Herods Herzliya by the beach

The beach is really close, great for a morning run, a walk, or just relaxing. The atmosphere is friendly, the rooms are clean, and breakfast is great. They can check you in late at night and check you out early in the morning. Definitely somewhere I’d come back to.

There was a mix-up with booking.com, who get one star, but the team handled my feedback so well and even brought me a gift for the trouble. It really wasn’t necessary, but I appreciated it a lot. What an amazing hotel, with absolutely exceptional staff and service. I highly recommend it, and thanks to the wonderful team!

The suite was sold as “luxury,” but it felt neglected and more like a cheap roadside motel than a five-star hotel charging astronomical nightly rates. There was cracked plaster and unfinished patchwork on the walls, a partly detached bedroom doorframe, peeling shower silicone, a balcony light that didn’t work, paint stains on furniture, and rust on the sofa legs. In the middle of summer, the living room AC failed. The repair lasted only a few hours before it broke again, leaving my family, including small children, in unbearable heat. The lack of maintenance and the dismissive response to the visible damage made things miserable for us. When I showed the defects to the Guest Relations Manager, Etty, she called them “small things” or “not serious.” That was shocking and insulting for a place calling itself luxury. The billing was also a mess. We were charged much more than expected, and the final invoice had unclear items, including an “Up Sale” charge. I repeatedly tried to get clarification and a correction by email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and phone, but the hotel ignored me until I posted a public review. Etty said solutions had been offered: an upgrade for only the last night, which didn’t work for a family of five with eight suitcases, and a complimentary dinner, which was irrelevant since we already had family plans and the buffet was the same food served to everyone. She also said an email was sent on September 15, but it isn’t in any of my inboxes. And she acknowledged we had communicated by WhatsApp before, which contradicts her claim that email was the “only way” to reach me. We were ignored until I went public, and the hotel refused fair financial compensation. I’m asking for a full explanation of the unexplained charges, a corrected invoice, a refund of the overcharge, and suitable compensation for the conditions we endured. Until that happens, I can’t consider Herods Herzliya a true five-star hotel. Sincerely, Ofir Nagar

The location is gold, and the recently renovated rooms are tidy and clean. Service is excellent, and the food was surprisingly good.