Many of the Atlas chain hotels are designed around a theme. For instance, Tel Aviv’s Yam Hotel has a beach sports motif, while the Bezalel in Jerusalem is, of course, focused around art.
The only theme at its Melody Hotel on Hayarkon Street, across from the Hilton and Independence Park, is one of excellence.
Going to a hotel during these days of Omicron can be a daunting, and not necessarily happy experience. Many are on the verge of closing and those that have remained open are drastically down in their occupancy rate.
This could lead to disgruntled staff and a gloomy atmosphere. But upon arriving at the 55-room Melody on a weekday recently, it was business as usual. Complimentary wine was waiting for the fewer-than-usual guests, as was a Happy Hour offering of focaccia, veggies and warm and cold drinks.
If the staff were depressed they didn’t show it. The desk personnel and the breakfast team were cheerful, informative and efficient.
The décor of the hotel is warm in the common areas and in the well-designed rooms, which are equipped with everything you would need for an enjoyable stay – from an espresso machine, ample TV station selections, Wi-Fi and a mini-fridge stocked with complimentary soft drinks.
Our junior suite on the 7th floor – slightly bigger than the regular rooms, with a couch/living room boasted a marvelous view of the Mediterranean across the street. A staircase in the hall leads to the 8th-floor rooftop terrace, with an even more stunning panorama of the Tel Aviv skyline and the sea.
One upshot to the hotel’s relatively sparse occupancy due to Omicron was the availability of parking in the convenient hotel lot around the corner on Jabotinsky Street. Otherwise there are a number of lots available within a short walking distance at a reasonable overnight rate.
Once you park, you won’t have to take the car out again, as besides being located within walking distance of so many Tel Aviv attractions and nightspots, the hotel also offers free, well-maintained bicycles to enable guests to experience Tel Aviv the way it should be – on the street.
After spending an evening in whatever fashion you choose in Israel’s most lively city, there’s only one thing to do the next morning: enjoy a typically sumptuous Israeli hotel breakfast.
The Melody does not disappoint in that respect, with great fresh salads, breads, dips, smoked fish, two varieties of shakshuka and some of the best café hafuch around ready to revitalize you for the day ahead.
It was short but sweet, but the Tel Aviv experience continued for another couple hours after checkout with a visit to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the stunning retrospective exhibit of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.
All good things must end, though. But headed back to daily life in Jerusalem, the 24 hours in Tel Aviv remained in our heads like a fond melody.
The writer was a guest of the hotel.