Fancy staying in a cinema? Think about Esther Cinema Hotel in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv has not only a very spectacular real estate, with impressive prices that may easily compete with Beverly Hills or Manhattan, but also went through an dramatic development of the hotel industry. The creative spirit of the people were able to adapt to new situations, giving new destinations to old buildins, while keeping the original spirit. An example in this sense is Esther Cinema Hotel, hosted in a traditional Bauhaus building in Dizengoff Square.

The cinema was inaugurated at the end of the 1930s, as the property of Moses and Esther Nathaniel both born in Aden that emigrated in 1924. The cinema was considered as part of their contribution to the improvement of the cultural life in the country, and Esther Cinema succeeded to be a noteworthy institution, part of the Dizengoff Circus complex. Classical movies were displayed here, including top European and American productions. Provided with dernier cri technology brought from all over the world, it used to host around 1,000 people.

 

At the beginning of the 1990s, the cinema went through serious financial problems and was soon purchased as part of the Atlas Hotels network. The original structure was kept, and the space was separated into 83 hotel rooms,  with 2 new suites recently added. The rooms are provided with modern amenities, such as air condition, multi-channele cable TV, coffee and tea facilitis, safe, free wifi. It also has a business lounge and offers to the guests the possibility to use a nearby gym for a moderate fee. The location is perfect, as it provides access within minutes to the beaches, as well as to shopping avenues and many restaurants, some of them open all round the week and the year.

When you enter the hotel lobby now, you may be tempted to go directly to the reception desk and ask what movies are in the program tonight. Original projectors and classical ads are displayed, as well as original chairs. Some of them were converted to the modern style, but keeping the furniture fashion typical for the Bauhaus design. Regularly, classical movies are projected in the lobby, with popcorn treats included. The rooms also do have a traditional touch, with ads and posters that may remember about the golden times of the cinema.

The monumental staircase is a trademark of the hotel and still looks as a work of architectural avantgarde. It radically separate with vertical lines the enormous interior space of the building, creating a deep perspective in the middle of the building, similar with the voids in the water during high storms.

The stairs lead to a terrace on the upper level, from where one can admire not only the fancy Dizengoff Avenue with its expensive shops and glamorous restaurants, but also the dynamic city of Tel Aviv and its ports.

In this modern network and spectacular life that seems to never rest, the cultural and historical legacy of Cinema Esther stays as a reminder of how far you can go if your mind aims for change.

For more images from the hotel, have a look at the dedicated Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/ilanaontheroad/esther-cinema-hotel-tel-aviv/

Hotel Review: Hotel Vital Tel Aviv

I arrived in the small loby of the boutique business hotel Vital on a very rainy winter day of January. In Jerusalem the roads were blocked because of the snow - one, two centimeters are enough to raise the emergency level to unbelievable levels, exactly like the 30 plus Celsius temperatures in Germany, while in Tel Aviv, the Delilah storm was putting trees on the ground. From the Central Bus Station, I just walked for 40 minutes and reached the hotel, part of a bigger mall and in the close vicinity of important medical centers. As it was too early for the check in and I may have been look prety pittiful after the long walking in the rain, I was invited to take a seat and relax at the 12th floor business lounge. Fresh pastry and juices, as well as coffee and free Internet were available and took my time to recharge but also have a look over the beautiful city.

Newspapers are also available and for the first time in a long time I had the chance to touch a print edition of Jerusalem Post. The hotel guests are also offered in the morning complimentary copies of the NY Times with Haaretz inside, in an elegant black and white badge...(Let's keep the politics outside the gates of this blog,ok?)

As I would be explained later during my complimentary tour of the facilities, there are more opportunities to relax offered during the stay to this boutique business hotel: the 200 sqm fitness center can be used for free. Tours and airport transfers are also offered which make the stay even more enjoyable, especially if you are for the first time in the bubbling Tel Aviv and for a short stay and you want to parcimoniously use your time.

The rooms offered are very diverse, and it answers practically every specific needs of the diverse tourists and visitors: single junior, executive room, executive room with kitchinette, club, family room, deluxe, superior suite deluxe, executive suite. Each of it is provided with basic facilities, among which a very fast wifi, electronic mini bar, TV, desk and work place, telephone and voice mail, safe, bath robes and sleepers. Laundry services during the weekdays are availble. In order to give the guests time to relax and enjoy their time, the payment is done upon checkout. Special facilities for people with disabilities are also available.

The diversity of Vital Hotel offer explains the diversity of guests: from diplomats to people coming for medical treatments or families with children.

The rooms are simply yet design oriented decorated, with modern furniture in warm colours. It gives you the feeling of being at home, with all those small facilities and basic comfort that you need,especially if you expect to be on the road for a long time. The design as such, too much IKEA-infused, did not impress me too much but the rooms are spacious and not over charged.

I enjoyed this homely feeling especially at the end of my day out, exploring the area around the Weizmann street where the hotel is situated. First, it is the mall nearby, with its many offers and coffee shops and small restaurants, all tempting you to stay more with their sales season. A couple of minute of wallking away, there is the famous Kikar Hamedina, with the most expensive houses and many fancy boutique shops. If you want more shopping, Azrieli shopping mall is also close. For culture lovers, Tel Aviv Opera House, Habima Theater - where extraodinary dance performances are regularly taking place, an advantage to taste arts without knowing the language - or Tel Aviv Museum are aso within reach. But most importantly for the business visitors, the hotel is in the vicinity of the Israel Trade Fairs and Convention Center or the Diamond Exchange. And if you love the sea, 5 minute away by car and around 30 by foot, you can relax at the beach, admiring the view while eventually sipping a glass of red wine.

In the morning, the energizing breakfast, with a lot of good dairy products, including the very delicious cottage cheese which always tastes the best in Israel, and freshly made pastry put you back on the good track. Looking out of the window of the 12th floor, the view of the bold city that never sleeps gives you a lot of motivation and inspiration. The pleasant background music helps you to return to normal life, one step at a time.

Before leaving, a last email checking and booking printing for the next leg of my trips. Everything works fast and I can do my things within minutes and spend the rest of the time till checkout touring once again the neighbourhood. Although I never heard about this hotel before spending here one night, given the big demand of accommodations in Tel Aviv and Israel in general, I am sure I will hear once again about it soon.

Disclaimer: I was offered a complimentary stay and tour of the hotel, but the opinions are, as usual, my own

How to spend six hours in Tel Aviv

This summer, I spent three weeks in Israel, with headquarters in Jerusalem. Although the distance to Tel Aviv is of only 45 minutes by car, the challenges of being on the road with a baby and other inconveniences, kept me away of one of my favourites cities in the world. Aware that time passes and I am in the danger of not going there this time, I decided to take the 1h20 minutes train ride and just go. With only six hours to spend, what can I do first? As usual, I followed one of my many survival mottos: When life gives you lemons, be smart enough to make out of them the tastiest lemonade.

Here I were, at the Shalom train station, admiring the beautiful Azrieli Towers. When was the last time when I saw sky scrapers?

Following Eliezer Kaplan street, I went along the many outlet stores and expensive boutiques guarded by the bold skyscrapers, with exotic trees at the entrance. At no. 8, a special building was offering another sample of Israeli creativity: the house is made of 4017 panels of 9 different sizes, with a façade designed in consideration with the hot climate and environment protection.

After another couple of minutes of walking, I reached the interesting architecture of Charles Bronfman Auditorium, the main destination for art lovers in the city. During the week, the esplanade in the front is the favourite meeting place of families with children and of various street artists. This time, it was only a guy screaming loud with big headphones on his ears. Sometimes the hot summers can be hard to cope with.

Looking for more shadows and fresh air, we went along the Rotschild Boulevard, in the middle of the historical buildings, many of them in process of full reconstruction.

As usual when I am in this city, I cannot stop admiring the hard contrasts between the old and very new, the traditional spirit and the creative chutzpe.

At Allenby 88, it was time for some bread tasting and some fresh lemonade. Another stop followed a couple of minutes later, at the beautiful DaDa bistro within the French Institute, one of the many French islands in the middle of Tel Aviv serving special pastries and an exquisite Made in France menu.

For some more authenticity, heading to the Carmel market is the best move. You can check there the latest fresh veggies and negotiate some better prices for big purchases. Tired by so many discussions, a fresh juice on one of the stands will bring the good energies back.

Visitors to Tel Aviv, usually head to the Florentin area for some good samples of street art. This time, I did not need to go that far, as on the way to the beach from the market, I discovered some artist small houses decorated in the most creative way.

At Bograshov beach, a new attractive project was launched, aimed to bring some more learning to the beach goers. On the way to some beer at LaLaLand or some long swimming or shisha, you can have a look at some paintings by Jewish artists displayed in big reproductions, plus some words in English and Hebrew about the artist. Learn something new every day, right?

The view of the boats waiting in the port, moved slowly by the heat wind is as artistic as the view of a painting. A kind of still life very much alive, in the style of Van Gogh.

I was out of time, but even if I would have one hour to spend in Tel Aviv, I would prefer to spend half of it going to say "hi" to my favourite house in the world, on Eliezer Perri street. Its creative balconies and shapes make me think about Gaudi and its world of architecture dreams. Mission accomplished this time too!

Now, I can return back to the train station slowly but happy. On Ben Yehuda street, before checking some interesting shops and design stores on the fancy and expensive Dizengoff, I went for another juice, a fresh combination of mango, dates, milk, oranges and figs.

The famous Kikar Rabin - Rabin Square - the usual place of gathering for demonstrations was quiet, but behind the lines, preparations were made for the Hebrew Book Week Fair, a regular event taking place in several cities across Israel, aimed to bring the best of Israel publishing to the public.

The Cinemateque is another cultural destination in the city, with a good selection of movies around the year and festivals displaying the best of Israeli and Jewish movies. This time, I preferred to have a look at the games of volumes ending up in delicate angles.

Before I go back to Jerusalem, I wanted to stop at the Sarona Market. One week before, a terrorist attack took place in the middle of this elegant place with restaurants and food stores. If not the corner in the front of the place where the terrorists killed innocent people with candles and flowers, no one would have thought that a terrible tragedy took place here. It was business as usual in a country where terrorism is part of the everyday life, long before Europe started to cope with the current terrible challenges. Life must go on...

When it was about time to leave, I just enter the train as a richer person: happy to see old places, to discover new tastes and impressions, with a new tan and a heart that knows that, after all, even the small amount of 6 hours can be well spent in an overwhelming city. It is all for good.