MGallery Netanya and other news

Well, then. Another month has gone by, and it's been an interesting one. For one, we discovered the David Tower Hotel Netanya MGallery By Sofitel (yes, and we thought that the Elma Arts Luxury Complex Hotel was a bad name). This luxury hotel opened at the end of May and occupies six stories in the modernist David Tower. The hotel offers a spa with an indoor pool and Turkish hammam, a full service restaurant, and 75 guestrooms and suites outfitted with Nespresso machines and HDTVs. The hotel's decorators worked hard to create gorgeous interiors, including the warm, high ceiling-ed lobby with tall bookshelves, brass chandeliers, and elegant furnishings. In fitting with the MGallery brand, design is urban-heavy and perhaps less suited for a sleepy beach suburb, but it's beautiful nonetheless. Guestrooms are light and airy, with beige and crisp white bedding and highlights of pink and blush, but are a tad lacking in character to us. But surely, with walk out balconies and sea views, you won't be spending much time inside. We found rates $224 a night, which seems a bit high for the area.

In other news, a quick walk around Tel Aviv last month took us over to the Poli House Hotel, which seems to have finally opened this month. Our sneak peak inside revealed an interior that closely modeled the renderings, so we can't wait to see how the psychedelic wallpaper came out. It does seem a lot smaller than we thought, so expect really tiny rooms. That gorgeous rooftop pool does make up for it, though. Lastly, after a brief tour of The Norman, we spied a new hotel opening across the street. Atlas's Hotel 65, right on the corner of Rothschild Boulevard, is housed in a round, glassy tower that is sure to become a new landmark. A street level restaurant is sure to bring the crowds in too. Inside, the hotel is trying very hard to be cool, with vintage 70's style furniture pieces in vibrant colors paired together in the hip 8th floor lounge. Guestrooms feature lots of light from the floor to ceiling glass walls, which is a nice touch. While all the retro details are trendy, the hotel seems like it needs a bit of a personality. Of course, all that can be overlooked if the rates are tempting. We found prices starting at $200. We'll keep looking. Gosh, we're so picky!