Gymnasia Isrotel, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel

The room was on the small side, as you’d expect in an urban hotel, but it was clean, well designed, and thoughtfully equipped. The breakfast arrangement with local cafés is a nice way to keep mornings varied. As a Titanium member, I was welcomed with a box of local chocolates and a voucher for two glasses of wine at the rooftop pool bar. The location is hard to beat, with the Carmel Market, Nahalat Binyamin’s bars and restaurants, artsy Florentin, and the beachfront all about 10 minutes away in different directions. I’m glad this boutique hotel is now part of the Marriott Bonvoy system. Highly reccomend.

We spent three weeks coming and going from the hotel, and the largest room worked fine even with all our luggage. Rooms are small, as is common in Tel Aviv, but clean and simple. It isn’t luxury, just right for its tier, and clean and new goes a long way. Housekeeping sometimes missed a towel or the tea we like, but the staff quickly fixed those things and went the extra step. Manager Omri was attentive and professional, and I appreciated that he was willing to talk and listen to a guest’s perspective. Shilo, the independent restaurant in the hotel, is impressive and worth the money. There’s also a rooftop bar and pool, plus a small gym with the basics. The hotel is walkable to Carmel Market, Neve Tzedek shops, restaurants, and bars. We’ve stayed in high end and budget hotels, air-b-nbs and other places, and I think we’ve found our go-to. It’s a practical place at a reasonable price, and I recommend it.

The staff were really friendly, and I liked having a balcony. The bed was comfortable, the hotel super clean, and the room had a huge sink and a great blow dryer. You don’t need to stay by the beach to be close to everything here. Walk outside and the restaurants and shops are about a minute away, including the chic, popular Shila right next door.

I wouldn’t recommend it for the price. The room was very noisy, and you could hear everyone outside the door. The sink is oddly placed in the room beside the bed instead of in the bathroom, something the room photos don’t show, which felt misleading. It’s sold as a B&B, but there’s no breakfast served at the hotel. You get a voucher for a nearby café that barely covers a basic snack, nowhere near the advertised continental breakfast. I raised these problems, but the staff offered neither a solution nor compensation. Very disappointing stay.