Отдых в Израиле приятно удивил Holidays in Israel pleasantly surprised

Going to Israel, I did not think that I would be pleasantly surprised. This is civilization and comfortable rest in every respect. We purchased an individual tour, because we set off during the Easter week and were afraid of the accumulation of pilgrims on our way. Our tour went like this. We flew there in a half-empty plane! On the first day we flew to Tel Aviv, the heat was 40 degrees, but everywhere - air conditioners, we were placed in a small hotel of a below average level ("Harmon on Yarkon"), the breakfasts were disgusting, but it's very good that it was a transit point before Eilat. We walked along the embankment, we had a short tour of the city, swam in the Mediterranean Sea (at the end of April they already start swimming there). Then we had a flight to Eilat, the bad thing is that they are very meticulously interrogated at customs control, they ask questions, although it is much easier to check luggage and not play spies.
The advantages of an individual transfer is that from the airport to the hotel you can find yourself in almost 5 minutes. Hotel "Ambassador" is removed from the center of Eilat, but is located in the area of ​ ​ coral reefs, this is where divers come. At the "Ambassador" there is a diving center (and they teach and you can rent equipment). The temperature was comfortable around the clock, sunbathing during active hours, it was possible to burn out on the beach, but at this time we moved to the hotel territory, where canopies of dry palm leaves with white sofas and air curtains were hidden in the palm trees (apparently from mosquitoes, which are on their way we have not seen anywhere). It was possible to change towels near the pool without restriction, towels could be taken to sunbeds on the beach, sunbeds everywhere and umbrellas for free. All rooms in the hotel were overlooking the indoor pool and the sea.
On the other side of the Red Sea one could see the lights of Jordan in the evening, and rocky relief in the morning. The rooms are excellent, everything is new, the room had everything you need - TV, hair dryer, safe (no extra charge), refrigerator, but there were no bathrobes. Upon arrival we were greeted with fruits and mineral water, a trifle, but nice. The hotel consisted of two combined buildings. Everything was conveniently arranged, inside - comfortable sofas, soft lights, special music - and modern and relaxing at the same time. In Israel, you need to drink water all the time, otherwise you will get a headache, so the water was at no extra charge. We had a tour with breakfast and dinner, all inclusive at the hotel was not. And what an excellent cuisine, though the first two days (the end of the Easter week) there were no buns and bread, but only matzo (like dried crisps), respectively, there was no sausage and pork during the entire period.

BUT everything else was in abundance - fresh tasty vegetables (regular, a lot of salads and cherry tomatoes), various marinades (and eggplant, and zucchini, and artichokes, and something incomprehensible marinated with beetroot juice, plum or something), various cheeses from hard to pasty, with dried fruits and nuts (not like we have here), for breakfast the chef fried eggs or scrambled eggs with toppings, salads were egg, with tuna, with pine nuts, and a chic dessert table (various mousses, pannacotes and all with original serving in small cups, glass goblets) and a dried fruit table with a variety of honey (with figs and others, but especially delicious with finger carrots). And what luxurious dinners - all morning abundance was replenished with beef tongue, beef roast beef or baked meat, sea fish with couscous (I never thought that couscous with vegetables is good for fish), grilled chicken - all low-fat, fresh.
Once we saw a man in the kitchen (similar in appearance to the orthodox) - who, as the guide told us, makes sure that the food is kosher, otherwise the local population will not visit such a hotel. In Cyprus and Crete, the cuisine was delicious, but here it is tasty and healthy, just fine. Drinks, except for water with lemon, were not included in the price. About the sea. The Red Sea, I was on it for the first time (did not want to go to Egypt). The sea was cool, as we were told, all because of the underwater currents and here it is constantly at such a temperature. There are no bays on the coast, so apparently the sea does not heat up much. The winds were blowing from the desert, it was always comfortable to lie on the beach, but I repeat, it’s better not to sit in the sun during active hours, because there were compatriots burned out without tears, you won’t look. Multi-colored fish floundered right at their feet. The entrance to the water through the deck, not the most comfortable.
If you want to go here with children, then the children must be 12 years old, in my opinion not younger (due to entry into the water and sea temperature). From our hotel there was a bus to the center of Eilat (free shuttle) every hour. There we walked along the excellent embankment, I recommend visiting the Three Monkeys bar - excellent live music (I didn’t remember which days, because when Shabbat is all the locals rest, they can’t work, and accordingly shops don’t work, bars are Friday evening to Saturday evening). But the cocktails in this bar are so-so, and the smaller they are, the better (for example, their branded one). There are many compatriots in the bar, but there are also many foreigners, French, Italians, etc. In general, the resort is modern, there are many middle-aged people aged 27-40, many with children. Hotels in the center are beautiful (Hilton, Radisson, Ryal, etc. ), calmly. Do not be surprised when they look at your bag at the entrance to the shopping complex, because.
they worry about security, so that there are no terrorist attacks.

We also went on an excursion to Jerusalem (we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher - take crosses with you - here you can dedicate them on a prayer stone, or you can buy them here; 33 more candles are sold here, they can also be lit from the fire in the temple, extinguished and in bring your home) and many other temples visited, at the Wailing Wall were - I also didn’t think it was such a prayerful place with cleansing energy (prepare notes in advance and don’t forget to wash your hands when you approach the wall - there are special bowls - our guides are not always they say how to be, because they want to save time). Another time we went to the Dead Sea - also beautiful - but it's better to go to the sea first, and then to the shops. The sea is so thick and warm, like in oil, lie in the sea with glasses, because the sun is strongly reflected and it’s better no longer than 10 minutes, but we were 2.2 times, we didn’t feel bad.
The sand was brought bright yellow, the entry into the sea is white, and the sea is light green ...buzz. There was a buffet lunch there - compared to our Ambassador, the third grade is not yet a marriage. The shops on the Dead Sea are expensive, very expensive, you can buy everything the same and cheaper (we did it) in Eilat, for example, AHAVA cosmetics and the brand is old and the quality is excellent. We also went to the 3D cinema in Eilat to see a film about the sea world - very cool, I have not seen this in St. Petersburg. We went to the water observatory (go in the morning, because everything is interesting in the morning) - and fish and corals, and sharks, and turtles. Excursions and entertainment, of course, cost us a pretty penny, but we were very pleased. On the way back, be prepared that all luggage and everyone is checked on departure from the country, and this procedure (especially for young people or girls) takes a lot of time, it’s better to score a bolt on it.
Moreover, the Ambassador is a 4 star hotel; and for those who are interested in shopping - this is the place where you can buy original gold pendants; cream (repeat); and clothes (shoes, watches) - especially on the way we came across this in duty-free. Israel - I highly recommend it to those who want to relax with civilization, who are used to the city, who do not like the wilderness and want to learn something new and try very high quality.