nologic

The plan would be to spend each night at the Sheraton Jerusalem.

grayland

I was there earlier this year and no lounge.
As a plat...they said the room was an upgrade. Nothing special, as a matter of fact it was below most normal rooms. The bellman also told us it was one of the better rooms. It was OK..but not an upgrade by most comparisons.

I arranged for an excellent guide of the old city at the desk. $100. USD as I remember and well worth it. An Israeli woman who had lived many years in the U.S. and returned to Israel.

lskohn

First, mazel tov!
Next, I second the comments about jet lag and timing. If you are coming from the US, the family is likely to collapse around mid-afternoon first day. (I don't, but my family hates me for it!) Sightseeing or bat mitzvah-arranging is going to be unproductive after that point, for most people.

I also second the recommendation of Yad l'kadshish (Lifeline for the Old)...but not for a first trip with so little time, UNLESS you would consider making it your daughter's charitable project for her bat mitzvah. I know many synagogues encourage their bnai mitzvah to undertake a project for charity, and this one does appear to be excellent. When we visited with a group, we toured the workshops and spoke with the artisans as they worked. At the time we visited, none we saw were "mentally challenged"; in fact the metal workers were mostly Russian former engineers and scientists, but all were elderly and dependent on the support of Yad l'kadshish for necessities. Even the mid-teens among us enjoyed it. In any case, their gift shop is a wonderful place to pick up reasonably-priced and lovely gifts (or table favors for a post-bat mitzvah celebration back home?!).

BUT otherwise, for a short first trip, you may want to stick to the highlights. The Old City, Masada, Ein Gedi and Old Jaffa would easily fill up your time.

Enjoy your trip!
PM me if you still need guide suggestions...

chardo

FYI- I responded before reading all of the posts, so i apologize for any repeat info.

You will have to rent a car to make it to to the Dead Sea. Its well over an hour away. If you can swing the kibbutz on day 5, you MUST hit Ein Gedi nature reserve. It is very close to where you will stop to swim in the Dead Sea. Allocate about 2 hours to make the hike to the waterfalls at the top (and swim under them of course). TRUST ME you won't regret it.

Also, assuming you will be making the stop @ the dead sea for a swim, be VERY VERY VERY careful of your valuables. Last time I was there (@ 3 Weeks Ago) someone broke into the lockers they provide and stole a couples' (not with us) rental car keys and cleaned out their car. Security seems pretty lax there (at the swim areas). Better to carry your valuables with you and leave at least one person on the beach to watch them.

Also, VERY worth checking out is the Davidson Center/Archeological park. Very informative and interesting. I would also HIGHLY reccomend checking out the City of David and making the walk along the water tunnel. If so you will want to bring at least one small flash light and watershoes. Trust me these things are amazing. Feel free to contact me if i can be of any help.

Also, FYI- We stayed @ the David Citadel and it was FANTASTIC, no info in the Sheraton, sorry.

budblab

We stayed at the Sheraton Jerusalem Plaza in August 2007. As SPG Gold we were not informed of a lounge. Not sure if our rooms were upgraded, but they were very nice. Location is excellent! You can easily fill up all of your time in Jerusalem alone. The Davidson Center and the Western Wall Tunnel tour were both highlights of our 2 week trip, as was a morning spent on an archealogical dig at Beit Guvrin, a short ride away. Visit tripadvisor.com for more itinerary suggestions, as there are some very helpful experienced mavens who frequent the site. Enjoy!

ctownflyer

I spent 3.5 weeks in Israel in August, including a 2 night and a 5 night stay in the Sheraton Jerusalem.

I used Starpoints for the entire trip.

For the first stay (2 nights) we received a non-renovated room and were told that the hotel was fully booked, so tough luck.

For the 2nd stay we got a renovated room which was much better than the first.

Their website mentioned a club at the time, but when a SPG Plat inquired about it they were told that it's been closed for a while...

I may be alone here, but I would tell you to spend some time and go north and specifically to the Golan Heights.

We had an incredible time there, and who knows how much longer there will be the opportunity to enjoy the Golan before Israel gives it to Syria in exchange for nothing.

There is so much to see in the Golan, the incredible hiking at the Yehudiya reserve, a beautiful lush waterfall called Banias, Nimrod's castle, Mt. Charmon, etc, etc.

All of this is easily reachable from the Sheraton Tiberias (SPG cat. 2)

In addition you have Safed and many other fun and ancient cities in the north.

stevens397

I LOVE it! Ten Jews, 30 opinions!

So I'll add mine - don't go north. Do it on your next trip. With one day taken up by the festivities, Jerusalem and Masada might be enough, tho you could substitute Tel Aviv and Old Jaffa for Masada.

nologic

But we do have a third day to go somewhere?

BTW, I just called the hotel. There is no Club Lounge, or plans for a Club Lounge (although they certainly should have a Club Lounge), so there reference on the hotel's home page at:

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sherat...FUtyOAodRDBq7w

which reads: "Sheraton Club Lounge: The Club Lounge, accessible to Sheraton Club guests, offers complimentary breakfast, evening hors d’oeuvres and a variety of beverages. It’s the perfect environment to meet with your team, connect with friends, or relax in front of a 42” Plasma HDTV" is obviuosly an error, which the front desk told me they would correct.

I take it that they provide Plats with breakfast coupons...this must be one of the few international Sheratons that doesn't have a Club Lounge. One would think the franchise agreement requires certain minimum standards, which would include a Club Lounge of a certain quality.

ac/elite

Not as of July 2006 they didn't. At least then, if your rate didn't include breakfast (including award nights), then you could pay a discounted rate for breakfast - $10-15 if I recall correctly.

ac/elite

The worshop for the mentally challenged is about a block away. You go out the front entrance and turn left. Walk for about half a block and then turn left again down a lane. The workshop is half a block down the lane on the left.

ctownflyer

$10 USD/person. There is a guard taking strict attendance!

budblab

We are only SPG Gold, and were not given breakfast with any award stays in Israel in Aug 2007. There are 2 grocery stores (one quite large) within a short walk, and there is a refrigerator in the room. The price for breakfast was $10 per person, and kids are the same price. Most of the stores and restaurants will be closed on Friday afternoon until Saturday at sundown.

nologic

I take it the restaurant is open for breakfast on Saturday morning?

Raindeer

The breakfast is completely gross. My wife was disgusted by the green eggs (wasn't aware that one could get green eggs outside a Dr. Seuss book.) I would not eat that breakfast if it was free. I would not eat that breakfast if you paid me!

Also, be forewarned, the hotel really shuts down on Shabbat, with the staff at barebones. You cannot even check in or out. They set all the elevators, save one, to automatically flow up and down the building.

And, rent a car the whole time. I rented a car a few years ago for ~$300/week, so when you consider that you'll save round-trip cab fare to/from the airport, it's nice to have the vehicle. Parking at the hotel is easy and inexpensive. It's easy driving around Israel, and Jerusalem isn't too bad (traffic is light on Shabbat!)

So, bring some power bars and skip the hotel breakfast. It's so gross!

--Sam I Am.

nologic

Sounds like 2 day old bagels from Boston and maybe something (smoked salmon) from Heathrow, and we'll be better off. Funny how some people think the breakfasts are pretty good and other have the opposite opinion.