ac/elite

Yes you can check in and out. It is just done discretely in a back office.

AND, while the breakfast at the Sheraton isn't as good as at the Inbal or David's Citadel, it isn't nearly as bad as Reindeer suggests. There are lots of good pastries, breads, flavored cream cheeses, cereals, fruit and other stuff. Definately worth $10 in my opinion.

chardo

Believe it or not, I'm all Goy!!!

LOL

nologic

But is the restaurant open for breakfast on Saturday mornings?

budblab

yes, it is open, but with only cold food served on Shabbat

The YMCA is about a 10 minute walk from there and has a lovely restaurant.

Raindeer

Try booking a weekend stay on SPG.com checking in on a Saturday, then try the same weekend checking in on a Friday (say you check out Monday either way.) With a Friday check-in, the hotel shows as available. With a Saturday check-in, it does not. So, maybe you CAN discretely check-in in a back office, but it becomes irrelevant if you can't book an arrival on that day.... I looked at a few weekends in January (17-20, for example), and this still held true.

With the breakfast, if you want carbs/sugar, then the breakfast is ok. If you want protein/fat, then the breakfast is disgusting. I'd take two day old salmon from LHR anyday over the sludge from the Sheraton....

Instead of "nearly as bad", I'd walk a few blocks and get a warm falafel on Ben Yehuda street. Now THAT is the Breakfast of Champions!

ctownflyer

I for one thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast.
There is such a huge selection of food that I can't imagine you couldn't please everyone.
This past August there were:
-Eggs made any way you like 'em with different veggies/cheese/spices (And I never saw these so called green eggs) They even made me egg whites upon request.
-10 or so hot dishes that change every day such as cheese blintzes/latkes/french toast.
-Excellent bagels/rolls/croissants with all kinds of spreads and salads.
-Great Israeli yogurts and lebens.
-Delicious cinnamon and chocolate rugeluch.
-Fresh squeezed OJ and Grapefruit juice.
And lots of stuff that I'm forgetting.

It's an excellent value for $10, and a quick and easy way to start any day and not be hungry for a long time.

budblab

[QUOTE=Raindeer;8738588]Try booking a weekend stay on SPG.com checking in on a Saturday, then try the same weekend checking in on a Friday (say you check out Monday either way.) With a Friday check-in, the hotel shows as available. With a Saturday check-in, it does not. So, maybe you CAN discretely check-in in a back office, but it becomes irrelevant if you can't book an arrival on that day.... I looked at a few weekends in January (17-20, for example), and this still held true.

When I had difficulty booking a Saturday arrival in Tel Aviv, Israel, I called Starwood and the CSR was able to contact the hotel and override the computer's block on Saturday arrivals. However, one of our rooms was not ready until after sundown.

rgm18

ive stayed there a bunch but not in the past 2 yes (now that its a cat 3). no lounge as far as i know. once got a great upgrade, but all other times, just regular room.

i suggest 2120 for a nice view of the old city.

nologic

How far a walk or a taxi ride is it from the Inbal Hotel? How much better is the Inbal?

rgm18

10-15 mins
never stayed at the inbal, sry

nologic

10 to 15 minutes walk or taxi?

ac/elite

The Inbal is around a 10 minute walk from the Sheraton. I've stayed there a few times. IMO it was a better hotel when it was under the Laromme banner, but at least some of the rooms have been recently remodled and are quite nice. The food is better than at the Sheraton.

BusTravDave

Mazol Tov on your Daughter's Bat Mitzvah! You will have an amazing time. Where are you going to have the Bat Mitzvah? Possibly on the Western Wall? I have two tour guides to recommend in case you still need someone.

My wife and I visited Israel in March, with our temple, and had an AMAZING time! We went with a group of 20 & 30 year olds. (we are 26)

Some of my suggestions:
I would definitely recommend you visiting Yad V'Shem, it is truly amazing.
I would skip the kibbutz.
Try to get to the Western Wall on Friday at Sundown. It is amazing seeing everyone gather to start Shabbat.
Try to have dinner at Chakra

The Dead Sea is fun, but I would recommend you research the beach you are going to. The day we went was a Palestinian holiday. Imagine a group of 200 Palestinian men, whose women do not take off their clothes to go in the sea, looking at a group of 20 American girls in Bikinis. But the good news is that there were no problems and we ended up talking with many of the men who were standing around. It took most of them 3 hours to get through border checkpoints just to come for 7 hours to the beach for the day.

Because we were with a group we had to stay at the Inbal, I really enjoyed the hotel and the food and service was amazing! There is a great shopping area near the inball, I believe it is the swiss area, but not positive. (I left the shopping up to my wife and her friends)

nologic

I'll stay at the Sheraton because of the points...but can it be really that bad for a Platinum in renovated rooms. The rooms sell for $300+/night (which is why it must have been increased from a Cat II to a Cat III), which isn't that different than the highest luxury hotels in Jerusalem.

craz

they get that $$$ simply due to their location & due to the fact that The King David and Davids Citadel charge more then they do.

The rooms arent large and the bathrooms are on the small size as well. The rooms are very nicely furnished in look. Thats about it for the Plaza, theres nothing else there.

As a Plat the best Up I ever got is to an Old City view with a small balcony, just about able to stand on it. So to me its nothing at all except a reg room. Most of the Suites and larger balconied rooms are all Privately owned and thusly they wont upgrade you into 1 even if the owners arent using them, although they are available for the Hotel to sell as a room for revenue..

So if your expectations are LOW you wont be disappointed, otherwise you are hereby Warned.