The Norman

Style

Belle of the Bauhaus

Setting

Ivory towers

The 1920s roar back to life in Bauhaus boutique stay the Norman Hotel. Barkeeps in bow-ties shake and shimmy behind its mirror-backed bar, decadence beckons in the impeccably furnished penthouse suites and a charming concierge can arrange a perfumer to craft you a signature scent or access to usually off-limits artists’ studios. It’s not all a blast from the past, though – a sleek sushi bar and skyscraper-surveying rooftop pool add a splash of contemporary cool.

Facilities

Chambres

Fifty, including 20 suites.

Checkout

Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

Plus de détails

Rates usually include a Med-influenced buffet breakfast and à la carte dishes; valet parking, a selection of home-made snacks and a 60-minute personal training session with in-house trainer, Sam Stiller.

Also

All the hotel’s public areas, excluding the pool deck, are wheelchair-accessible. One room and one suite, both by the elevator, have been adapted for guests with mobility issues.

Centre de fitness

Accès internet gratuit

Blanchisserie

Restaurant sur place

Service d’étage

Spa

At the Hotel

Garden, rooftop sundeck, spa and fitness room, concierge, study, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: flatscreen TV, iPod dock, minibar, Nespresso coffee machine, kettle and teas, beach bags and towels, and free bottled water.

Our Favourite Rooms

Bathrooms in the Grand Deluxe rooms have space for a full grooming arsenal and a bath tub deep enough for two to dive into. Corner Suite No 23 satisfies our inner eccentric diva, with a frou-frou feathered lamp, subtle shades of pink and hand mirrors hung haphazardly over the bed to admire yourself in. There’s even a circular balcony overlooking King Albert Square, if you’re expecting hordes of adoring fans.

Poolside

If the view of sleek towers and the sea beyond doesn’t make you gasp, this dazzling blue number – with infinity edges running into the sky – will. Escape Tel Aviv’s stifling heat and float above it all in the glitteringly tiled pool, then pop on some shades and recline on a white sunlounger on the deck, occasionally relaying drink orders to the helpful (and handsome) pool attendants. Changing rooms are on the third floor, and the pool closes at sunset.

Spa

Whether you want a heady blend of oils kneaded into your skin, a foot rub or just to indulge, the spa delivers. Bring Mr Smith for a his-and-hers treatment on a terrace high above the city. Alternatively, let those urbane vistas inspire you as you work out in the TechnoGym-equipped fitness room. The spa’s open daily from 10am–7pm and has direct access to the pool.

Packing Tips

Stow any Chanel wears in your suitcase (or steamer trunk) and brush up on your sushi etiquette (don’t dip directly into the soy sauce, use your chopsticks for sashimi, slurp your noodles…) to pay deference to Dinings top chefs.

Also

Ask for a cycling or jogging map if you want to experience Tel Aviv on the go. Adore your suite’s artwork? Most pieces are for sale, so you can recreate that ‘luxury Israeli hotel look back home – bonus points if you live in a Bauhaus original.

Enfants

There’s space to spare in suites and a poolside lifeguard (under-16s must be accompanied), but architectural cred and a way with sashimi will excite adults much more.

Galerie

Food & Drink

Top Table

Clock an eyeful of Tel Aviv’s after-dark panorama from Dinings’ alfresco terrace. Or watch the skillful chopping and filleting behind the sushi bar.

Code vestimentaire

Rock a hint of flapper or go full-fledged dapper.

Hotel Restaurant

The buzz around the mirrored bar at one end of the Norman Restaurant spills over into the dining room with uncrowded, white-clothed tables. The menu is informed by Niçoise cuisine, but there’s a multitude of Med influences. With the sea so close, fish is a speciality, but the 45-day-aged sirloin is a sumptuous substitute. Minimalist in style, Dinings has delicate, Izakaya-style Japanese tapas, and a bar for admiring the sushi chefs’ sleight-of-hand. Light(ish) lunches – brioche-sandwiched burgers, truffled cheese toasties – are served in the Library Bar, and breakfast is a full house of pancakes, fry-ups, muesli, herrings… Try the typical Israeli breakfast with labane (yoghurt), tomato salad and eggs for a healthy start to the day.

Hotel Bar

The Library Bar’s most-engrossing read is its cocktail menu – a ripping tome of classic libations and the ensuing revelry. Its vintage bar has art deco detailing, and huddles of leather armchairs make this an intimate spot, but if things get rowdier no-one’ll shush you. Guests get exclusive access to the Conservatory bar in the glass atrium connecting the two buildings, too. Bask in the late-afternoon sun on its terrace, which leads onto the citrus, rosemary and jasmine-scented garden.

Last Orders

The Norman Restaurant serves breakfast 7am–11am (till 3pm Friday and Saturday), lunch 12.30pm–3.30pm Sunday to Thursday, dinner 6pm–11.30pm Sunday to Saturday. The Library’s menu runs from noon–11.30pm. Lunch at Dinings from noon–3pm, Friday and Saturday.

Room Service

Breakfast in bed – or on your terrace from 7am–11am. Pastas, salads, seafood and charcuterie plates are available till 11pm, then a lighter night menu sates insomniacs till 3am.

Planes

Ben Gurion Airport is the closest, a 30-minute drive from the hotel. The concierge team will arrange for a car to whisk you to the door (€100 for a one-way trip; free for guests in Penthouses).

Automobiles

Patience quickly runs thin, and traffic jams are a frequent occurrence, but driving in Tel Aviv is do-able. Acquire a set of wheels at Ben Gurion then hit Route 1 to reach the hotel. Leave your motor with the valet when you arrive; parking is usually around US$20 for 24 hours, free for Smith guests.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Tel Aviv is a rare jack of all escapades, with a beachy outline, and art, food and fabulous shops within. The hotel’s concierge can map out the best bits for you. Start by wandering the White City’s curvilinear and cubed Bauhaus buildings, including an amble along tree-lined Rothschild Boulevard, home to Habima Theatre, Israel’s national playhouse. Also within walking distance are the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Batsheva Dance Company in the historic Neve Tzedek neighbourhood. To the north of the hotel, throughout the city centre and Mahane Rabine, lie grand museums: the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the historic miscellany of the Eretz Israel Museum. Learn more about the architectural ‘form follows function’ movement at the Bauhaus Centre, and swan through the cobbled streets of saffron-hued Jaffa Old Town. Or, rack up a credit-card bill nabbing one-off pieces from Hamashbir department store’s Fashion Designer’s Bazaar, hip homewares at Asufa Shop or all things that glitter at jewellers Agas & Tamar. The hotel’s ‘unique experiences’ certainly fulfil their promise, with trips to Zielinski & Rozen parfumerie to mix your own signature scent with owner Erez Rosen; a tour of local artists’ studios with their in-house curator Tamar Dresdner; or a sensory tour of Shuk Ha’Carmel market. The breakfast tour is a hearty feast, waltzing you through Israeli delicacies: squeezed on the spot juices, Druse pancakes, boureka pastries, home-made pickles, olives, nuts and max-strength coffee – it’s worth rising early for.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .