You can’t get closer to the noisy, beating heart of Tel Aviv, yet still gaze down upon it from a tranquil 11 stories up.
The Port Tower, the Isrotel chain’s latest foray into the cosmopolitan metropolis, opened its doors earlier this year and has quickly become a favorite destination for both business travelers and local tourists.
Even if it was off the beaten track, the Port would be well worth the trip, but its location right around the bend from the Reading Power Station at the top of Hayarkon Street across from the Tel Aviv Port makes it irresistible.
Within a two-minute walk, you’re at the sea or moseying along the Tel Aviv Port. In the other direction, you’re quickly in the midst of the Yirmeyahu Street range of upscale restaurants and Dizengoff Street’s promenade of shops, bars and cafes.
“The location is one of our biggest attractions,” explained the hotel’s genial general manager Omri Paliti, describing the establishment with the pride of a father.
“Metzitzim Beach is a four-minute walk away, it’s only a seven-minute drive to the Rokach exit to the Ayalon, and for businesspeople, it’s close to Ramat Hahayal. It’s very easy to get in and out.”
But with its heated pool, gym and elegant restaurant, there might not be any reason to leave the Port Tower.
What are the rooms like?
Boasting 149 rooms and two suites, all designed in a sleek art deco manner, the hotel is a marvel of architecture, utilizing every centimeter of each room’s 17 square meters to every possible benefit without giving a sense of being cramped.
The beds are huge and comfortable, the showers spacious and many rooms have patios overlooking the sea. However, it would be a challenge to fit more than a couple in a room, so while children are allowed in the hotel, they would have to be young enough to sleep on the same bed with their parents.
According to Paliti, weekday clientele are primarily businesspeople and foreign tourists, with local Israeli guests arriving for weekend stays in Tel Aviv.
The evening menu at the lobby restaurant is limited, but delicious. Homemade mushroom tortellini (NIS 64) and filet of sea bass (NIS 68) were two of the delectable offerings in the kosher dairy establishment, along with an ample selection of original cocktails including the quenching El Diablo (NIS 52) with tequila, strawberries, lemon and ginger beer.
In the morning, the breakfast buffet is just as sumptuous. Although there are not made-to-order eggs dishes, there’s such an array of colorful, carefully prepared dishes, from shakshuka to homemade croissants and gravlax, that it will likely be the only meal you’ll need that day.
Valet parking is available for NIS 100 per day, but we found a 24-hour lot right across the street for NIS 80.
You get what you pay for
“Tel Aviv hotels are all full right now,” said Paliti. “But we’ll see this winter which are the strong ones. It’s not only a matter of how much you pay, some people prefer to pay a bit more and get better service and amenities. We’ve made a name for ourselves very quickly and we already have return guests.
“Everyone likes new hotels. It’s our responsibility to make sure they come back.”
With service, location, competitive prices and comfort like the Port Tower, they will be coming back.
The writer was a guest of the hotel.