The ultra cool beach resort, as good as Miami but hipper and much closer to home

THE walls were slowly closing in as we carefully trod our way along the narrow tunnel, with lichen dripping from the walls and puddles under our feet.

Hunched under millennium old rock, we were heading to one of the most famous sites in the world, Jerusalem’s Western Wall, sometimes known as the Wailing Wall, but not on a path very well travelled by tourist or pilgrims.

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Instead my and hubby Alan’s unusual route took us underground along the dark and dank former water tunnels which linked the ancient City of David to the Temple Mount.

Our fabulous guide Shai said we should be thankful because at least we stayed relatively dry.

Pick Hezekiah’s Tunnel – also known as Siloam tunnel because it led to the Siloam pool, where Jesus cured the blind man – and you will be up to your bum in water. No thanks!

Shai had taken us on a tour of The City of David which is just downhill from the Dung Gate leading into the Old City of Jerusalem.

We’d headed to there for a day exploring during a five day stay in Tel Aviv, the Israeli beach resort right on the Med and the country’s party-central.

I can’t recommend a guide highly enough. We’d been to Jerusalem a few times before, but thanks to Shai we saw and learned a lot.

We saw the city from new vantage points, walked along part of the original road which Jesus would have taken during his visits here and took in some of the lesser visited churches.

There’s just so much to see in Jerusalem you’d need weeks to cover it all. the Church of the Holy Selpulchre is obviously the big pull for Christians and history buffs, as is the Via Dolorosa, the route Jesus took to be crucified, marked by the fourteen Stations of the Cross.

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Also a must see is the Church of Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem where Jesus was arrested before his crucifixion. 

Always get the inside knowledge, that’s my new motto. Shai showed us everything we wanted to see and even took us to one of the best Shawarma shops in the Old City.

Alan struggle to lift, far less eat, the monster spiced chicken and lamb filled wrap, while my falafels with hummus, salad and pitta was enough for two.

That’s the thing with Israel, you will never go hungry. The food is amazing and plentiful and in Tel Aviv you can find a place to eat to suit every budget, from street foods to high class restaurants.

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Now one of my fav dishes ever is Shakshuka – eggs cooked in a spicy tomato, onion and pepper sauce. and you can’t get better than that served up at Dr Shakshuka, regarded as the best in the biz when it comes to that dish.

It’s in the old city of Jaffa , a lovely stroll along the waterfront from Tel Aviv.

Walk off your dinner exploring this ancient port with its labyrinth of cobbled streets, ancient buildings, beautiful square and churches and pop into little local shops, pick up a bargain and have a natter with the friendly locals.

Then find a spot to watch the sun sink into the sea as the waves batter the rocks, grab a cold beer or delicious glass of Israeli wine and you’ll be in holiday heaven.

Keep with the food theme and head to the city’s famous Carmel Market, jam-packed with stalls heaving with local produce, veg, fruit, baclava, falafels and of course hummus, clothes and trinkets galore.

For a quick bite head to Hakosem, where they serve the best falafels with pittas and moreish hummus (probably my favourite dip of all time – can you tell?)

You can get virtually ever type of food imaginable in Tel Aviv. Pizza lovers should head to Cena at the Brown Theodor Hotel in the city.

It’s an outdoors/in restaurant, set courtyard style with open roof.
We shared a plate of Suppli Di Riso – fried arborio rice filled balls with mozzarella – and then a thin and crispy and very tasty classic tomato and cheese pizza, washed down with a couple of glasses of chilled Israeli rose.

In fact we needed those cold drinks as temperatures rose above 30C plus every day. And what better excuse to hit the beach than that. Tel Aviv has not one but 13 beaches stretching from one end of the huge city to the other.

We got a lounger and umbrella for a bargain £4 each on the lively Gordon’s Beach and soaked up the atmosphere along with the locals and tourist enjoying the sun, sea and sand.

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We’d booked two hotels for our trip and the first, the Debrah Brown was just two blocks back, so when the heat finally took its toll, we headed to our cosy 11th floor room for a cool down.

It was done in deep teals and greens and golds and has a neo-classical/art deco touch about it.

The hotel doesn’t have a pool but, like all Brown hotels, it does have a roof terrace with loungers, sunbeds, seats for relaxing and even hot tubs – which I’m sure were actually being used as cool tubs during our stay.

The hotel only opened in 2021 and is already, rightly, getting rave reviews.

Breakfast at the adjoining Dvora restaurant has to be seen to be believed.

We ordered an omelette (me) and toast (him) and along with it came the biggest mezze spread I’ve ever seen. Salads, baba ganoush, tuna, hummus (of course) cheese dips, yoghurt, beetroot, olives, tomatoes, breads, even desserts! All fresh as a daisy and delicious

Another day we decided to get out of the city and headed to the hills to see Nazareth, the birthday place of Jesus’ mum Mary.
It’s a two hour drive but absolutely worth it.

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The Church of Annunciation, build where the Virgin Mary is said to have been told by the archangel Gabriel that she was going to give birth to the son of God, is one of the biggest and most beautiful in the country. Inside it’s quiet, spiritual and comforting.

The woman from the local tourist office took us on a quick tour to Mary’s Well and the Greek Orthodox Annunciation Church.

It’s was an easy journey from there to the Sea of Galilee where Jesus and his disciples fished, Tiberias and Capernaum and other biblical sites, including the River Jordan, where Jesus was baptised.

GO: TEL AVIV

GETTING THERE: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, EasyJet and El Al have daily departures to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport from the UK. See skyscanner.net for best fares. Book parking and the Lomond Lounge at Glasgow airport on glasgowairport.com
STAYING THERE: Rooms at the Debrah Brown hotel start from approx £147 a night, B&B. See brownhotels.com/debrah and rooms at the 4* Vera Hotel are from approc £151 a night, B&B. See theverahotel.com
MORE INFO: Book tours with Shai at toursbylocals.com/ShaiJerusalemGuide and for more information on Israel, visit goisrael.com

A couple of nights later we moved to the boutique and achingly cool Vera Hotel in Lilenblum St, near the city’s Neve Tzedek neighbourhoods with its lovely shops and galleries and bustling Allenby Street packed with places to eat and drink and just wander.

It’s also close to the city’s Rothschild area, a must for Bauhaus architecture fans where you’ll see architecture similar to that in glitzy Miami.

You could spend hours just looking at the gorgeous buildings constructed by German/Jewish immigrants in the 1920s-40s.

Inside the Vera is cool and contemporary, the rooms industrial but at a the same time very comfortable and the staff amazingly welcoming and always on hand to help with anything. Absolutely anything. Nothing it seems is too much trouble for them.

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And just to add to that hospitality, there’s free, yes free, local Israeli wines on offer 24 hours a day. We loved the rose and the red. There’s also complimentary coffee, tea, water and snacks too. What a fabulous thing to do for guests.

The Vera also has a roof terrace and upper deck with sunbeds and although a bit further from the beach, a nice 15 minute stroll will take you down to the sandy shores, via Anita, one of the best ice cream shops in the city, if not the country. The pistachio is to die for, believe me.

We found a fabulous restaurant called Benedict just a street or so away where we had breakfast for dinner! Yup this place only sells breakfast but in sooooooo many disguises.

There’s Shashuka and of course Eggs Benedict and everything from a full English to Greek and more in between. Highly recommend it, as did the mostly local patrons.

Another day of sightseeing, sunbathing and fine dining saw our quick visit come to a sad end.

But one thing’s for sure, the road to Israel is one we will both be treading again but we might avoid going underground this time.

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