baccarat_king

Just booked this property :

The Ritz-Carlton, Herzliya, for a quick get-away during my daughter's February break (about 70% certain at this time).

Was able to get 5 nights for 120K points; but the clincher was that the award nights were available for standard, superior and deluxe rooms (of course, I chose the deluxe room). Also, "Estimated government taxes and fees - Included," which I "assume" means that this is 100% "free!"

Any thoughts, or insights with regard to this property?

Just five days of R&R with my daughter. (I've been to Israel a few times, so this is not a touring trip. This is a relaxation trip, and chose this location instead of, perhaps, a property in Dubai or the Canaries).

We are Marriott Platinum, though, I'm guessing this doesn't make a huge difference, since we are already booked in a Deluxe Sea View Room.

SkiAdcock

Haven't been to Israel so can't provide any input. But would appreciate you doing a trip report in this thread after your stay, so if someone stays there in the future it will come up more easily on FT search. Enjoy the trip with your daughter!

Cheers.

Goonerfish

how did you get 5 nights for 120k...I can only see 160k for 5 nights?

baccarat_king

When you book 4 nights, you get the 5th night "free." (on points)

This was my original booking :

BUT, BIG WARNING,

This is a Tier 2 property, that is currently booking at Tier 1 prices (points redemption); so I'd be sure to book this property ASAP if you are interested in this "deal."

I didn't even realize (though, it did seem like a decent deal), but found out when I went to modify dates. I was able to re-book the exact dates I wanted (on the website), now 6 nights in a Deluxe Room for 150K points total.

baccarat_king

No problem, SkiAdcock, the trip is now a "go!"

Clincher was finding business class award tickets to Israel (from Amsterdam) with reasonable flight times and decent taxes. Thank you AA, for a Finnair and El Al last minute redemption.

baccarat_king

So, I'll start with a brief overview (and mostly photos).

Arrived past midnight from HEL with my daughter (my SO was transiting from CGK and would arrive in the afternoon).

Very nice welcome, room blocked as promised (deluxe, 2 beds, perfect view of the marina/sea and high floor). Pellegrino as requested was placed in the room. Not much acknowledgement as a Platinum (as expected), and there isn't any category to upgrade to (from Deluxe). Woman who checked us in wanted to insure everything was perfect (very nice); and accompanied us to our room showing us around. Luggage arrived a few moments later.

Room service and dining in the hotel restaurant (an upscale Kosher restaurant, Herbert Samuel, owner/chef is known as the "Gordon Ramsey" of Israel [or so, I hear]).

Great Israeli buffet breakfast (with a huge, fresh awe inspiring selection of smoked meats, cheeses, breads, salads and fruit); made to order eggs, server asks what you desire as soon as you are seated. Enjoyable cappuccino, and very good service.

There are some hiccups, as this is a brand new property; but overall impressions are very good. All employees are genuinely nice. Have yet to check out the gym or spa, which I hear are lovely. Area is great, with lots of restaurants, shopping and the beach a short walk away.

Lobby this morning



Lobby cocktails yesterday afternoon



Rooftop (12th floor), pool area





Views from rooftop pool area



Room service (Kosher) hamburger and fries



Room coffee setup/bar area (there is also a full mini-bar)

SkiAdcock

Thanks - look forward to the rest of your trip report!

Cheers.

AAerSTL

Just completed a five night stay here and on the whole was very pleased. Granted it's not the most opulent or luxurious of RC props in the world but I'm very glad to see the RC brand in Israel and plans are underway for a second location in Tel Aviv.

The property is a 30-45 minute drive from the airport and self-parking is complimentary you can pay a nominal fee for valet. We were greeted at the front desk and offered beverages from the bar while our check-in was processed. Got assigned a partial Ocean View room which the agwnt said was a double category upgrade. Personally I would have preferred a marina view room but they were fully commited and had a large group in residence at the time.

Room itself was very spacious, nice desk area, sitting area, ample closet space and oversized bathroom. Large furnished balcony was a nice way to start the day with a Nespresso.

Dined at Herbert Samuel and overall thought it was good but certainly not the best meal I've had in Israel. The Executive Lunch special is a good value if you are around the propery during the day. Breakfast buffet has a wide variety of pastries, fresh fruit, hummus, flatbreads, lox, and made to order eggs (including Shakshuka).

Overall it's a great property and I will certainly be back. Only disappointment was on two (2) occasions housekeeping tried entering our room when both the red indicator light and door hanger was placed on the door. Never before had this happen at any hotel.

Also of note this is a Kosher propery-please don't come and ask why they don't serve butter with bread for dinner, order treif, the elevators operate on Sabbath mode (operate in a cycle stopping on every floor). There were several European guests that seemed oblivious to all this but were understanding when informed.

SkiAdcock

http://news.marriott.com/2016/06/rit...-guide-israel/

The Ritz-Carlton, Herzliya, Presents the Ultimate Insider’s Guide to Israel

"The Ritz-Carlton, Herzliya, has unveiled a new bespoke concierge service, which gives guests the opportunity to experience Israel like never before. Utilising true insider knowledge, the service unearths hidden gems rarely available to travellers, giving them the opportunity to collect new unique stories and memories, which they would be unlikely to discover for themselves.

Guests have five concepts to choose from: Culinary & Wine; Fashion, Design & the Arts; Hi-tech & Science; Lifestyle & Nightlife or Voluntary & Education. Once one, or a combination of options, has been selected, a fully personalised itinerary is created, encompassing particular areas of interest, original content and extraordinary local destinations, giving unparalleled access to unseen Israel."

A bit of details on what might be included in the 5 concepts is in the link.

Cheers.

joshwex90

Just spent a weekend there with my wife and daughter. Overall quite happy there. Was interesting that the staff is very English-oriented. Almost everyone I interacted with was a native English speaker, and staff are told to speak to guests first and foremost in English, not Hebrew.

I only ate the breakfast (in the dining room) and Friday night dinner, so I can't comment on Herbert Samuel (though it consistently gets rave reviews). There were some non-Jewish tourists who were confused and upset that there aren't all the same food options on Shabbat (Friday evening until Saturday night), though the menus are all clear about that. I guess I can understand that - I'd be possibly a bit upset if I came to a fancy hotel that kind of shuts down on part of the weekend, but most were fine with it. There are other dining options opened just downstairs in the marina, and anyways there are still hot options available.

Dinner on Friday night was expensive and not worth it in my opinion. Would have been a lot cheaper to just get take-out food or even order through room service a smaller meal. There were a few hot meat options, but only 1 real meat option (Entrecôte) but it was under-cooked and not so warm. Dinner itself was fine, but just seemed a lot of money (NIS 345/person) for such a meal that didn't have enough real options. Other hotels in Israel tend to have larger spreads for significantly cheaper (the next most expensive I'm aware of was at the Inbal Jerusalem and that was NIS 250/person for a much larger spread).

Breakfast was a bit underwhelming as well compared to other Israeli hotels. The salad bar is nice but not enough fresh veggies, and only a few cheese and pastry options. Again, it was good and for most hotels would be fine. But when cheaper hotels can offer larger and tastier options, it's just a bit surprising, especially when you consider it's not even included in the cost of the stay.

There was a definite personal touch in much of what the hotel offered and there were a lot of "small" things that made things all the better (for example at the pool, as soon as we entered the area, an attendant immediately helped us find a place to sit which takes out that annoyance of searching for empty chairs near each other when holding a pool bag and a toddler). Stuff like that adds up to give you a "good" feeling of the hotel.

Parking by the hotel was fine but a little strange upon entering. Basically, once you're a guest, you can come and go as you please for free - just need to tap your key to enter the garage (parking is free). But upon check-in, you obviously don't yet have a key, so you press a button, but a guy came to sort of "interrogate" us about why we were coming. Granted the hotel shares a parking garage with the shopping mall and marina, so they want to ensure only guests utilize the garage. Not really complaining here at all. Was just a bit weird the way we had to enter - I kind of assumed they would ask my name and look me up to see if we were checking in. But they didn't, just asked a number of questions.

For Sabbath-observers, the plus side is that the room has an automatic "Shabbat mode." The problem is that it didn't work in our room (and at least in 1 other person's room), and the staff didn't really help much. Called the front desk and went down, and nothing. Complained after Shabbat had started, and someone turned on the a/c but nothing about the lights.

Regarding the final payment, a little annoyed that they charged me in USD only because I asked them to charge in ILS and used an Israeli credit card. They confirmed they would, but I see my CC statement in USD. Had I known it would be USD, I would've used a US CC (or Israeli card that doesn't charge a fee). Also weird that they charged me for breakfast and drinks by the pool but not for dinner (which was reserved through the concierge). I asked at the front desk and she said I was "probably already charged," but I don't see any charge.

All in all, definitely a nice stay and one of Israel's nicer hotels. If religious and looking for a nice hotel that is Sabbath-friendly, this is one. If looking for a full Shabbat atmosphere, not sure I'd recommend this over Jerusalem area hotels.

p.s. in each tower, there is 1 Shabbat elevator. The other 2 are regular.

yosithezet

Great review. The free parking is a big deal! The properties in Tel Aviv charge USD 20-25 / day.

Johnny Rocket

Anyone been here recently? Do you get breakfast as Titanium guest as part of the amenity or not?