Hey everyone! As promised, I’ve got the second installment in my travels to Israel last…March?! Seriously, these posts are super delayed, mostly because I’ve been a little in over my head with school ever since I got back from this trip. Better late than never, right? Tel Aviv, Israel was definitely one of my favorite cities that I have visited and was absolutely my favorite part of visiting Israel. There is so much culture, art, fashion, food, and life in this city, I really wish we would’ve had a whole week to explore, but we did manage to squeeze a lot into the few days we were there.
Where We Stayed
While in Tel Aviv, we stayed at Herod’s Hotel, which was right on the beach! It was seriously such a treat to get to wake up to the sounds of the waves everyday. I loved this hotel because it has such a quirky but chic vibe to it. Also, I have to mention they have free breakfast and it is the most insane breakfast buffet. Any hotel that gives a (good) free breakfast is a winner in my book!
The pool looked like…the deck of a steamboat? Honestly, I’m not sure what is happening here, but it reminded me of a Wes Anderson movie to be sure.
The beach was just right outside our backdoor. The beaches here are seriously beautiful and so clean. I was immediately reminded of Venice Beach when I walked out…the bike path, people playing volley ball, the lifeguard towers….all the great things to love about Venice Beach but without all the grimy weird stuff and you have Tel Aviv beaches.
After checking into our hotel, my first mission was to get my toes in the sand ASAP. After about 5 minute of walking, we discovered the cutest beachfront bar/restaurant, ironically enough called La La Land. One more thing this beach has on LA beaches: you can drink on the beach! Common Los Angeles, I think we can learn something from Tel Aviv. Obviously, I went for an Aperol Spritz…back to my ol’ Mediterranean ways as this was all I drank while I was in Italy. Turns out, Israelis can make a mean Aperol Spritz too.
The sunset over the ocean that night was just insanely gorgeous. When I go back to Tel Aviv, I really want to just spend a whole day relaxing by the beach because it is just the prettiest!
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Jacket: Custom, similar, similar/ Tee: Levi’s, similar/ Pants: Asos/ Sandals: Forever 21/ Bag: Zara, sold out, similar, similar/ Sunnies: Karen Walker/ Belt: Amazon
Jaffa, aka, old skool Tel Aviv
Probably my favorite part about being in Tel Aviv was shopping and wandering the streets of Jaffa. Jaffa is basically the old port that has been around way before the modern metropolis of Tel Aviv was even thought of. It definitely has that old world feel, and you can find some of the coolest odds and ends in the different shops and stalls throughout Jaffa. Obviously, as I stated in my Jerusalem post, the fresh fruit in Israel is insanely good. Whereas you can definitely get it in the form of fresh squeezed juice like in Jerusalem, we also found this little spot that made the yummiest fresh fruit popsicles. They definitely hit the spot during the heat of the day.
My recommendation is to give yourself a day to explore Jaffa, and bring plenty of shekels, because there’s so much good stuff here! You can find vintage clothing and odds and ends, high-end and affordable fashion, rugs, vinyl, fresh fruit…you name it! One of my favorite shops was Asufa Shop, which we randomly stumbled across and it was the greatest discovery. My sisters and I all walked out with someone we loved because this shop carries all kinds of art and cool design products from small independent Israeli artists. I personally was obsessed with Umasqu‘s fun masks and wished I could bring them all home!
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Jumper: Shein/ Bag: Etsy/ Sunnies: Target/ Sandals: Forever 21
Favorite Restaurants
Probably my favorite meal while in Israel was at Tel Aviv’s Bana, which is an incredible vegan restaurant. I would’ve never thought that I would say that a vegan meal was my favorite, but that just goes to show how delicious this spot is. If you’re a vegan, you have to visit Tel Aviv just for the incredible vegan food, because they have so many great restaurants. Honestly, I’m really sad that its on the other side of the world and I can’t go there more often. If you find yourself in Tel Aviv, even if you think you don’t like vegan food, go here. Tel Aviv isn’t the vegan capital of the world for nothing and Bana is amazing!
Another one of my favorite eats while in Tel Aviv was The Container, which is in Jaffa right in the port. They have delicious cocktails, seafood, and its really nice to sit outside by the water and enjoy a meal. The inside of the restaurant features really fun pieces of art from local artists, and at night they also have live music, so its also a great place to go out.
Ok, so I have to obsess over this spot Cafeteria for a second. We found this little spot while strolling through the Tel Aviv Fashion Mall, and it is not your ordinary mall cafeteria at all. This little cafe is basically my aesthetic in a restaurant form. Its a pink, marble, and palm tree heaven! My sisters and I enjoyed a bottle of rose and some strawberry malabi here, which I’m not entirely sure what it is, but it was a super delicious desert that we devoured in about .5 seconds.
Shopping
One thing I really regret about being in Tel Aviv is not having more time to explore the fashion scene there. There really are so many designers who are creating some incredible fashion and I definitely did not get to take it all in. However, we managed to pay a visit to Maya Bash, which is the most perfectly minimal store ever. I love that their mission is to create clothing that people can actually live in…its functional but it also as an incredible design element.
Another place I enjoyed some shopping was HaTachana, which is a quaint shopping center that used to be an old train station. They have some really cool designers with shops here, along with some cute open air cafes. You’ll definitely find something really beautiful and unique to bring home with you if you stop by.
Last but not least, the Port of Tel Aviv is another great area to go shopping, grab a meal by the sea, and get the most instagrammable shot you will get in all of the city…perhaps even the country, dare I say. This carosel with the sun going down was such a perfect way to end our stay in Tel Aviv, and of course, I had to wear my most extra outfit because the sisters and I planned on hitting the town that night.
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Jacket: Zara, old, similar/ T-shirt: Amazon, sold out, similar/ Skirt: Shein/ Sunnies: Amazon/ Fanny Pack: Amazon/ Sneakers: Adidas
Well, that was a super long post, but I seriously narrowed it down so this is the abbreviated version of my favorites to be sure! I hope you enjoyed this post and definitely stay tuned as I will be covering our adventures at the Dead Sea and Masada very soon!
art in Tel Aviv beautiful destinations Israeli Restaurants in Tel Aviv Shopping in Tel Aviv Tel Aviv Tel Aviv Israel travel travel blog travel blogger travel destinations travel inspiration travel the world travel tips travel tips for Tel Aviv traveling visit Israel
So dreamy! I love how you edited the pictures!
Briana
https://beyoutifulbrunette.com