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February Highlights

Consider this: the tomato juice question Ever wondered why tomato juice is only served onboard planes? In an experiment conducted in Germany they found that altitude modifies our juice taste good to us when we’re 30 thousand feet above ground. You’re more than welcome to put this theory to the test yourselves! tastebuds and makes tomato

New Opening / Tel Aviv’s first ever hotel Last month, MGallery inaugurated its new luxury hotel in Tel Aviv’s picturesque neighborhood of Neve Tzedek. The Elkonin Hotel stands on the foundations of what once was the White City’s first ever hotel, erected in 1913 by Malka and Menahem Elkonin. After years of thorough restauration (undertaken by architect Bar Orian), the hotel has finally opened its doors, offering 44 sleekly designed rooms in 13 different categories (including 2 luxury suites), scattered between two connecting structures, the old 3-story edifice, and a new 7-story one. The building hadn’t served as a hotel since the 1940’s and had stood empty since the 80’s, until it was bought by French investor Dominique Romano, who gave interior designer Adriana Shor full rein as the hotel’s creative director. The result is superbly Parisian in elegance and style, in part due to the

Photo: Sivan Askayo

hotel’s restaurant L’Époque, the first Joël Robuchon eatery in Israel. The menu is described as French with a Mediterranean twist and includes Joël Robuchon classics as well as typically French desserts. The Elkonin is also the first hotel in the country to have a spa managed by French luxury skincare brand Clarins. Prices start at NIS 1,800 a night for a standard room. The Elkonin Hotel, Lilienblum 9, Tel Aviv

Photo: Amit Geron

A new hotel is set to open on Mount Hermon The project to build a European-style ski resort on Mount Hermon is finally set to take off, after years of waiting for it to be greenlit. The resort hotel will be a 5-star establishment with 100 rooms, heated pools, and open views on the country’s highest mountain. If everything goes according to plan, the resort will open in 2028.

The Jaffa Hotel has been added to the prestigious list of the world’s best hotels Exclusive travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler has added The Jaffa Hotel to the 57 establishments included in its list of the world’s best hotels. Judges supported their choice by remarking that “the feel of ‘old meets new’ is present in every one of the hotel’s spaces”, and that “Jaffa is one of the most creative and vibrant places in Israel” (see p’ 24).

Israel expects 5 million tourists in 2023 In 2022, Israel welcomed a total of 2.6 million tourists. Though this figure is far-off from the 4.5 million of 2019, it remains an impressive number after two years of pandemic-induced lockdowns. According to Israel’s recently appointed Minister of Tourism Haim Katz, “breaking the 2019 record is a realistic goal”.

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ATMOSPHERE FEBRUARY 2023

Photos: PR, Mount Hermon mock-up by Dor Architecture and Urban Planning