What a lovely place to spend a few days in the balmy heat of the summer! We flew with Easyjet from Stansted which was just fine, I had arranged a car to pick us up (which was a great luxury Mercedes mini-van!) and shortly later we arrived at our hotel, the fab Pulitzer hotel (part of the Starwood Luxury Collection). This hotel is relatively new, but still has a very interesting history. It is a collection of 25 restored 17th and 18th Century canal houses, all converted into a luxury hotel, offering a truly authentic Amsterdam feel. We couldn't wait to start to get a feel for the city and booked for the next day to take a ride on the hotels exclusive boat  ‘the Tourist’. This time capsule of polished brass and teak is not to be missed. You can enjoy a drink (additional cost) whilst you enjoy the same route as Sir Winston Churchill did back in 1946. 

I stayed at the Four Season New York  back in 2011, on our first Family holiday to the US, and this was our first stop. The hotel is very well located on 57th Street, just of Madison Avenue and is a stones-throw from the Central Park, the popular setting for so many classic American films. From the moment we arrived we knew we had made the right choice of where to stay, the grand lobby, and friendly staff made us feel at home right away. 

I am delighted to say I stayed at this fabulous hotel in April 2014, we checked into a deluxe suite, which offers 90 square meters of heaven! Our suite had a superb lounge area, a separate and highly comfortable bedroom, with a large full bathroom en-suite. The décor was very tasteful, creams and reds, giving a very solid and luxury feel but without being ostentatious in any way.
Food and drink is a delight, with the Le Bar du Bristol, offering delicious cocktails, all to your own choice, in just beautiful surroundings.  Restaurants are equally impressive, including the 1 Michelin star 114 Faubourg brasserie, the Le Jardine Francais, for breakfast, afternoon tea, pastries and light lunches and the three Michelin starred Epicure, an experience of which is a must.
But the experience does not end there! what about the Spa, a fabulous indoor heated pool and fitness centre, ideal to work of the calories! 
Outstandingly located a short walk from the Champs-Elysees, ideal for shopping and fine dining, this is a fine address to experience Paris.

We stayed in a Deluxe Old City view room, which was renovated.  View is amazing, especially at night, very high standard of decoration in the room.  The King David  is a very beautiful hotel especially in its public areas and oozes history from the early days of the State of Israel and before, in my view the most desirable address in Jerusalem.  The King David has large gardens and a very well kept pool area, which is a great place to end a busy day touring this amazing city.

This beautiful hotel is located on the edge of the Ramon Crater, an amazing natural phenomenon.  Beresheet is a very high standard hotel, each room is a type of chalet, ours was facing the crater (not all do) some also have a small plunge pool (ours didn’t!).  Food here is great, a very good standard,  some nights it is buffet style, and other nights semi-waiter service, the food was excellent and plentiful.   On our second night dinner we chose to be sat in a little ‘outdoor’ balcony part of the restaurant, which was delightfully quiet and made our last night very special.  On our main day in Mitzpeh Ramon we went on a private jeep tour, which was a 2 hour drive and walk in the crater. This was a really worthwhile tour, where we learnt a lot about the history of the crater, specifically about its creation and uniqueness.  The Beresheet has a lovely pool area, which is the main hub of the hotel, there are amazing bars overlooking the pool and crater, this is a must see place.

Haifa has been on my ‘to do’ list for some time, we wanted to visit a few local historic areas (Zichron Yaacov and Caesarea etc), and this was a good base to do this.  The Crown Plaza is in very central location making it ideal for a shorty stay in Haifa. 
A very convenient bus stops just a road from the main hotels (Dan Panorama, Dan Carmel and our hotel, the Crown Plaza that whizzes you directly to the popular main restaurant area, the German Colony ....(number 136 if you are interested!!!)   Whilst were in Haifa we visited the Bahia Gardens, this is a must see religious garden that meanders down the sheer cliff down to the downtown area of Haifa (this is where the German Colony is located and the bus stops here!) 
The Crown Plaza has outstanding staff, a great location and good rooms, and the Bay view room  view is amazing!

This was our second time to The Ritz-Carlton Herzlia, it is a lovely hotel – we had a deluxe marina view room, which was very comfortable, and very smart.  The service level in this hotel is very high, all staff are highly attentive, breakfast is lovely, the serving staff cannot do more to make you happy.  The pool area is lovely, a ROOFTOP affair very contained, with a bar a few steps away, a good size pool, and seating area.   .  For us we stayed by the pool in the morning and headed down to the beach in the afternoon… all you had to do was ask for a beach voucher at the concierge desk, then head down to the entrance (where you pick-up/drop-off your car if you use the valet service) and they will give you beach towels, water in a nice Ritz-Carlton beach bag.  You can use the voucher in exchange for two sun loungers or chairs and an umbrella without cost, although this is only at the ‘Mona Beach’ which is the first part of the beach you will arrive at, after a short walk (7 minutes).

This is a special ‘niche’ hotel located on Rothschild Boulevard , not far from Independence Hall.  This hotel is ideal for people who want to be a very central position for café and restaurant life in the trendy part of Tel Aviv .  The hotel offers a very personal level of service, that begins on check-in…  when you arrive you sit in the lounge (this is literally just like your lounge at home) they discuss your preferences, and then you will get your room keys to a very large eclectically furnished modern bedroom.  This hotel doesn’t currently have a pool, but I understand they are looking at a roof top one in the near future.  This hotel is great for young affluent guests, and also people who would appreciate its unique Backhaus location; it is great for people interested in the history of original Tel Aviv and its beautiful architecture.  I visited this hotel as part of an afternoon of view hotels in Tel Aviv and did not stay overnight.

The Norman is a beautiful hotel that is uber trendy with art and critical design all around and certainly a must stay hotel for wealthy young art inclined luxury travellers.  The Norman has rooms and suites to the highest standards, and like the Rothschild, is ideally located for a more ‘city life’ stay rather than beach holiday, and is surrounded by excellent local restaurants and trendy bars and cafes.       As with the Rothschild hotel I only visited this hotel as an agent (in other words I did not stay the night) but from my brief visit I can confidently say the Norman is unmatched in terms of style and luxury in its class in Tel Aviv, offering incredible architecture, elegance and service, the Norman is definitely worth considering for that special occasion in Israel.