Shabbos Hotel in Israel

amother

Mon, May 29 2023, 11:36 pm

Hello!

I am IYH planning a trip to EY with my daughter for her bas mitzvah. We are planing to spend the first few days in Jerusalem but I am not sure what to do for shabbos.. It seems very weird to be in a hotel! Are there other options?

Thank you!

amother

Bluebonnet

Mon, May 29 2023, 11:39 pm

First, many hotels are set up well for shabbos. The experience isn't that strange.
But if course, you can rent an Airbnb and buy food.

amother

Blonde

Mon, May 29 2023, 11:39 pm

Why is it weird to be in a hotel for shabbos? I’ve spent shabbosim in hotels all over the US; shabbos in hotel is israel is (to me) totally normal. Like being in a frum vertical
Neighborhood

amother

Mon, May 29 2023, 11:51 pm

I guess I think of shabbos as family time not hotel time lol! I have never not spent shabbos in a hotel in a long time... which hotel is recommended? I don't know much about the hotels in EY. Where is a good place to spend shabbos?

Last edited by amother on Mon, May 29 2023, 11:54 pm; edited 1 time in total

juggling

Mon, May 29 2023, 11:52 pm

Some hotels have a shabbos atmosphere. The Waldorf, for example, has a shul on premises. They serve a big (expensive, but nice) Friday night meal. Shabbos morning there is a table outside the shul with cake and juice. The big breakfast buffet isn't cleared until shul is finished, and they have grape juice and rolls, so that is your daytime shabbos seuda. Then, if you choose, there is a fleishig buffet later in the afternoon which can be your third meal. Or you can bring rolls and eat in your room. Havdalla is available in the lobby at the end of shabbos.

I have also been to kosher hotels in Israel where I needed to find my own kiddush and havdalla, and the meal schedule shabbos day didn't accommodate the shul schedule.

If you want a shabbos atmosphere in your hotel you do need to stay in the right hotel.

amother

Mon, May 29 2023, 11:54 pm

Thank you that is very helpful! My husband nixed the Waldorf unfortunately.. in a nice way Wink

anything a bit more budget friendly? I definitely would want a shabbos atmosphere.

amother

Lightpink

Tue, May 30 2023, 12:11 am

I was recently at the Prima Palace. I didn't eat any meals there (I have friends and relatives nearby) but it's very centrally located and the Shabbos atmosphere was very nice.

amother

Amber

Tue, May 30 2023, 12:13 am

I would highly recommend the Hotel Lavi in Tiveria for a Shabbos stay. The food was plentiful and fantastic, and there was a beautiful atmosphere on Shabbos, with multiple minyanim (Sephard, Ashkenaz, Chassidish). Don't know about the price....

juggling

Tue, May 30 2023, 12:35 am

amother Denim wrote:

What about going out of Jerusalem for shabbos?
kibbutz chofetz chaim, lavi and nir etzion are nice options

For a mother-daughter trip I think nothing can compare to shabbos in Jerusalem, davening at the kotel Friday night...

amother

Tue, May 30 2023, 12:41 am

Well we will being staying near the old city before this shabbos. I looked at the Lavi hotel and it looks so nice! I will show it to my daughter tomorrow Iyh.. I love the idea of having that experience on a kibbutz.

What’s the best way to get there? Seems silly to rent a car for it to be sitting at the hotel all shabbos no?

Tysm!!!

DrMom

Tue, May 30 2023, 12:43 am

Almost all kosher hotels in Jerusalem -- not just the pricey Waldorf-- are set up for Shabbat. Just pick one in your price range and in a location you like and with the hecsher you accept. They'll have Shabbat meals and kiddush wine and challah rolls and cake in the morning.

Almost every hotel will have a room set aside as a shul, ith a sefer Torah, etc., but also many hotel guests prefer to daven in the many neighborhood shuls throughout Jerusalem.

Last edited by DrMom on Tue, May 30 2023, 12:45 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Bluebonnet

Tue, May 30 2023, 12:44 am

amother OP wrote:

You will be in a nice hotel, not having a kibbutz experience. I know they used to offer guided tours of the kibbutz on shabbos afternoons, not sure if they still do that. It's a full shabbos program, with havdala in the lobby after shabbos.

If you're up for renting a car, it would be nice to go to Tzfat and Teveria as part of your trip.

juggling

Tue, May 30 2023, 12:50 am

DrMom wrote:

It wasn't very recent, but I've been to several kosher hotels in Jerusalem that did not have a shabbat atmosphere. I had to daven early to make it to breakfast before closing, had to ask for kiddush wine, had to ask (more than once) for havdalla supplies etc. And they might have had a shul, but not necessarily a minyan. It really depends on the hotel.

amother

Tue, May 30 2023, 1:07 am

Oo ok I thought it was a kibbutz ha oops! Ty for the clarification!!

amother Bluebonnet wrote:

juggling

Tue, May 30 2023, 1:25 am

amother OP wrote:

Oo ok I thought it was a kibbutz ha oops! Ty for the clarification!!

It's a nice hotel on a kibbutz. Beautiful grounds, much more rural than a city hotel.

dilego

Tue, May 30 2023, 2:32 am

Why not a hotel in teveriah a frum cgareidi hotel there you have aregular shabbes atmosphere and then you can have a walk around to the sea or just nearby ?.
Lavi is a good 20 minutes drive from teveriah
All the above mentioned hotels like chafetz chaim. Lavi. Nir etzion they are very shabbosdig.
In yerushalayim there is also the neviim boutique and the new yirmiyahu 33.
That are in town near all the from areas20- 40 minutes walk from the kosel approxamately
But really why bot a air bnb and take away and somewhere like tzfat or teveria.you can use public transport for those and local taxi.
Eretz yisrael is so beautiful ashame to miss out the mekomot hakedoshim in the north.

snooper86

Tue, May 30 2023, 2:44 am

About transportation you can definitely use buses and taxis if you don’t want to rent. Just make sure to have it all figured out beforehand.

amother

Wheat

Tue, May 30 2023, 2:58 am

amother OP wrote:

You don't want to waste time going by bus. It will take 3 hours (at least) by bus. rent a car. Lavi hotel is a lovely hotel. you are not staying in the Kibbutz area. (homes). It's nearby but you might not see the actual homes of the kibbutz.