Winter sun in Eilat

Advantages: An unusual place for winter sun, good water activities
Disadvantages: Guns on display and getting home.

...~UPDATED 19th July 2005~ This is a complete rewrite of my original opinion following several comments from Ciao members. Spelling mistakes and other errors have also been amended. Photos will be posted when I find the album. ~Summary~ Eilat was an unusual destination of me, a last minute deal in December 1999 to get away from the millennium fever that was gripping the England at that time. It was a strange holiday in that I had a good time diving and swimming in the sea, but I had some difficulty due to my current style of living and a few moments of misunderstandings between the locals and me. ~Introduction~ Eilat was built to secure Israel an access to the Red Sea and as such it is sandwiched on either side by Egypt and Jordan. The Hilton hotel in Taba on Egyptian land was originally built on Israeli soil, but handed over...

buzzard_cad 12.07.2005 · Read review
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Review of Eilat (Israel)

Eilat - a dream holiday

Advantages: Excellent diving and cheap CDs
Disadvantages: Eating out in restaurants is pretty expensive

...I had always imagined Israel to be a bit like the North African countries that I'd visited so I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived in Eilat. It is a very modern resort but it also has lots of little market stalls down by the beach promenade which gives a kind of seventies, hippy feel to it. It tends to attract a wide age group as well. My husband and I stayed at the Moon Valley Hotel near the centre of the town. Our main reason for going to Eilat was to dive in the Red Sea. We had surfed the internet prior to leaving to find ourselves a dive school and we decided that Lucky Divers seemed the friendliest and best value for money. The Red Sea is spectacular to dive in. As soon as you enter the water you are surrounded by fish. Near the end of our week's holiday we did a 'dolphin dive'. This consisted of diving in an enclosure...

rustifer 09.02.2001 · Read review
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Review of Eilat (Israel)

Eilat in its glory

Advantages: Warm, Differant, Lots to do...
Disadvantages: Too much to do in a week

...My daughter has lived in Eilat for many years, and I myself finally went out there last year, not sure what to expect. But I was pleasantly suprised... Eilat is a busy and young city, with so much to do in the day as well as the night. There are so differant types of hotels, from 5* deluxe to the clean 2 stars, from self catering to HB. From hotels that cater for children or hotels that dont allow children at all. Whatever you are looking for there is a hotel to suit you. Eilat has the northern beaches that most of the 5* hotels reside near. The beaches are clean, with lots of water sports on offer. But if you are into snorkling, you wont find it here. There is also a marina, with daily boat trips going to the border with Egypt (Taba). A trip of about 4 hours, or a longer cruise can be offer by going into Egypt and sailing to...

shirleyvalentine 12.02.2006 · Read review
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Review of Eilat (Israel)

A summer holiday all year round - Eilat

Advantages: Hot weather, water sports, and great hotels.
Disadvantages: All entertainment costs money!

...Eilat, is the glamourous holiday resort in Israel, situated next to the the desert, (similar to Las Vegas in that way)It is also next to the sea. Being Jewish, and with half my family living in Israel, I go to Jerusalem a lot, but i much prefer Eilat. Israel has a reputation, for having many orthodox jews and synagogues all over the place, but Eilat is quite the opposite. It attracts 90 thousand tourists a year, but not all are Jewish. This is for many reasons. A key factor of Eilats popularity, is that even in winter, the temperature rarely drops below 25 degrees, and is almost always sunny. In the summer, the temp, rarely drops below 35 degrees! Secondly, there are many hotels, all incredibly fancy, reasuringly expensive, and luxurious, ranging from 3 to 5 stars. There has been a lot of competetion to make the best hotels in Eilat...

zak-2 19.01.2001 · Read review
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Review of Eilat (Israel)

Outspan in Israel

Advantages: relaxing, friendly, clean, lots to do
Disadvantages: long flight, guns in view, airport politics

...We went to Eilat for our honeymoon in March 2006. I was 7 months pregnant at the time so knew I would be limited to do all activities, but this wouldn't stop my husband. I found booking the holiday hard as their are only a few operators that go to Israel, but it is getting easier to find them. I went through a travel agent to get some brouchers for pictures and ideas, and looked through the internet for more information. We eventually booked through a specialist Israel operator, and they were extreamely helpful. As we live in the East Midlands we had to travel to Luton to get a very early morning flight, as again, not that many airports fly to Israel yet. But it is getting more popular. The flight was fine, though the seats were typical airplane style... small, uncomfortable and cramped. The food was nice on the plane, but...

lynlewjustjay 18.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of Eilat (Israel)

Divers paradise

Advantages: see article
Disadvantages: see article

...Its many years since I’ve been to Eilat but I still have very fond memories of the modern Israel. I backpacked around Egypt and Israel and Eilat was my last port of call. As with all backpackers after three months of travelling I was broke, Eilat was a good place to find casual work. The thing that I loved about Eilat, which kept me there for quite some time, was the diving. I did my diving licence in the Red Sea, which was out of this world, its like diving in an aquarium. There I saw Rays, turtles and all shapes and sizes of aquatic life. Some of the fish come up to you for feeding and you can always tickle the clown fish when they try and suck your fingers. Within a matter of a week I was doing 40-meter dives and night dives that again is quite different as you see different fish in the evening. I stayed in a hostel called...

cicymru 05.01.2001 · Read review
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Review of Eilat (Israel)

Diving with dolphins (and so much more)

Advantages: sea, sun and more if affinities
Disadvantages: lack of culture

...I have lived in Israel for almost 3 years now and I plan to deliver my opinion each site which I visited. Eilat...priviledged destination of the fortunate French, the rich Americans... and the young people without a penny who will camp in a field. Around Eilat, it is the desert, a choking and splendid desert. From Eilat one can leave to go to Jordan and to visit this splendid site called Petra, and which is currently deserted by the tourists due to unfavourable geopolitical and economic situation. Now, Eilat itself. A few decades ago, Eilat was simply nothing; and from the desert and the sea was born this seaside resort without heart, whose main interest is that one does not fear there (or little) the dangers which make you tremble in Tel-Aviv or Jerusalem... In Eilat, you will feel hot, you will bathe, you will...

sheli 12.09.2005 · Read review
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Review of Eilat (Israel)

The Ultimate Guide to Israel by Deiz

Advantages: Diverse and fascinating
Disadvantages: Can be dangerous and very hot in the Summer

...proprietors and numerous beggars is none so endearing. However, this was more than balanced by the excellent tour offered by the hostels which involves hiking up Mount Masada to watch sunrise over the Dead Sea, a dip in the salty pond itself and various other activities including a visit to Jericho. Unmissable. After Jerusalem I headed south to Eilat, where I found work in 'The Underground Pub' as a cook, and took up residency in a local hostel. The work was hard and involved long hours but was certainly "character building" and definitely enjoyable in its own way. However, this was not the way I planned to spend the rest of my holiday and Eilat is by no means the most pleasant place to endure the Summer heat and attendant tourist trade. After Eilat, I found my way to Ein Hashelosha, a desert kibbutz which grows watermelons, potatoes and lemons...

Deiz 08.01.2001 (12.01.2001) · Read review
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Review of Gap Year in Israel & Palest. auton. territories

The Red Sea and beyond

Advantages: a wide variety of experiences on offer
Disadvantages: none

...belongs to Egypt and the opposite side to Saudi Arabia. Near the top of the gulf both Jordan and Israel border these coastal waters as well. The Environment The Gulf of Aqaba, and the countries that border it, has a difficult task on its hands. Most of the cities on the coast are vital ports, especially Eilat, which is the only Israeli port outside the Mediterranean, and Aqaba, which is the only port Jordan possesses. The balance between the shipping, which is a massive part of the economy, tourism and the environment, is always a difficult one to juggle. Many areas of the gulf are marine parks and nature reserves and this helps to control any activities such as diving, fishing and boating that takes place there. As the waters are so shallow and there are a large amount of coral reefs, it is important that these warm expanses of sea are...

steerpyke 22.01.2006 · Read review
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Review of Gulf of Aqaba, Egypt

Zealots, Romans and stubbed toes

Advantages: Hours of exploration if you like archaeology and Jewish history, good views over the Dead Sea
Disadvantages: A cynic will view it as a pile of rubble on a hill

...everyone. Ten men chosen by lots, killed the women and children, then the men and finally each other until only one man was left, he then climbed on to the walls and committed suicide in front of the Romans. Massada is now a symbol for Israeli and the phrase 'Massada will never fall again' is part of an oath taken by certain Israeli Defence Force units. ~Arriving in Massada~ I arrived from Eilat on a tour bus, we assembled at the bottom and took a cable car up to the top of hill and into Massada. There is a path to the top of the hill called the 'Snake Path', but even in January I didn't fancy going up that hill as it looked very steep, twisting and quite challenging. ~The Site~ The cable cars are on the western side of Massada and our guide took us around the edges of the city. The most impressive item for me was the ramp that...

buzzard_cad 13.07.2005 · Read review
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Review of Massada (Israel)