The decor of The Jaffa turned me off too. Frankly, none of the bigger properties near the ocean are all that attractive to me, but then I'm not a beach person. For a truly lux property, may have to wait for the opening of the MO later this year.

I've actually found the boutique hotels better propositions in TLV. In a couple of weeks we are going to try out the new R48, followed by Ink. I was considering Montefiore, but the room I wanted wasn't available.

The Norman has been favored by many for many years. It has some very nice design elements, but the more entry-level rooms can be very small.

The Elkonin Tel Aviv has opened in the past few weeks, and it operates under the Accor umbrella.