T HAS BEEN our family’s custom to visit Israel by way of the great capitals of Europe. Flights from New York to Europe leave at night and arrive early morning, and connecting flights to Tel Aviv can be found in the late evening hours.

We sleep on our way to Europe — no airline meals and movies for us. We eat a hearty meal prior to boarding. On the Internet we arrange for a driver to meet us in Europe for a tour of the capital that we were traveling through.

A flight on Virgin Atlantic to London, connecting with El AL to Tel Aviv, provided us with an opportunity to see the major sights on a double decker tour bus of the Original London Tour Company. With a single ticket you can hop on and off as many times as you wish. It included a boat ride on the Thames River with a different vantage point of the city.

Having reserved in advance with Tamir-Rent-A-Car of Netanya, their agent was waiting for us when we arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in the early morning and helped transfer our luggage to a van.

We drove to sunny Eilat, and checked into Herods, one of the country’s finest and most luxurious hotels and spas. From the moment we stepped into our spacious rooms overlooking the majestic Red Sea, until the moment we left, royalty surrounded us. We felt truly pampered.

At the adjacent Vitalis Spa we indulged in a variety of massages by very capable therapists. The spa, pools and gym facilities were all quite well appointed. One really felt the serenity and tranquility when you enter this beautiful facility.

Herod’s playground in Eilat

An Israeli breakfast is always quite a feast, but at Herod’s it is much more. Freshly made cappuccino, brick oven pizza and fresh eggs any style were just some of the special touches that made breakfast at Herod’s unique.

As a member of the Starwood Club from Sheraton, with free access to the club lounge, we indulged in the many different drinks, fruits, and snacks that changed throughout the day. The children’s programs are also very special as well as the evening shows.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in a restaurant close to Herod’s called Denis Kingdom Fish Restaurants. The fish was fresh and the service excellent. Our waiter recommended grilled and oven baked whole Sea Breen fish. They were both excellent. It came with many different salads, French fries, and delicious breads.

Shopping in Eilat is duty free. The boardwalk was a lot of fun and the mall was quite busy. The Michal Negrin craze was in full swing in the mall. The shop was packed with shoppers making many purchases. Her jewelry is colorful and fun. The sales staff made sure you were happy with all your selections.

Lots of sales were going on in shops on the boardwalk and in the mall. Our experience in Eilat and especially at Herod’s cannot be beat. The days were glorious, the weather perfect and everyone in Herod’s made us all feel very special.

We drove our Tamir rental car back to the airport. The new airport is huge. There are so many new and exciting shops, we recommend getting there early. We did a little duty free shopping which is always one of the highlights of our trip.

We can’t wait for a return trip to Israel. Maybe we will get a chance to go to Eilat again!

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