After a few extremely intensive weeks, even more intensive than usual, I sat (not to say, crashed) on my chair in front of the computer’s screen which I left only a few hours earlier, at the previous night.
In a burst of decisiveness I rolled my eyes and thought, “I MUST take a vacation!”. Even before I returned my attention to the screen I heard a ‘ping’, an incoming mail.
“Fattal Hotels would like to invite you as a guest to one of their hotels of your choosing”
So, while I do get a lot of invitations to different places and events, which I usually politely decline on the grounds of interest and time, I really do believe that if I sent a request to the universe and it was answered so quickly, all I could and should do is to smile, thank the universe and be glad for the perfect timing.
With a little work, I was able to save a date for a twenty four hours escape from reality for my husband and me at ‘Herods Hotel Tel-Aviv’, a hotel branded as a concept-hotel designed after Tel Aviv of the 30’s, and is located right by the beach.
Especially charming are the black and white photographs that decorate the hotel and are printed on the elevators’ walls. Picturesque and diverse characters, fashionable and properly dressed, fill the boulevards and coffee shops, reminding us that Tel Aviv always was a city rich with culture and entertainment.
There is no doubt that today it’s “the most beautiful ugly city in the world” (and vice versa), but it doesn’t lack personal charm.
The many houses and apartments that I planned and designed in Tel Aviv over the years made me feel that although I never lived there, it none the less is “my city”, and that we have a deep and intimate relationship. That’s why this was a surprising experience for me, even though I come to Tel Aviv at least two-three times a week for both business and pleasure.
Drinking great wine with my husband on the balcony of the 18th floor’s suite even made the view of the rush hour traffic jam look pastoral.
A new point of view of the eastern skyscrapers’ skyline,
And the infinite horizon of the sea to the west brought peace and cleared my mind from the never ending to-do lists that usually fill it.
After an especially pleasant breakfast at the business lounge we went for a walk on the beach from the hotel to Jaffa. Watching tourists having a BBQ on a small wintery fire strengthed my conclusion that vacation is always here, you only have to make time for it!
It’s a fact; there are people sunbathing, swimming, fishing, sailing and dream all the way to the horizon, even when you are running from one meeting to another.
All you need to do is roll up your pants, take off your shoes, and feel the sand between your toes.
Because there is nothing better than a sunny winter day, with clear waters, no jellyfish and the right companion. There is enough sea for everyone.
Even through theoretically, there’s a weekend at the end of every week, we all have a weekend routine of shopping, cooking, hosting, enjoyable yet tiresome family events and a general feeling of exhaustion. This experience showed me that there is no need to drag on with the usual routine until the next “yearly vacation”. The secret is to live OFF BEAT, to cross the lines and awake the senses and to be a tourist even in your own city.
A big Thank you to Herods Hotel Tel-Aviv for the invitation and the generous treatment, it really was a great experience!
