A pleasant promenade, great beaches, and red mountains in front of you – Eilat has everything for couples and even more. Take a look at the restaurants, the sites and the attractions and come for a visit with your beloved
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Enter Eilat at sunset, and you will immediately understand why so many couples choose it as their holiday destination. The air is pleasantly warm and dry (while Europe and North America are up to their neck in snow!) and Jordan’s royal mountains on the east are painted red. The waters of Eilat Bay are a mixture of deep blue and pink, and the whole scene looks like an impressionist painting. If your love flourishes in laid-back places, shrouded in eternal summer and vacation atmosphere, you have come to the right place.
Fish in the coral reef in Eilat
Good morning
The promise for a relaxed vacation can be fulfilled right away. Slide into your flip-flops and head for the Dolphin Reef. No, you don’t have to feed no dolphins. Leave that for the kids. The Relaxation Pools await you, and there are no kids there. In fact, nobody is going to disturb your peace of mind in this serene magical complex, where you can get some water treatments, enjoy the refreshments or just float carelessly, surrounded by lush vegetation, and listen to chill-out music played in the water. An out-of-this-world experience, say those who lived to tell.
But a laid-back holiday doesn’t necessarily have to be spoiled rotten, and some actually like to be a little more active while vacationing. If you are among them, you may take to the water in a slightly different angle: try diving in two. Eilat boasts several excellent diving schools, and the experienced diving instructors will be happy to share their knowledge with you, whether in a single trial dive or in a full course.
How about diving in two?
Then there’s the option you are actually early risers, who also prefer land to sea. If so, you can trade the sunset for sunrise in one of the least known and more rewarding treks in Eilat Mountains: the Nahal Gishron trail. The starting point is less than ten minutes’ drive from the city, on road number 12, and the ending point is even closer to Eilat, on the same road (because the trek is going downwards, towards the city). The Sinai Peninsula and Eilat Bay views are no less than stunning, and you’ll probably be alone most of the time – just you and mother nature. Be sure to start early, and to take a detailed trail map with you. And enough water. You’re in the desert, remember?
Lunch
If you want to touch on some good local food, Try Lalo’s (249 Hahorev street). Homemade Moroccan style dishes are served in a friendly atmosphere by the descendants of the mythical Lalo, who set up the establishment more than forty years ago. A more up-to-date lunch option could be Olla (7 Tarshish street), a carnivores’ heaven.
A couple walking along the beach in Eilat
Afternoon
Remember the fantastic pinkish sunset? Believe it or not, it can turn even pinkier when watched from the salt pools atEvrona Reserve, about 15 minutes’ drive north of Eilat. A few hundred flamingos have settled themselves here, and watching them take off to the air at sunset is a breathtaking – ultra-pink – sight.
Romantic sunsets are also available in the city, or even better – on the waters of Eilat bay. Rent a yacht (if you like to feel pampered) or a transparent kayak (that’s cool!) and sail out to the bay. The setting is guaranteed to be amazing, the rest is for you to take care of…
And… a few words about shopping. Even if you’re not the shopping type, it would be only fair to mention that Eilat is a declared Free Trade Area, which means everything you buy here is about 20 percent cheaper than in the rest of Israel – hence the relative abundance of designer shops, brand names and malls. Just saying.
Dinner and culture
Yes, culture! Eilat was once a holiday resort with not even one decent theater hall to offer. But much has changed in recent years, and the city has actually become a Mecca for music admirers. Eilat International Jazz festival is held twice a year (in August and February) and hosts super-hot jazz groups and performers from all over the world. Classical music lovers will greatly enjoy the Eilat Chamber Music Festival held in February, with the participation of top musicians and world renowned conductors.
As far as fine dining is concerned, most critics and locals are unanimous that Pastory (7 Tarshish street) is Eilat’s jewel of the crown. Italian foodies will have a ball here – and frankly, who can say no to good Italian food?
