Pastoral pleasures

The Pastoral Hotel and Spa in Kfar Blum offers not only relaxation but also numerous musical events.

By LEANNE MANSHARI
Pastoral Kfar Blum_311 (photo credit: courtesy)
Pastoral Kfar Blum_311
(photo credit: courtesy)
Besides being a luxurious five-star hotel, the Pastoral Hotel in the beautiful kibbutz of Kfar Blum now offers a spa, specializing in both physical and mental relaxation. Spa hotels provide a welcome respite where one can get away from it all and renew one’s energy and sense of well-being. One of the essential elements of relaxation is a tranquil environment.
This includes such features as spacious grounds with an abundance of flowers and trees, chirping birds and the soothing sound of water.
The Pastoral Hotel has a lot of this, as well as spectacular scenery.
But let’s start at the beginning. On a Thursday afternoon after quite a long drive up north, we arrived at Kfar Blum, located by the Jordan River. Situated in the Upper Galilee, the hotel offers views of its glory from every room.
The room includes a wellstocked coffee corner, a flatscreen TV with cable channels and a large bathroom. And an incredible scenic view from the veranda.
The Pastoral Spa, managed by the friendly Mor Goldenberg, offers beauty and health treatments.
The atmosphere is soothing and comfortable, there’s soft music playing, aromatic fragrances in the air, lit candles and a stand of herbal teas and fresh apples for the guests There are several kinds of treatments: European and Far Eastern massages, aromatherapy, etc. (NIS 330 to NIS 390), as well as Shirodhara, Thai massage and Shiatsu. We were pampered with a package called Two to Tango, a treatment for two that includes a Swedish massage and immersion in a Jacuzzi enriched with salt and aromatic oils – 50 minutes of sheer bliss (NIS 670 for 80 minutes). The spa also offers facilities that can be used freely throughout the day, such as Turkish baths, a Finnish wood sauna, a rain cave – which I highly recommend – and reflexology basins.
The main event that brought us to this delightful spa hotel was the musical weekend that the hotel has been hosting for the last nine years. Dovi Benari, CEO of the hotel, organizes 10 to 12 musical weekends a year.
These magical weekends include classical, Spanish, opera, Irish, British (Beatles) and many more. “The whole idea was to create something different. I wanted to reach the soul of my guests, to give them pure enjoyment and entertainment,” says Benari. He has been the CEO of the Pastoral Hotel for the past 18 years, starting it off as a small lodge and developing it into the delightful hotel it is today.
We were there for the opera weekend and were highly entertained by various scenes from famous operas. It was an extremely interesting experience and a lovely way to get to learn about opera.
The establishment boasts a fine dining room, where guests can enjoy rich breakfasts, offering a wide variety of dishes including fresh fruits, salads, bread, jams and homemade ravioli and pies. The gourmet restaurant also features an attractive evening menu. The meals were varied and truly scrumptious. My favorite dish was a mouth-watering roast duck in a delectable gravy.
Overall, the Pastoral Hotel is the perfect place to relax, indulge and rejuvenate.
The writer was a guest of the Pastoral Hotel.
(04) 683-6611, www.kfarblumhotel.co.il