The David Kempinski Tel Aviv

We recommend the Kempinski to business travellers who extend their stay over the weekend, and to couples in their forties who want the sea without giving up palace comfort. It is a hotel for those who prefer room service to the culinary scene of Neve Tzedek, and the rooftop pool to the public beaches of Gordon. Families find their place here (connecting rooms, experienced staff), yet the clientele remains predominantly adult and international.

The building dates from 1999, a fifteen-storey tower signed Moshe Zur, clad in Jerusalem limestone and tinted glass. Classic Kempinski interiors: light marble, walnut panelling, Bohemian crystal chandeliers in the lobby. The rooms display a sober contemporary style (beige and grey tones, Poltrona Frau furniture), with Calacatta marble bathrooms. Ceiling height of 2.80 m, sliding glass bays onto 4 m² balconies.

The restaurant Saar offers a Mediterranean menu (grilled fish, revisited mezze, fresh pasta) in a glass-walled room overlooking the sea, continuous service from 7h to 23h. The Herbert Samuel, ground-floor bar-lounge, serves cocktails and tapas until 1h in the morning, local clientele on Thursday evenings. Israeli breakfast buffet (shakshuka, grilled halloumi, cucumber salad, house pastries) served until 11h. Room service 24h/24, reduced menu after midnight.

The Kempinski stands at the start of HaYarkon promenade, between Jerusalem Beach and Tel Aviv Port. Dizengoff Center fifteen minutes on foot, Carmel market twenty. No metro in Tel Aviv, yet Frishman bus station two minutes away serves the whole centre. Ben Gurion Airport forty-five minutes by taxi (fixed rate 150 shekels). The neighbourhood is tourist and residential, fish restaurants at the port, beach bars until 2h in the morning in summer.