffets, where there is enough food on offer to keep you going through until dinner: salads, custom made crepes and omelettes, fish, cakes and fruit. In addition, these upmarket hotels also offer health clubs, a variety of eateries and swimming pools. The newest deluxe hotel is the David Inter-Continental, which is located toward Jaffa. The Dan Panorama is right next door. These two hotels are well located for travelers wishing to spend time in Neve Tsedek and Jaffa. It is also worth noting that the Dan Panorama offers an early check-in facility for travellers departing on various airlines (among them Turkish Air and Air Italia).

The top end hotels are all multi-purpose and multi-service and are equally suited to the needs of both business and leisure travelers. The mid-range accommodation is just behind the seafront, either on the other side of Hayarkon Street or in the roads leading away from the beach. The Metropolitan, Astor, Basel and City hotels all fall within this range. These hotels are all in very accessible locations.

The beach end of Allenby Street and the top end of Ben Yehuda Street are known as being the places to find cheap accommodation. It is near these areas that Tel Aviv's travel agencies and backpacker services are to be found. However, this is a shabby end of town and a stay here will leave you with the impression that Tel Aviv is an ugly, polluted, seedy city. Unfortunately, the peep bars and sex shops of Tel Aviv are located smack in the middle of the cheap accommodation district.

However, there are much more pleasant budget options in other areas. For those looking for an intimate hotel, try Galileo in the Yemenite Quarter. If you are after a friendly and clean hostel, there are various recommendations. Hayarkon 48 is right opposite the beach and is bright and well-maintained. The Dizengoff Square Hostel, on Dizengoff Street is housed in a beautifully restored Bauhaus building and has a roof terrace. But the most charming budget option of them all is the Old Jaffa Hostel and Guest House. This Ottoman building is architecturally beautiful and it is evident that the owner has put a lot of love into the hostel. The hostel is dedicated to the owner's parents and the stairways and bedrooms are full of turn-of-the-century photos of the owner's family and Tel Aviv-Jaffa as it was then.

Many of the hostels offer a mattress on the roof at a cheap rate in the summer months. Here visitors can enjoy '1,000 star accommodation' (as the Israeli joke goes) with the twinkling night sky as a bedroom ceiling.