Marriott Herzliya

Well it doesn't rain but it pours. There we were, excited about the Herods, when we stumbled upon a rendering of a Marriott hotel in Herzliya? After a brief moment in which we nearly had a heart attack thinking that the hotel was already open (note to self, do not google Marriott Herzliya), we realized that the property is still under construction. Here's what to expect: a four star, 160 room hotel (which is pretty small for Herzliya) and will be in the business district of Herzliya Pituach. So if there's any doubt of who the hotel is planning to attract: it's the business people. The company behind the hotel, ISSTA, promises that rates will be 30% lower than nearby hotels! We'll take it. We have to give ISSTA some credit here. Business people like reliability, and there aren't many more reliable brands than Marriott. Plus, it'll be a sister hotel to the Ritz Carlton down the road and to the Renaissance in Tel Aviv.

Herods Herzliya

It's been a long while since we heard of any progress on the Herods Herzliya. But an ad in the local paper pointed our attention to the fact that this hotel might just be open. And so, not too convinced, we flipped over to the Herods site and discovered that -lo and behold- opening day had finally come. The hotel has been open for about a month now, and we thought we'd check in on how things are faring on TripAdvisor. Here's the positive: "beautiful, spacious rooms" (some have sea facing balconies!), an "outstanding staff" and "excellent food" including the breakfast, which stands out "even by Israeli hotel standards." Yet travelers gripe over the "very small pool" which gets little sunlight, the small gym, and the location "far from the beach." If we didn't know any better, we'd say that this hotel is aiming for the business crowd more so than the leisure travelers. Here's our input: despite a utilitarian, bland exterior, we appreciate the location on the upscale marina (wave to the Ritz from your window!). We're almost reminded of the Hyatt Regency Sarasota, which faces the Ritz Carlton just opposite it on the marina. Yes, that was an invitation to Hyatt to open a hotel...please! We also appreciate the playful, modern touches inside the hotel, including a dramatic curving staircase and oversized lampshade lights in the dining room. However, these unique features are few and far between. Perhaps the hotel's designers thought that the business crowd wouldn't notice, anyway. Needless to say, the Ritz Carlton doesn't have much to fear. Even by looking at photographs, there is a clear distinction in the quality of the product. And the most important question? Rates: We found rates for $300 in the first week of May, compared to $450 at the Dan Accadia, $237 at the Daniel, $200 at the Benjamin (our fave hidden secret) and a whopping $625 at the Ritz Carlton. Yep. Forget all that we said. We're going to the Herods! Unless someone wants to sponsor our "research" at the Ritz. Anyone?