Many of my sweetest childhood memories took place at the top of the Carmel neighborhood in Haifa, where my grandfather lived. Sitting on his porch overlooking the port, hearing his stories of working in the port while it was being built and of his Arab friends and neighbors, the family holiday gatherings and long walks along the Panorama promenade all came back to me when we decided to take a short break and visit the Carmela boutique hotel, not far from where my grandfather’s home once stood.
The Carmella Hotel is located in a restored Templar building dating back to 1913. It is a unique phenomenon in Haifa;s sleepy Carmel neighborhood. Offering premium accommodation in a central yet very quiet spot, just next to the Gan Ha’em (Mother’s Garden) park and minutes from Haifa’s scenic walk along Yefeh Nof (Panorama) Street.
Guests can choose from a variety of rooms, enjoy a spa treatment and use the underground parking.
Besides very comfortable beds and beautiful furnishings, each room is different in size and features – some offering seating areas while others have views of the Mediterranean Sea (from afar) and others have a lovely porch. Guests are welcome to enjoy the lobby coffee machine and chocolates all day long. The rooms are all fully air-conditioned and feature flat-screen TVs as well as Nespresso coffee machines and kettles, hairdryers and more.
The charming Templar house was deserted and neglected for many years. Then in 2017, a couple of real-estate developers fell in love with it and turned it into a boutique hotel.
“The house was occupied by homeless people and stray cats, and it was filled with debris everywhere,” says owner Galit Mizrahi, who is currently running the hotel with her husband and partner, Yrmi.
“We are in real estate, so first we just liked the building and thought we could make something out of it. We never thought about a hotel, but as the work proceeded, we fell in love with the building and saw its amazing potential. We became involved in every little detail of the renovation and rebuilding, and after we decided to turn it into a hotel, we even went abroad to purchase the furniture,” says Mizrahi.
MARTINE SNEIDER was a German priest who headed the Carmel Mission. Most of the members of his group lived in the German Colony section of Haifa, however, he built this house in 1913 as his vacation retreat. Unlike the German Colony stone houses, his four-story house was built in the famous Templar style – with red tile roofs, a gable in the front, arches and front porches, all of which were carefully preserved by the developers.
Appealing to those who like the quiet and who care about details, as we do, Carmella is a perfect spot for those who wish to get away from the bustling city, yet be close enough to enjoy all it has to offer.
After settling in our very spacious room we poured ourselves two espressos from the room’s machine and sat on the porch to enjoy the quiet.
We decided to go for a short walk along Yefeh Nof Street, overlooking the Haifa Port, with the golden dome of the Baha’i temple to our left and all of Haifa’s downtown sprawled below. I believe that this is one of the most striking scenic walks of the Israeli coastline.
After getting back to our hotel, we went downstairs to the spa where we both had wonderfully relaxing massages by the hotel’s experienced masseuse, followed by a lovely cup of green tea in the small garden.
Then it was time for our much anticipated afternoon nap – which for me is something I can only get on vacations – and boy do I appreciate it! The beds, the linens, the bathroom and toiletries are all luxurious and pampering, as are the soft towels, and robes.
There is no working restaurant in the hotel at the moment. This is despite the fact that there is a fully equipped kitchen upstairs and a preparation kitchen below, a large dining area attached to the bar, as well as a very spacious porch (large enough to hold a wedding and other functions). Why? we wondered.
“There used to be a chef restaurant here and it was quite successful,” said Mizrahi. “But in order to keep it we had to accept outside patrons, and we felt that it inferred with our guests,” she said. We made a mental note that next time we will have a group visiting from abroad to remember this place as an option for a small event.
After a wonderful night’s sleep we had breakfast at one of many cafes located a very short stroll away on the main street of the Carmel, before reluctantly packing our bags to return to our home in Tel Aviv. Being tourists in our own country never felt so good.
For more details and reservations call Carmella Hotel at (04) 830-2040. The writer was a guest of the hotel.