Hotel Montefiore: Enjoying Tel Aviv under the threat of war - review

The first thing that Adam – the assistant manager who took us to our room at the Montefiore boutique hotel in Tel Aviv – did upon our arrival was to point out where the bomb shelters were. The hotel itself didn’t have one, but there was one in the office building just across the street and another a block and a half away. Such are the times we live in, where something as simple as reviewing a hotel can mean risking your life. 

Adam’s timing was, unfortunately, impeccable. As we relaxed on our foliage-encrusted balcony sipping herbal tea, we heard the sound of the Iron Dome in the distance. No siren went off and there was no panic on the street. Still, the news that morning was full of rumors that Iran would launch its long-awaited attack the same night. (Spoiler alert: It didn’t.) 

We wondered whether we should cancel and reschedule our stay but decided on vacationing during the new normal of a Middle East at war. 

My wife Jody and I had come to review this 12-room property, situated just a couple blocks off bustling Rothschild Boulevard and close to trendy Nahalat Binyamin Street, which at night is transformed into a packed pedestrian outdoor eatery. It’s another 20-minute walk to the beach or the Neve Tzedek neighborhood with its designer clothing shops, art galleries, and cafes.

None of the guests in the Montefiore’s hip resto-bar, which mixes French and Asian cuisine, seemed too concerned about any looming attacks. Indeed, the restaurant has been a hipster mainstay for 17 years. The restaurant and hotel are both operated by the R2M group, a key player on Tel Aviv’s tourist and culinary scene, which also owns the R48 hotel on Rothschild (reviewed here) and other eateries, including Coffeebar Express and Herzl 16.

The hotel itself feels almost like an afterthought to the dining extravaganza on the ground floor – indeed, the check-in desk for the hotel and the restaurant are the same; a discreet black-doored elevator is the only clue that there’s more upstairs.

The restaurant is not kosher and, while that normally wouldn’t take it off our list, there were just a few too many dishes made with calamari, shrimp, mussels, and pork to suit our tastes. We opted for Nini Hatchi, a well-known and highly-rated kosher sushi place a 20-minute bus ride away. 

WE DID partake of the Montefiore’s sumptuous breakfast (served fashionably late from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.). Unlike many Israeli hotels, this was not a buffet but a la carte and served at our table. Our lovely server, Adva, was attentive and brought my wife not one but three cups of excellent cappuccino. 

For me, she offered a treat: a stack of pancakes (“the best in the city,” Adva assured me; she was right) following the lavish plate of poached egg, breads, spreads, salad, and pastries I had already ordered. Neither Adva nor any of the Montefiore staff knew that we were reviewing the hotel, which made the above-and-beyond service genuine.

When we arrived, Adam had suggested that we order breakfast in our room at no extra charge, but we wanted to be in the center of the action downstairs.

The three-story salmon-colored building housing the Montefiore was built in 1924 in the earlier Eclectic  Style of architecture, just prior to the more no-nonsense Bauhaus design sweeping Tel Aviv and giving it the moniker “The White City.” 

We stayed in a 25-sq. m. corner room with a balcony and wrap-around windows. Adam explained that the rooms are regularly refurbished, and ours appeared freshly so, with a king-sized bed, waterfall shower, teas and chocolate treats, a fancy coffee machine, and a big-screen TV. 

A wall of multilingual classic books extends behind and above the TV, going all the way to the top of the high ceiling, making it more of a cool design touch than a truly useful feature. (I did reach a Dune book I hadn’t read before by climbing on a chair!) The room also has some lovely artwork by contemporary Israeli artists, dark hardwood flooring, and black marble floors in the bathroom.

The Montefiore has no rooftop pool and no gym or sauna – although there is free valet parking for guests (worth a couple of hundred shekels that would have been spent at a Tel Aviv public parking lot).

First boutique hotel to open in the city

The first boutique hotel to open in the city, the Montefiore is located on a quiet street, just far enough away from the construction of the purple line of the Tel Aviv light rail on Allenby Street; although not quite far enough from the hubbub emanating from guests of the restaurant with outdoor seating located directly below our room. 

Another quirky downside: The door to the bathroom has a window in it – emulating perhaps that typical 1950s-era Tel Aviv apartment feature – but the windows in the bathroom itself have no blackout curtains, so light streams in as morning comes. (Pro traveler tip: Bring a sleep mask.)

The Montefiore is ideally located and tastefully designed. Prices range from NIS 1,500-2,000 depending on the room and whether you’re booking for a weekday or weekend. Israeli citizens must add VAT on top of that. If you do eat in the restaurant, expect to pay upwards of NIS 600 for a couple, including wine or cocktails from the bar.

And if you do get to experience the spectacle of missiles during your stay, there’s no extra charge for the bonus fireworks.

The writer was a guest of the hotel.