Wine and Spirits Travel

It had been a long, full trip to Israel which was finally coming to an end. I managed to pack a lot into my final day in Israel , which actually stretched on for nearly two days. I woke up at the Dan Hotel Tel Aviv and lingered over my final Israeli breakfast. I was going to miss the fruit, salmon, cheese, and of course, the halvah and cheesecake. I could resist taking a final photo of the beach before heading off to the Carmel Market. I had loved this market on my first day in Tel Aviv and wanted to go back to pick up some items before I left. The halvah was at the top of my list, but I also picked up some of the Middle Eastern spice combinations I knew would be delicious over rice. Soon after I returned to the hotel my cousin Marge joined me. She had brought my mother to Tel Aviv as we were both flying home very early the next morning. Mom decided to stay and get organized for the trip while Marge and I headed to Nini Hachi, a top sushi restaurant

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

Some days of travel are amazing and some are not. Then there are the ones which are a little of both. This was the case for my fifth day in Israel . The day certainly started out right as I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast from my balcony at the Dan Acadia Hotel in Herzeliya, a suburb of Tel Aviv. I was getting spoiled by these Israeli breakfasts, which were filled with fruit, cheese, and sweet treats. It looked to be another beautifully sunny day and I wished I had time to check out the pool and the beach, but I had to get ready to meet the group. We were heading for a tour of Old Jaffa. I had discovered my passport and glasses missing and thought they might have been left at the previous hotel so I asked our tour guide to have the bus make a stop at the Dan Hotel Tel Aviv. Unfortunately, despite the urging from my fellow journalists to stay, Carmela felt they were running late to get to the Jaffa tour and wouldn’t wait for me to check at the hotel. What

I was up early at the Dan Hotel Tel Aviv for another busy day on my press trip with Israel Tourism . After breakfast, I met with the rest of the journalists and our guide, Carmela, in the Executive Lounge at the hotel with our luggage.  We were heading to two more hotels in Israel before we would be back at this one. Since most of the group had arrived later than me, they were all heading to the Bauhaus area I had toured on my first day. I decided to check out some of the boutique shopping area around Sheinken Street in Tel Aviv with another journalist, Jo Piazza. We stopped first at a café for some coffee. As interesting as the pastries looked, we had just finished a big Israeli breakfast, which focused on the sweets. As we walked through the blocks we noted that they all looked simple and understated from the outside, despite the fact that most of the clothes and shoes were high-end. I window-shopped while Jo picked up and dress and then we

I was in Israel for the first time since I was a teenager on a press trip with Israel Tourism . Since we just ended up with a private guide with us since no one from the visitor’s bureau or public relations had joined us, and there were some mix ups in the schedule, we decided to fill in a bit of what each of us wanted to do for our stories. I woke up fairly early at the Dan Hotel Tel Aviv . I knew it would be a long day and I was ready to get started. Despite the fact that I had a full dinner the night before, I couldn’t wait for another Israeli breakfast.  I anticipated it would be as good as the Dan Panorama in Jerusalem , and I wasn’t disappointed. My sweet tooth was more than satisfied. It took a lot of self-control not to totally fill my plate with luscious desserts! I managed to collect my favorites into a fairly well-rounded plate of fruit, cheese, tomato, halvah, a cheese blintz, a small raspberry tart, and a sliver of my favorite breakfast