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Sea of Galilee Hotel

The Sea of Galilee is without a doubt one of the most important geographical areas for Christians making a pilgrimage to Israel. The majority of Christ’s teaching were around the Sea of Galilee: Sermon on the Mount, Multiplication of the loaves, Leper healing, Walking on water, and of course where he was seen after the resurrection. The list goes on and on, but if you’re making a trip to Israel with Christian beliefs, the Sea of Galilee is a must. Honestly, regardless of your belief system, it’s an incredible place to visit, if for no other reason than the historical significance. Plus you’ll see where the River Jordan originates and flows into the Dead Sea. It’s also CRAZY crowded so you’ll undoubtedly want to stay somewhere nearby, and since my family was on a multi-day tour, we spent a couple of nights at the newly constructed Sea of Galilee Hotel.

You can see in the picture below, the hotel had just been built and opened within a few weeks of our arrival. In fact, the road leading to the hotel is a mix of pavement and gravel, and feels as if you’ve taken a wrong turn. When we were booked into the property it wasn’t even searchable on Google yet. You can read the Tripadvisor reviews here to see how the hotel is continuing its progress

Stay details:

When: May 2019
Where: Sea of Galilee
Room: Superior
Benefits: Breakfast and Dinner included as part of a tour package

Arrival

I would say that the vast majority of people staying at the hotel are part of a large group tour, but when we arrived the hotel was deserted. Empty lobby, pool, etc. Shortly after check-in the tours come back for the day and the hotel is teeming with people. The design is Israeli chic with lots of Jerusalem stone and a contemporary/minimalist vibe.

Room:

We had booked a superior room for my parents with a pull out couch for me to sleep on, but our tour guide didn’t want his room since he lived nearby, and I took over his. Their room overlooked the water and while it had modern amenities, and was newly constructed, the views left much to be desired. Add on the crazy amount of bugs anywhere near the water, and it meant the balcony was basically moot. My room was the standard room so that’s what I’m reviewing to give you an idea of what to expect. The only difference was a pull out couch and marginally more space.

Dining

Our room came with breakfast and dinner. The dinner was a multi station buffet that included an array Israeli and western dishes, a dessert stand, and free non-alcoholic beverages. If you wanted wine, beer, etc you could pay extra.

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Gym

Tucked away behind the bar and overlooking the Sea of Galilee is a nice little gym. Given the size of the hotel, I’d usually expect a larger facility, but honestly I doubt many on a large group tours with long days are using it. While we were there I was the only one that used it both days that I could tell. ( used towels, water gone, etc ). You can see in the background how “marshy” the space between the hotel and the Sea of Galilee actually is – hello bug zone.

The Pool

The pool certainly creates quite a picturesque setting with the Sea of Galilee in the background, but the bugs were an issue for us. Did I mention the bugs?

Bar and lounge area

Back beyond check-in, you’ll find additional seating areas, a stylish bar and some tables to grab snacks, etc and overlook the view. While we were there, I’d be pushing it to say it was ever more than 30% full. The two nights we stayed at the property most people had their dinner and went to bed.

Overall:

Would I stay here again? I probably would, but I’d also compare it to The Scots which is downtown Tiberias and overlooks the water. It’s an established luxury brand, and I’d certainly investigate it further if you plan on spending much time at on property vs sightseeing. For our intents and purposes, the Sea of Galilee hotel suited us fine. The biggest downside is the location: down an unfinished road, no where to walk to, and a view obstructed with marsh and too buggy to enjoy the outside. Hopefully the hotel can address these issues going further otherwise I think they’ll face a downturn if the tourist segment cools off. No one really wants to vacay at a resort where you can’t access the water and battle bugs outside.