After a full day of touring between Tel Aviv and Tiberias, my wife and I checked into the Ron Beach Hotel in Tiberias. Our first day of travel took us to Caesarea National Park, The Discalced Carmelite Monastery, Mount Precipice and The Church of the Annunciation. It was a full day, which made this bed a welcome sight for tired feet.
The sun was setting, slightly dimming our view of the Sea of Galilee, which run right up to the edge of the hotel property. Every room at this hotel has a view of Galilee overlooking a well manicured courtyard. The combination of palm trees and water gave the visit a tropical feel. A nice breeze was blowing, tempting us to leave the door to our porch open. But the bugs were attracted to the lights, so we opted to keep it closed.
The amenities at the hotel include a private beach, a small dock right outside the dining room where you can board a boat for an adventure on the Sea of Galilee (which we did the following morning), a 250-seat dining room (our breakfasts and dinners were included), bar, tropical garden, playground, basketball court, a very small fitness room (the machines were not in great condition), souvenir shop, laundry service, free wifi, free parking and mailing service. Mailing postcards is expensive. I believe the cost was two dollars per card. But there was not an additional fee charged for this service.
The hotel room was comfortable. The room was not immaculate, nor was it the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. But it offered some trade offs. First, the hotel is a bit off the beaten path, walking distance from downtown Tiberias, but not in the middle of everything. I sort of liked being apart from the city center. The view was unobstructed and the hotel was very quiet at night. And the walk into town was pleasant. We didn't use many of the amenities aside from the wifi, the docks and the dining room. The dining room was exceptional. The food selections were varied and the food was delicious. They constantly restocked the high quality food to ensure it was hot and fresh. The meals at this hotel were the best we had in Israel. And..the dining room offered exceptional views of the Sea.
This photo is from the hotel website (the rest are my own). This is just the salad bar.
Outside the dining room is a swimming pool (which was still closed during our visit) and the boat docks. The photo below shows the boat docks and the proximity to the hotel. We walked right outside after eating breakfast and boarded a boat to begin our second day of touring. It was fast and convenient. My next Israel post will delve further into the boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.
You may be able to tell from this photo that our room was on the third floor. The first floor rooms open up straight into the courtyard (with a small private patio). The hotel is long, as you can see in this photo. There are stairwells at intervals as you walk toward the lobby. So it is easy to walk downstairs and enter the courtyard to enjoy the scenery. If you have trouble with stairs, you can head down to the elevators, which take you to the lobby. I preferred to walk to breakfast across the courtyard. With all that beautiful scenery, it didn't make sense to walk in the hotel hallways.
The Ron Beach hotel is .4 miles from Tiberias. It is a waterfront property with meals included, which makes it a bit more expensive than some of the other hotels in the area. But it is not the most expensive, either. It finds a happy medium. The prices run around 200 dollars per night. Tiberias is a resort town, so prices go up during peak season, as well. A low-end hotel room in this area runs approximately one hundred dollars. The prices I am giving are off-season prices. I am not sure what the peak season prices are, but wanted to give a comparison on the pricing, which is likely to reflect similar differences regardless of the time of year.
The hotel has a website. www.ronbeachhotel.com
Stay tune for more Israel adventures.
These photos (aside from the salad bar photo) are my own. They may be used with permission.
A Christian Guide to Israel
Hotels
Cinema Hotel, Tel Aviv, Israel
Ron Beach Hotel, Tiberias, Israel
Prima Park Hotel, Jerusalem, Israel
Attractions
Caesarea National Park Caesarea, Israel
Mount Precipice Mount Kedimum, Israel
Sea of Galilee Boat Ride Tiberias, Israel
Yigal Alon Museum (Jesus Boat) Ginosar, Israel
Capernaum, Israel
St. Peter’s Restaurant
Caesarea Phillipi, Banias, Israel
Israeli 6-Day War Memorial
Jordan River Baptismal Site, Yardenit, Israel
Beit She’an National Park, Beit She’an, Israel
Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Israel
Garden Tomb, Jerusalem, Israel
Western Wall, Jerusalem, Israel
Western Wall Tunnels, Jerusalem, Israel
Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem, Israel
Bethlehem New Store Gift Shop
Pool of Bethesda, Jerusalem, Israel
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel
Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, Israel
House of Caiaphas the High Priest, Jerusalem, Israel
The Upper Room, Jerusalem, Israel
Tomb of King David, Jerusalem, Israel
Masada National Park, Masada, Israel
The Dead Sea, Masada, Israel
Churches
Discalced Carmelite Monastery Muhraqa, Israel
Basilica of the Annunciation Nazareth, Israel
St. Peter’s Church, Capernaum, Israel
Church of the Multiplication, Tabgha, Israel
Church of the Beatitudes, Tabgha, Israel
Church of All Nations, Jerusalem, Israel
Church of Saint Anne, Jerusalem, Israel
Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem, Israel
Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, Israel