Wine and Spirits Travel

I woke up in Jerusalem , surrounded by every comfort imaginable. Everything about The King David validated that it was one of the most luxurious hotels in the world. My room was beautiful, with attention to every detail, and the service was just impeccable.  Every time we turned around, someone was waiting, anticipating our every need. I had been thoroughly enjoying the Israeli breakfast buffets throughout my stay in the country, but The King David took it one step further. In addition to a magnificent display, they offered made to order omelets and eggs benedicts – with ingredients such as truffles and salmon. I chose a fresh vegetable filled omelet, and filled a plate at the buffet with cheese, fruit, and salmon, adding a small pastry and some halvah to satisfy my sweet tooth. Before I packed up to leave, I walked around the hotel a little to check it out.  I also ventured out to the courtyard and took note that it would be another pleasantly warm d

I had been in Israel for just about a week. There was a lot to see, but we had been given a pretty set schedule. Fortunately, my fellow writers and I were able to convince our tour guide to go off the plan a bit and it turned out to be our best day of exploring. I woke up at the Dan Accadia Hotel in Herzeliya to another sunny day. The scenery here was beautiful and even though I didn’t have time to fully enjoy it, I did walk around the property a bit, taking in the views of the pool and beach. After another delicious Israeli breakfast, we headed onto the bus and toward the desert. We were off to the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea . Despite the fact that it is extremely hot, and the drop below sea level had our ears popping, the distance of the sun kept the rays from burning as much as you’d expect. The drive took us through Jericho, though we only made one stop, for a pose with a camel that was much more likely to be a tourist attraction than a wor

It had been nearly 20 years since I had been to Israel and I was excited to have the opportunity to return with Israel Tourism . The trip was focused around the city of Tel Aviv , but it would also give me a chance to spend some time with family. Had to start the trip in New York, so left a day early to have dinner with my daughter. Mom met me in New York. Stayed overnight at Hampton Inn JFK to make sure we were both there long before our evening flight to Istanbul. Although American Airlines upgraded me on the way to New York, Mom and I were flying economy on Turkish Air. I had never flown them before and didn’t know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised with great service, food, and even entertainment on the plane. We slept for a couple of hours and woke up to breakfast at about 12:00 noon Turkey time. We had been delayed so there was a mad rush to get to the plane. I was extremely impressed with the way they handled getting Mom, who was in a wheelch