The Nimrod Fortress is the largest surviving castle from the Middle Ages, dating back to the 13th century. In more recent history, the castle was used by the Syrians as an artillery observation point during the 1967 war. Since then it’s been renovated and declared a National Park.
Its location at the foot of Mt. Hermon offers some spectacular views of the Golan Heights and Upper Galilee.
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Author: Abigail Klein Leichman, ISRAEL21c
Now that the Covid-19 pandemic is most likely behind us, you can once again visit Israel for a vacation. But where should you stay?
Israel21c picked top new hotels and alternative recreational places that would deliver a truly extraordinary experience.
Here is the second part of the list:
The 14-unit Alegra Boutique Hotel in Jerusalem’s Ein Karem neighborhood consists of several buildings including an authentic Crusader inn that’s among the oldest structures in this historic neighborhood.
Each of the four floors has its own luxury suite built from the remains of different eras; the oldest floor is 800 years old and the newest 200 years old. The hotel offers a spa, sauna, sun terrace and lobby drinks.
Address: 13 Ha’ahayot Street
Since 1991, Kfar Hanokdim in Arad, near Masada, has offered a range of earthy accommodations: A goat’s-hair Bedouin tent,35 desert-style, air-conditioned guest rooms furnished with local wood, metal, stone and salt from around the Dead Sea; and designed lodges (sukkot) made with thick woolen sides and doors with decked wooden floors and futon-style beds for up to eight occupants.
Kibbutz Neot Semadar’s Guest House offers 18 air-conditioned huts built of hay bales and homemade mud bricks, on the road to Eilat overlooking the Edom Mountains.
The kibbutz operates a boutique organic winery and produces cheeses from fresh goat milk. Its roadside restaurant, Pundak Neot Smadar, offers vegetarian food and sells the kibbutz’s organic products.
Part I of this series:
https://www.newsrael.com/posts/6ym7r5upkpp
Author: Abigail Klein Leichman, ISRAEL21c
Now that the Covid-19 pandemic is most likely behind us, you can once again visit Israel for a vacation. But where should you stay?
Israel21c picked top new hotels and alternative recreational places that would deliver a truly extraordinary experience.
Here is the first part of the list:
Tel Aviv’s downtown Cinema Hotel is an 83-room boutique hotel in the Atlas chain. It’s located in an original Bauhaus building that housed the Esther Cinema in the 1930s.
The hotel’s unique design is complemented by some of the original projectors and movie posters. Classic movies are screened in the hotel lobby — with popcorn, of course — to heighten the nostalgic atmosphere. Free happy hour and bike rentals.
Address: 1 Zamenhoff St.
Scotland may come to mind when you think of lodging in a former castle, but this one is in Tiberias overlooking the Sea of Galilee. An authentically restored castle built in 1745 by the son of the Bedouin ruler of the Galilee, Dona Castle Boutique Hotel is located on a colorful street named for Dona Gracia Mendes Nasi, a 16th-century Portuguese Jewish businesswoman who helped build up Tiberias.
Originally, the citadel was connected to the Ottoman-era wall that surrounded the city. In 1837, an earthquake damaged the castle, which was later rebuilt to house a Spanish school in 1925 and, more recently, an art gallery.
In 2007, the castle was converted into a boutique hotel and artist workshops. Its six suites are furnished in a hybrid ancient and modern style. You can have your breakfast served at the swimming pool or rooftop bar.
Address: 9 Dona Gracia St., Tiberias
The Zimmerbus bed-and-breakfast was created by an Israeli couple in the Negev hilltop village of Ezuz in 2013, using repurposed buses. Zimmerbus offers three converted, air-conditioned vehicles (one for couples, two for up to five guests) covered with natural adobe and date-palm leaves and complemented with patios.
A recycling system using wastewater from the Zimmerbuses irrigates an organic orchard. There’s a chlorine-free swimming pool, ping-pong table and other amenities for children. Located an hour from Beersheva, Zimmerbus is still a family-run hospitality business.
Since 1991, Kfar Hanokdim in Arad, near Masada, has offered a range of earthy accommodations: A goat’s-hair Bedouin tent,35 desert-style, air-conditioned guest rooms furnished with local wood, metal, stone and salt from around the Dead Sea; and designed lodges (sukkot) made with thick woolen sides and doors with decked wooden floors and futon-style beds for up to eight occupants.
It is surrounded by earthen embankments, filled with groundwater that erupted following the excavation at the site and has become a beautiful attraction in the Western Galilee. Meet the Ga'aton Quarry, which looks like a large, blue lake and is considered the secret place of the area's residents, that cannot be seen from any passing road
Ga'aton Quarry, also known as the "Vanishing Lake of the North" (because it is surrounded by earthen embankments), is a huge quarry near the Ga'aton River in the Western Galilee, which was filled with groundwater that erupted following the excavation and became a beautiful spot.
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Scotland may come to mind when you think of lodging in a former castle, but this one is in Tiberias overlooking the Sea of Galilee. An authentic, restored castle that was built in 1745 by the son of the Bedouin ruler of the Galilee, Dona Castle Boutique Hotel is located on a colorful street named for Dona Gracia Mendes Nasi, a 16th-century Portuguese Jewish businesswoman who helped build up Tiberias.
Originally, the citadel was connected to the Ottoman-era wall that surrounded the city. In 1837, an earthquake damaged the castle, which was later rebuilt to house a Spanish school in 1925 and, more recently, an art gallery.
In 2007, the castle was converted into a boutique hotel and artist workshops. Its six suites are furnished in a hybrid ancient and modern style. You can have your breakfast served at the swimming pool or rooftop bar.
A new line of hotels, named Jacob, recently opened in Israel. The franchise took over five old hotels in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Tiberias, Nahariya and Hadera, and renovated them at a total cost of about NIS 100 million.
The chain is privately owned by an Israeli businessman who decided to commemorate the name of his late father, Jacob.
Every one of the hotels offers a unique experience and draws different types of crowds.
Below are photos of these beautifully renovated facilities.
The Via Dolorosa ("Way of Suffering") is a road, within the Old City of Jerusalem, held to be the path that Jesus walked, carrying his cross, on the way to his crucifixion. The route is marked by 14 stations.
The winding route from the former Antonia Fortress to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre — a distance of about 600 metres (2,000 feet) — is a celebrated place of Christian pilgrimage.
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Located near Jaffa Gate, this historic citadel and former medieval fortress contains archaeological finds dating back 2,500 years. The structure was built by Herod the Great as a palace and fortress, and was built and rebuilt many times over the years.
Most recently, this structure was converted into the Tower of David Museum, showcasing the history of the city.
Built from Jerusalem stone (a pale limestone-like stone used since ancient times), this structure is a classic historical building. The old, archaic look of the building adds to its beauty. The main tower sticks out above the rest of the structure and was used as a lookout point.
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Between Jerusalem’s city hall and the Old City, this large historic building is less than a 10-minute walk from the Holy Sepulchre Church. It offers a total of 4 restaurants.
Just next to Jerusalem’s Christian Quarter, Notre Dame Center caters to travellers of all religions who wish to visit the Holy City. Staff can assist you with location information and getting around the city.
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There’s no denying that the Eilat coral reef is spectacular, but it’s well worth venturing into the surrounding Arava Valley/Negev desert landscape. Nestled between the borders of Egypt and Jordan, below the Edom Mountains, and close to historically significant nature reserves like Timna Park, the area offers endless views and experiences to be discovered or rediscovered.
The present church is a circular building with several niches containing altars, and a choir. Two spiral staircases lead to the crypt, the site ascribed to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, and also to the organ-loft and the gallery, from where two of the church's four towers are accessible.
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Today, an annual conference of the Association of Planners was held at Yarkon National Park.
At the conference held jointly by Israel's Nature and Parks Authority and the Israel Planners' Association, Shaul Goldstein, Director General of the Nature and Parks Authority, participated in a panel that dealt with tourism planning and development in open spaces in Israel.
In his speech, he said:
'When we talk about tourism, we look at numbers, I see it a little differently - the tourist brings the culture he grew up with, and where he came from."
One of Israel's most popular tourist spots, Caesarea National Park on the northern coast contains many important artifacts with significance for Jews and Christians.
The Herodian harbor area was excavated in the last decade and yielded finds such as a sumptuous Roman palace and amphitheater from the time of Jesus.
The "Ashdod Lights" exhibition is an audio-visual hiking trail that is about 800 meters long, which combines video art, laser lighting, water screens and holograms that will tell the story of the city and its work, and will take place throughout the year and free of charge!
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Something special in the air of Safed (Tzfat) sets the city apart from any other.
Maybe it’s the altitude, at 900 meters (2,952 feet) above sea level. Maybe it’s the Jewish mysticism that took root here in the 16th century and still flourishes. Or maybe it’s the magnificent views.
From this 15-square-mile city in the mountains of Israel’s Upper Galilee, you can see east to the Golan Heights, north to Mount Hermon and Lebanon, west to Mount Meron, and south to Tiberias and Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee).
People from across the world visit Safed to soak up its homegrown art, music, and spirituality.