We picked this hotel for an overnight stay prior to our outbound flight from Ben Gurion airport. There are no airport hotels in Israel so it was necessary to stay in Tel Aviv even though our flight was at 5 am. We arrived at the hotel at 10:30 PM and were only able to stay for 3 hours since we needed to be back at the airport at 2:30 AM. The front desk staff were extremely helpful, checked us in quickly, set up a wake up call and called for a 2 am taxi for us.
The room was spacious (we had booked a minisuite since we were traveling with our two teenage children). The suite was clean and had a spacious kitchen area with a package of rolls, butter and jelly as well as an electric kettle and instant coffee. We appreciated these amenities when we woke up in the middle of the night.
I would definitely recommend the hotel for other travelers who might be in a similar situation as far as airport travel needs.

I stayed at the hotel for 5 nights based on the recommendation of a colleague who has used this hotel before. Here are some of my observations:

This is a small hotel, only 30 suites, so I barely saw another person during my entire stay. There never seemed to be anyone waiting at the front desk for service and I only saw one person ever using the free computer in the lobby lounge. Because of this, I felt that the front desk staff knew my name, personally greeted me when I returned for the day and asked me if I was going out long enough for them to service my room.

The suite was, more or less, what I expected. I was in room 102. The living room area had a sofabed, end table with lamp and phone, coffee table and two comfy chairs, plus a small 2 person dining table and two chairs. There was an ample closet and a set of bookshelves, which actually came in quite handy for organizing work related projects. There was a TV (I can't remember the last time I watched TV on a 13 inch screen) and it had a cable box which I was unable to operate. There was an iron and ironing board in the closet.

The kitchen area had a sink, under-the-counter refrigerator and toaster oven. The kitchen had a set of dishes but I didn't see a coffee maker.

The bedroom had a full size bed, and there was little room to move around. Another ample closet and a second small TV with cable box (which I WAS able to get working and was thankful for the fact that it had ESPN). The TV (again 13 inch) was on the dressing table, which some people might find inconvenient but I had no problem with. A really nice touch was that there were switches built into the headboard that controlled the room lights and the readling lights. There was a room safe in the bedroom closet. There was a telephone extension on the nightstand.

The bathroom appeared to have been renovated recently and had plenty of counter space. There was a built in hairdryer on the wall. The bathtub/shower was in good condition and offered plenty of water pressure but the controls were somewhat awkwardly mounted on the side, rather than at the end of the tub and I kept whacking my leg against it. The quality of the towels left something to be desired and (this is really petty) the toilet paper dispenser was in an unbelievably strange position.

The hotel offers free wireless internet access but seemed to be having some issues with keeping it up and running. They had a service call in to the phone company one day that I was there. When it was working it was great to have.

About the neighborhood: The hotel is almost directly across the street from the U.S. embassy. The Samit Park Plaza hotel is also across the street. In the same building there is a branch of Europcar Rent-a-car. The hotel is an easy walk to a number of fine restaurants and some of the bigger and better known hotels. There was a McDonald's and KFC on the beach side of the Park Plaza, neither of which I had reason to visit. The walk to the beach was, at most, 5 minutes. It was around a 15 minute,pleasant, walk to the Denzinoff Mall. There was a 24 hour mini-market just around 2 - 3 blocks away. I was also able to easily walk to the Carmel market.

Biggest Disappointments: The hotel's spa/jacuzzi is only open during the warmest summer months (apparently not in early May). The quality of towels. Size of TV.

Best Features: Friendly and helpful staff. Good business travel location but close enough to tourist stuff for the few hours of down-time. Quiet!

Other comments: While I wasn't there for pleasure, I could see how this hotel would be excellent for someone traveling with a child or two. The suite was big enough that there would be room for everyone without having to get a second room. The kids would appreciate the 2nd TV and having a fridge in the room. The hotel has a below ground parking lot and allowed a business contact to park there for free while we had a meeting.

Our stay in Tel Aviv with my sister enabled us to see 4 different suites. All have two small rooms. One is a bedroom with a radio, TV and bath. The other room is a small living room with a sofa bed, also with TV and bath. The rooms are very clean, apparently recently remodeled. All have one bath, some have 2 baths. All have a small or tiny, kithcenette with silverware, plates, bowls, microwave and toaster. 3 rooms had excellent air conditioning, 1 had adequate A/C. The housekeeping staff was very friendly. The front desk staff was usually friendly. It helped to be friendly and polite to them. The location is excellent, just across the street from the US embassy, and a short walk to the beach. It's also walkable to the Carmel Market and Dizengoff center if you're a good walker. If you're looking for the Israeli breakfast, you won't find it here. Walk 2 blocks to the "AM-PM" (I thought she said A&P!) and buy what you need for breakfast. They even have soy milk! There's also an internet cafe one block away. The view can be terrible from the rooms because the hotel is wedged between 50s styled Tel Aviv apartment boxes. Some rooms have a glimpse of the beach. If you don't need to be pampered, this hotel is a good value in a good location. It is not a full service luxury hotel.

From San Francisco I made reservations with Best Western Regency Suites at 80 Hayarkon. Not because I wanted a suite, but for location and price. I had a partial view of the sea from the bedroom, and a parking lot view from the living room. With the AARP membership paid $108 a night. Up to 4 people per rooms, one double bed in the bedroom, one pullout sofa in the living room. Children stay free with paying adults.

Of course the choice was not the cheapest, but really good, and I’d stay there again! And can recommend this hotel. It looks like being recently remodeled, very clean and neat.

While on the tour, I didn’t need to show neither passport nor the credit card upon check-in. In the hotel I was on my own, so a copy of both was taken for tax purposes, the foreigners don’t pay hotel taxes on anything charged to the room.

My friend with her husband stayed at Maxim, they are Israelis, stay there often, like the rooms, but the breakfast she described as “lousy”. I had the room only, no food, and once waiting for these friends to visit me, bought a breakfast at the BW for $6. OJ, coffee, toast, margarine, jams, rolls, cheese - not bad, but not Dan’s buffet either :) Margarine is the usual thing in Israel, can’t remember ever seeing butter.

The suite was not exactly as described on the website. For example, it took a while to figure out the “welcome gift”. In other hotels, when I left tips, I’d get something additional. In this hotel the maid left 2 bottles of shampoo the first night. After tipping, no shampoo. So I guess this is what they describe as the welcome gift.

2 TVs and 2 phones, and the living room TV I couldn’t figure out how to turn it on (big surprise for an electronically challenged person huh :) Both TVs are small, but plenty of channels in many languages. Instead of the promised coffee maker an electric teakettle. Instead of a microwave I had a toaster oven. The kitchen was fully equipped with glasses, plates, bowls, and cutlery for 4. Refrigerator, sink, counter space. It looks like the suites were designed for long-term stays.

I liked the way the housekeeping is done. It’s a small place where they know you by name and/or appearance, or they ask for your room number when you’re leaving. The front desk gets on the walkie-talkie telling the maid which room to clean while the guest is away. Neat, huh?

Great location by the sea, couple of steps down, all kinds of cafes and restaurants, AM-PM shops selling produce, souvenir shops, American embassy, post office, and public laundry - all within no more then 4 small blocks. No public phone in the hotel to use a phone card, but there are 2 within 1/2 block of the hotel. To call USA dial 012-1-xxx-xxxx.

faina22@hotmail.com