I'm planning my first ever trip to Israel later this year. At the moment we have flights booked from Thursday - Monday in September, LHR - TLV. We are a party of 8 adults.

I wouldn't normally starting looking at accommodation so soon but in this case I have some spare time, combine that with the size of the party and my limited (read: non-existent) knowledge of Tel Aviv.

The aim of this trip is to relax, explore and soak up the atmosphere. The plan is to base in Tel Aviv and take a day trip to Jerusalem. Does all this sound viable so far?

My questions are;
1) What do you think is the best way to accommodate 8 adults in TLV? I've made a rudimentary hotel search but is it possible to rent an apartment for the weekend?
2) Also how is the public transport in and around TLV. Will we be able to travel around easily as a party of 8, or should we be thinking about renting a couple of cars?

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated, many thanks.