Rubenbrk
Google
We spent a very nice time here, even though the quality of the service is unfortunately below par. It’s a pity, because the hotel itself has amazing grounds and a lot of advantages.||The Positives|The location is simply beautiful — peaceful and right in the heart of Caesarea. This is a hotel we have visited for decades, and a few times already since its full renovation, which turned it into one of the most expensive in Israel. The grounds are stunning: a huge pool (although the floor feels plastic and the glass partitions could be clearer), but still an excellent area with lots of inflatables for kids. The hotel also offers a basketball court, full-size soccer field, tree tents, pedal karting, and endless green lawns that both children and adults can enjoy.||The food is another highlight. The Thai restaurant by the pool is excellent, with plenty of choices. Even during Shabbat, the meals were very good — which is rare in Israeli hotels. Breakfast was tasty (not huge, but satisfying), and Shabbat meals were well-balanced: not endless buffets, but the right amount of choice and very good quality. On the downside, the lobby food on Saturday evening was quite poor — overcooked, cold pasta and overall disappointing.||The Rooms|The rooms are fine, but here lies one of the main issues: the hotel was renovated from a building that was never designed to meet modern 5-star standards. Rooms are close together, corridors are tight with doors on both sides, and some rooms are located right next to elevator lobbies, which makes them very noisy. If you visit, try to request rooms in the middle of the corridor and ask in advance for connecting rooms if you need them, since not all rooms have this option even if they are next to each other.||The Service|This is where the hotel struggles the most. Service does not really match the level expected from such a high-end property. Staff tend to offer excuses instead of solutions, and when issues arise, the compensation is always the bare minimum. For example, a waiter in the lobby gave us an incredibly inappropriate answer when we asked to expedite a simple pasta for a baby just back from the hospital: he simply said no, without even trying to check with the chef. Luckily another staff member stepped in and the chef did his best.||Allergy management is another weak point: nothing is labeled on buffets. The official explanation is that guests should notify staff at check-in, but since they often don’t even know which room you are in, it’s unclear how this would work in practice. And when asked why allergens aren’t written down (as is common everywhere else in the world), the answer was simply: “this is how the chain works.”||Housekeeping is also inconsistent. Unless you speak directly with the cleaning staff (and even bring a small gift to ask for extra care), the results are poor. One day our room was marked as cleaned, but the floor had covers and toilet paper left, shampoo caps were still in the shower, the window was left open, and the bed looked like a child had made it in a hurry.||Conclusion|Despite these drawbacks, we will probably return — mainly because of the grounds, the kids’ facilities, and the food. It remains one of the nicer places in Israel to spend a family vacation. However, the rooms and service simply do not match the high prices. Perhaps a stay during slower periods would offer a better overall experience
