Accomodation in Israel (1 Viewer)

[graeme782]

Myself and a mate will be going to Israel in the middle of March 2011. We'll begin by working our way south to Eilat, north to En Gedi, further north to Hula and then back to Tel Aviv. Whenever we go away, although we have a basic itinerary, we prefer to remain flexible in our plans and, as such, tend to search for accommodation at the end of the day as opposed to pre booking digs. Although this approach doesn't work everywhere, it worked very well in Morocco earlier this year.

I was hoping that readers of this post might be able to confirm whether this is possible in Israel and to help us with some recommendations for cheap places to stay near the four places i've mentioned. Nothing fancy is required, a bed being the main priority and maybe an evening meal.

Any info would be very helpful and gratefully received. B

Graeme

 

[Parker]

Hi Graeme,

Can't help except for Eilat, there are loads of hostels, some I'd avoid but i can't remember there names. A very good one is the Beit Arava hostel which is reasonably priced & well run, I've stayed there on 3 trips & have been very happy with it.
I don't know your budget but if you need to be carefull with money I'd stay away from the Kibbutz's they can be pretty pricey.

Have a good trip, cheers.

 

[graeme782]

Hi Neil.

Thanks for the info, sounds like the hostel would fit the bill nicely, i'll give them a try.

We quite fancied staying in a kibbutz and made inquiries with one re the pricing. You were certainly right on that score!!

Regards

Hi Graeme,

Can't help except for Eilat, there are loads of hostels, some I'd avoid but i can't remember there names. A very good one is the Beit Arava hostel which is reasonably priced & well run, I've stayed there on 3 trips & have been very happy with it.
I don't know your budget but if you need to be carefull with money I'd stay away from the Kibbutz's they can be pretty pricey.

Have a good trip, cheers.

 

[dantheman]

Funnily enough I'm just starting out on looking into this myself, as I am hoping to visit the region myself this spring.

This link may be useful, although not sure yet how the hostel locations tie in with birding locations.

http://www.hostels-israel.com/

Guess you've seen similar, and checking out trip reports etc on 'travelling birder' website??

There are campsites, and 'wild camping' is also perfectly acceptable in israel I believe (although of course some care should be taken ... )

Cheers, Dan

 

[graeme782]

Thanks for the info Dan. The website looks like a very useful place to start.

Funnily enough I'm just starting out on looking into this myself, as I am hoping to visit the region myself this spring.

This link may be useful, although not sure yet how the hostel locations tie in with birding locations.

http://www.hostels-israel.com/

Guess you've seen similar, and checking out trip reports etc on 'travelling birder' website??

There are campsites, and 'wild camping' is also perfectly acceptable in israel I believe (although of course some care should be taken ... )

Cheers, Dan

 

[birdboybowley]

Yep, we're trawling thru it too. We'll be there 18th-27th March so might meet some of you out there!

 

[Bubbs]

You guys are in for a treat and we look forward to a trip report....or two

The sight of thousands of early morning raptors and storks moving north through the mountains will stay with you forever :t:

John.

 

[John Morgan]

If you rent a medium sized car for your trip, one that has fully reclinable seats, then airbeds and sleeping bags will provide you with paid up accomodation wherever you are. There seem to be no objections to this form of wild camping in Israel.

 

[birdboybowley]

I'm all for that John, unfortunately the old buggers I'm going with would bust a blood vessel....lightweights!

 

[graeme782]

We'll be there from the 19th to the 26th so our paths may well cross.

Yep, we're trawling thru it too. We'll be there 18th-27th March so might meet some of you out there!

 

[graeme782]

It does seem like a logical suggestion and i've done it for the odd night every now and then. However just the thought of spending seven nights in a car sends shivers down my spine and has me reaching for the ibuprofen. A hostel will do nicely.

If you rent a medium sized car for your trip, one that has fully reclinable seats, then airbeds and sleeping bags will provide you with paid up accomodation wherever you are. There seem to be no objections to this form of wild camping in Israel.

 

[Parker]

If you rent a medium sized car for your trip, one that has fully reclinable seats, then airbeds and sleeping bags will provide you with paid up accomodation wherever you are. There seem to be no objections to this form of wild camping in Israel.

This is what we did on our last trip & had no problems. Do you still do some ringing at Keffar Rupin John?

 

[dantheman]

This is what we did on our last trip & had no problems.

Yes, but what about the phrase below your username? ...
Guess it depends on factors like one's frame/height, the make and model of car concerned, whether there's more than 5 of you in the same vehicle etc etc ...

 

[Bubbs]

And when you get to the north and the Hula make sure you make the short ride up the hill, and opposite the reserve, to Ramot Naftali. This is where you will find great B & B's in the Moshav. There will be no need to pre book and I will send you a name or two nearer the time. You must also try to spend some time around the Dead Sea area where the raptor passage can be spectacular, as can some of the small reserves.

John.

 

[John Morgan]

Do you still do some ringing at Keffar Rupin John?

I haven't ringed there for about 4 years, but I'm going to go over there this winter at some point, so I might get out for a session with Kobi Merom while I'm there. But we're leaving Israel on 15th Mar (hope to ring a few Dendroica in US or Canada later )

 

[John Morgan]

It does seem like a logical suggestion and i've done it for the odd night every now and then. However just the thought of spending seven nights in a car sends shivers down my spine and has me reaching for the ibuprofen. A hostel will do nicely.

An air-bed is an absolute essential, as reclined car seats are useless for real sleep.

 

[carmelzit]

staying in Israel

Hello
In Eilat and Ein-Gedi there are hostels which are belonging to the Society for protection of nature in Israel-they should be quite cheap and have basic accomodations.
Another option is to sleep with a tant-camping on the north shore of Eilat.
Hope i helped a bit
carmel

 

[graeme782]

Every bit of info received is helpful. Thanks Carmel for your input and thank you also to everyone else who has responded so far. B

Hello
In Eilat and Ein-Gedi there are hostels which are belonging to the Society for protection of nature in Israel-they should be quite cheap and have basic accomodations.
Another option is to sleep with a tant-camping on the north shore of Eilat.
Hope i helped a bit
carmel

 

[carmelzit]

You are all welcome.
Please dont hesitate to ask me and i will be more than happy to give you any information if i could.
Best Regards

 

[nicklittlewood]

Hello
In Eilat and Ein-Gedi there are hostels which are belonging to the Society for protection of nature in Israel-they should be quite cheap and have basic accomodations.
Another option is to sleep with a tant-camping on the north shore of Eilat.
Hope i helped a bit
carmel

Myself and my other half stayed at the SPNI hostel at Ein Gedi in April and yes I can reccommend it - a very good setting. Wasn't cheap though (but I am a reknown skinflint) - can't remember exactly but something over £50 for the room though I belive this is nonetheless cheaper than the the Youth Hostel there and quite a bit cheaper than the kibbutz. The SPNI place also does food at a reasonable price. We also stayed at the SPNI place at Eilat but they have a campsite section there where we stayed so that was a lot cheaper than booking a room and obviously better facilities than camping at the north beach.

Cheers

Nick