Just returned from a family trip to Tel Aviv and had an urge to share this tip.
I found it quite a challenge to Google a credible looking and reasonably priced van service from the centre of Tel Aviv to the not so distant Ben Gurion Airport (TLV).
We traveled as a group of seven, including a child needing a booster seat, leaving for the airport at 2 am. I therefore did not feel like dealing with ordering regular taxis - we would have needed two, the child seat and large cars to fit our luggage. Their pricing, although heavily regulated, involves all sorts of separate charges (late night, luggage, number of passengers, child seat...). I could not find any sherut (shared van) service between Tel Aviv and the airport.
Upon a lot of searching I chanced upon a service called Satas. I phoned them at +972 3 532 7901. The person who answered spoke reasonably good English but transferred me on to Nadab, whose English was even better. He arranged a van for us (to fit seven but there were actually 11 seats) and quoted a rate of NIS 270 (about EUR 55 or USD 70 at exchange rates prevalent in October 2012).
I was actually incredulous and had him confirm it several times making sure there were no hidden extras. This rate was comparable to the ideal case scenario of two cabs not overcharging us.
Nadav emailed me a direct contact for the van driver. A nice large van showed up on time to pick us up in central Tel Aviv and drove us to the Ben Gurion Airport (serving both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as Israel's main international airport) in less than a half hour (of course this was in the middle of the night so with no traffic).
The helpful and patient driver asked for that NIS 270 (and earned a nice tip, too). Found this great and decided to blog about it to perhaps make this Tel Aviv airport shuttle service easier to find for those who need it. Please note the website actually quotes higher rate than what we were charged and they offer services all around Israel, not just to Tel Aviv.
Showing posts with label israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label israel. Show all posts
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Blue Bay Hotel in Netanya Blues
Three nights at the Blue Bay Hotel in Netanya, attending a friend's beach wedding. We chose the hotel at the friend's recommendation for convenience (a few minutes drive from where the weddding took place) rather than any impressive looking features or positive reviews.
The hotel actually has bearable architectural qualities, decorated with taste, or at least without any 'distaste'. The room we stayed in probably used to look good, like 6 years ago but it was well worn rather than in a state of disrepair. Unlike in many newer hotels, the shower worked, water fixtures worked, most lights worked.
We were annoyed with the narrow entrance space and overall the room was not well suited to having the extra bed added. Across the hall I got a peak of a room that seemed very different from ours - a hard-wood floor rather than our wall-to-wall hotel style carpet from a bygone era and more space - I would assume that's the 'superior' room.
We arrived in the dark and I was sceptical about sea view as much as to complain to the receptionist we were paying for it. He assured me all the rooms had seaview and his words turned out to be very accurate when we woke up next morning with perhaps the best view of the sea I've seen in a hotel.
On arrival I had to return to reception to mention the extra bed we had requested (and were paying a not so friendly extra amount for). It arrived carried by a man who pretended not to really speak English but he understood the request to bring an extra towel for the third guest.
Breakfast is a good Kosher breakfast. Depending on what those three words mean to you, you either know what I am talking about or it would simply take too long to explain. For connoisseurs, here is an overview: a sizable buffet with three or four warm dishes, cheeses, "salatim", some sweets, bread and three types of rolls. Coffee not to die for (or Israeli instant). Oh, and since the breakfast is milchig, no sausages or salami (but there is some fish). And the Kosher kids run amock bumping into your chair not only without apology but without as much as acknowledging your existence.
Kosher kids running amock were a recurring topic poolside but the cold water was a bigger problem.
The lobby bar service was far from impressive in terms of selection, attentiveness of staff, professionalism. But again, the decent Israeli service standards prevailed: with every order (even the misunderstood one) the linguistically challenged man brought us a bowl of pretzels and peanuts and dusted off our table. He even tried to prevent me from leaving him a tip at one point.
I would not call the staff friendly and we never had the impression anyone enjoyed serving us. A good word to describe most staff was smug (the reception staff), oblivious (wait staff), bored (security guard outside). The only friendly gestures came from the (I assume Ethiopian Israeli) cleaning staff.
But, like much of Israeli hospitality, the hotel turned out OK. Not great, not to rave about, with lots of annoying little details but OK to spend a few nights (although I would hesitate recommending it for a long vacation). The Scandinavian and Russian holy land bible trip groups seemed happy enough, as did the guests at multiple weddings and bar mitzvahs taking place.
We were annoyed with the narrow entrance space and overall the room was not well suited to having the extra bed added. Across the hall I got a peak of a room that seemed very different from ours - a hard-wood floor rather than our wall-to-wall hotel style carpet from a bygone era and more space - I would assume that's the 'superior' room.
We arrived in the dark and I was sceptical about sea view as much as to complain to the receptionist we were paying for it. He assured me all the rooms had seaview and his words turned out to be very accurate when we woke up next morning with perhaps the best view of the sea I've seen in a hotel.
On arrival I had to return to reception to mention the extra bed we had requested (and were paying a not so friendly extra amount for). It arrived carried by a man who pretended not to really speak English but he understood the request to bring an extra towel for the third guest.
Breakfast is a good Kosher breakfast. Depending on what those three words mean to you, you either know what I am talking about or it would simply take too long to explain. For connoisseurs, here is an overview: a sizable buffet with three or four warm dishes, cheeses, "salatim", some sweets, bread and three types of rolls. Coffee not to die for (or Israeli instant). Oh, and since the breakfast is milchig, no sausages or salami (but there is some fish). And the Kosher kids run amock bumping into your chair not only without apology but without as much as acknowledging your existence.
Kosher kids running amock were a recurring topic poolside but the cold water was a bigger problem.
The lobby bar service was far from impressive in terms of selection, attentiveness of staff, professionalism. But again, the decent Israeli service standards prevailed: with every order (even the misunderstood one) the linguistically challenged man brought us a bowl of pretzels and peanuts and dusted off our table. He even tried to prevent me from leaving him a tip at one point.
I would not call the staff friendly and we never had the impression anyone enjoyed serving us. A good word to describe most staff was smug (the reception staff), oblivious (wait staff), bored (security guard outside). The only friendly gestures came from the (I assume Ethiopian Israeli) cleaning staff.
But, like much of Israeli hospitality, the hotel turned out OK. Not great, not to rave about, with lots of annoying little details but OK to spend a few nights (although I would hesitate recommending it for a long vacation). The Scandinavian and Russian holy land bible trip groups seemed happy enough, as did the guests at multiple weddings and bar mitzvahs taking place.
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