Hi everyone,
I'm Alex I work in the Environment sector and regularly travel to Israel. I sometimes ...
Hi everyone,
I'm Alex I work in the Environment sector and regularly travel to Israel. I sometimes have some free time so I have joined Ciao as an outlet to some of my experiences about places and products. I hope you find my reviews useful.
Member since:07.01.2005
Reviews:3
I have visited Tel-Aviv on business on a number of occasions. Often I spend time at the Sheraton Moriah hotel due to preferential rates our company gets through the Israeli Export institute. I advise if you are travelling to Tel-Aviv on business that you make enquiries.
The currency in Israel is the New Israeli Shekel (NIS). The exchange rate at the time of writing this review is 8.2 NIS to £1. Take time to check the online currency exchange page www.xe.com for up to date rates.
The city of Tel-Aviv is located on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. The city has a great beach which is easily accessible and has a number of bars both on the beach and also set back. I advise that if you visit the city take time to watch the sun set over the Mediterranean in one of the many bars that fringe the sea front.
Many people in the city speak English and I do not find any major problems in being understood. Non-the less I have began to take lessons in Hebrew which greatly helps you understanding of the culture.
Personal Experience
I have been to Israel 4 times now, and spent approximately 3 months there. I love the city and find it friendly and ironically safe.
I say ironically as I have had two close brushes with suicide bombers. The first was in Mike's place in 2003. I had spent a night in the bar located on the sea front and next to the US embassy. I had imbibed far too much alcohol and I had neglected to pay for my last drink. This had played on my mind the next day and I decided to return the next night to settle my tab. For some reason I had a double take when I got to the door and something told me not to go in. As I walked round the corner and entered a neighbouring bar a heard a huge explosion, which I was later to find out was a British born suicide bomber killing a handful of people. This was a terrible experience and my sympathy goes out to the relatives of those who died.
I was also in Tel Aviv in 2005 and was close to the bomb at the Stage Nightclub. Strangely I was stood in exactly the same place where I was with my previous experience two years previously.
I advise caution when you visit Israel. I advise avoiding crowded places, and areas that are clearly targets for terrorists.
Mike's Place
Mike's Place is an excellent bar with friendly staff that help you feel welcome when you are far from home. Even after my experiences I know a number of people at Mike's Place and have returned many times since, considering myself a regular when I am in Tel-Aviv. The live blues nights are superb and the food selection is good with hefty portions. This is one of the few places you can find bacon in Tel-Aviv!
Eating Out
Eating out in Israel is a great experience. Due to the influx of immigrants from across the world the selection of food in Israel is astonishing. The quality of food is also superb and there is something for everyone. Standard fast food in Israel is falafel (a ball of fried chick peas) which is served in a small, hot pita bread with a selection of salads. Also on the menu is schwarma, a kebab that is a mixture of meat and fat served in a similar way to falafel. Personally I am not fond of schwarma.
Summary
I find Tel-Aviv a very pleasant city to work in. The Mediterranean climate and the sea is complimented by a vibrant friendly city life. Tel-Aviv can be a base for tourists to travel to the rest of the country, however I also recommend a few nights in the city itself.
Caution is advised in public places as the security situation is still unfortunately not ideal.
I am looking forward to my next visit to Tel Aviv in March 2006.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Ive just got back from Tel Aviv - had a great time. The people are very cool and found it pretty safe. I found ELAL to be a very decent airline too! Dan.
belfin 08.02.2006 18:18
Much better attempt - good to see you are taking advice on board as you go along. Belinda
Smiler_1980 08.02.2006 13:23
I fly on a mixture of flights, from El-Al, through to Swissair, Lufthansa. I could write a whole other article on the security arrangements on flights to and from Israel!
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: cheap - but I would rather pay a bit more and avoid all the hassle Disadvantages: contrasting communication, no customer service, bad at handling problems
go_elsewhere 28.05.2008 (28.05.2008)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Europcar
Feb 8th, 2006
very helpful by (29%):
helpful by (71%):
