The Vera is a boutique hotel chosen by TripAdvisor as the fifth-best hotel in the Middle East. It offers an exclusive personalized experience of Tel Aviv, with a rustic and modern touch of design that incorporates organic products made exclusively by homegrown artisans and wines from local Israeli wineries.
Through a very small entrance on Lilienblum Street, in a building that was once a 1950s office, I entered a refurbished and well-designed lobby, where a line of three people were waiting to check-in as well. Behind the receptionist’s desk there is a wall with brass tubes inspired by wind music instruments that reminded me of jazz music, which was also reflected in the decor of the bar.
As my turn came up, a very nice lady offered water, juice or wine on the house after I had waited a few minutes to be attended. Her name is Alexandra and she introduced each one of us to the hotel amenities and she personally took us to the elevator and showed us the way to our rooms.
Right in front of the elevator there is a wall decorated with a variety of sizes and colors of wooded drawers that appeared to be left from the 1950’s offices.
Even the four-floor staircase is a modern art installation with a poem from the German-American poet Charles Bukowski engraved onto the length of the whole railing that guided me upstairs, reading:
“My Dear,
Find what you love and let it kill you. Let it drain you of your all. Let it cling onto your back and weigh you down into eventual nothingness. Let it kill you and let it devour your remains. For all things will kill you, both slowly and fastly, but it’s much better to be killed by a lover.”
Next to the bar there is an unlimited beverage machine dispensing some 10 different Israeli wines that beckoned me to fill up my glass more than once. With a glass of wine in my hand, I enjoyed the view on the two-tier wooden rooftop deck, where plenty of sun loungers in the middle of beautiful green plants and colored flowers invite you to relax.
The only thing missing, I thought, was a jacuzzi or a small pool on the rooftop that I couldn’t help dreaming about in the balmy Tel Aviv weather.
The room has a minimalistic design, with a concrete floor and unpainted walls, while incorporating personalized, written messages in keeping with the hotel stationary. The green consciousness is reflected in organic bath products, adding to a luxurious shower experience which you can enjoy by yourself or with a companion in the big bathtub located in a bedroom corner. Ideally, it can be filled up with foam while you immerse yourself in the water while sipping a glass of wine.
A healthy buffet style breakfast was served in the lobby bar area, with some seasonal fruit and vegetables, salads, nut spreads, jams, natural juices, cheeses, granola, egg, smoked salmon, and many types of bread and pastries to begin a new day full of strength and good energy. Free coffee and cookies were available at all times in the lobby as well.
In case you want to relieve tensions, the hotel has a spa on the ground floor and offered some body treatments and massage with aromatherapy that it was a shame I could try because it was a really short stay and had other plans.
Neveh Tzedek, a picturesque and historic neighborhood of Tel Aviv, is next to the hotel, together with artisan shops and galleries. It’s also close to the famous Rothschild Boulevard and the hipster spot, Florentin, is a few blocks away with late-night bars, restaurants and clubs.
In my feminine eyes, the hotel has a masculine, classy design, conjuring up live jazz music, ties and pens, men clothing and cufflinks, and the atmosphere of a past era mixed with a natural environment – a health-conscious place with healthy products – perfect for my taste.
Whether you are by yourself, traveling for business, looking for complete relaxation or with your partner, I think this may be the best intimate urban oasis and exclusive experiences you can have in Tel Aviv. For more information visit http://theverahotel.com or call 972-3-7783800.■
The writer was a guest of the hotel.