On our recent family trip to Israel, we stayed at Dan Panorama hotels in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Eilat. We began and ended our time in Israel at the Dan Panorama Tel Aviv, staying a total of four nights. As with any hotel there are pros and cons. On the positive side, the hotel is in a terrific location, has a nice pool area and a fantastic breakfast buffet. However, on the negative side, only some rooms have been recently renovated, and those that haven’t, are really dated.

Dan Hotels

Dan Hotels is a chain of Israeli luxury hotels established in 1947. The chain owns and manages 18 hotels covering all of Israel’s most desirable locations. In fact, the most famous hotel in Jerusalem, the King David, is owned by Dan Hotels.

There are a few boutique hotels in the Dan portfolio, but for the most part there are Dan hotels and Dan Panorama hotels. The Dan hotels are the 5-star and 4-star luxury brand, while the Dan Panoramas are part of their more affordable, middle-tier brand.

Overall, there are some common themes I found with all the Dan Panoramas at which we stayed. Generally the hotels have nice rooms, great breakfast buffets, good facilities and fantastic locations. The bathroom showers, however, only have half-walls so water would spray everywhere and quite literally flood the bathrooms. In addition to flooding, they don’t have fans to combat humidity, so expect heavily fogged mirrors.

Location

The hotel is conveniently located across the street from the Mediterranean Sea and its beautiful beaches.

It’s also a short walk to the bustling Carmel Market, one of the largest open markets in Israel. There you can find a wide variety of affordable produce, spices, nuts, snacks, clothes and souvenirs. Also within walking distance is the Neve Tzedek neighborhood, which is a vibrant and trendy area filled with small alleyways, restaurants and art galleries. The ancient port city of Jaffa is also close by and features old restored buildings, art galleries, restaurants, sidewalk cafes and promenades.

Lobby

Built in 1986, the hotel underwent renovations in 2014. The first floor check-in area was part of that renovation and has a modern, trendy look to it now. Check-in was quite easy and we had keys to our room in just a few minutes.

Behind the check-in area and up one flight of stairs is the hotel’s sprawling lobby and bar.

The Room

Our room was located on the 10th floor. As we walked down the hallway, we could see that the modern renovation had continued here with fresh carpet and wallpaper.

The room we stayed in at the beginning of the trip was one of the renovated rooms. It was clean, comfortable and modern. All rooms have balconies and many, including ours, have sea views.

For our one night stay at the end of our trip, however, we were put in a non-renovated room. You can clearly see the difference between them. Besides the dated look of the second room, it was also fairly dirty. There were stains in the carpet and nicks in the walls. Luckily we were only in this room one night and actually checked out at 2 a.m. to head to the airport. If we were staying any length of time, we would’ve asked to be moved to an updated room.

The Bathroom

The bathroom is a decent size with the typical amount of counter space you’d expect. It’s stocked with a hair dryer, complimentary toiletries and robes. One oddity was that there are no outlets in the bathroom, so if you need to use the hair dryer, you have to do so in the room itself.

The shower, however, just doesn’t make sense. Instead of a full glass door or curtain, the shower only has a half-wall. There was literally no way to shower without water spraying everywhere.

Dining

The hotel restaurant has a huge dining room.

Our room rate included a daily breakfast buffet, which we really looked forward to each morning. It was a great way to start each day and give our bodies some energy before touring the city.

There were seemingly endless options to choose from, including an omelet station. The selection included western favorites like eggs, pancakes and waffles as well as middle eastern specialties like hummus and local fruits and cheeses.

My favorite Israeli breakfast item was the cheese boureka, a scratch made puff pastry. I think I had one every single morning!

Miscellaneous

Since we were out touring every day, we didn’t spend a lot of time at the hotel using their facilities. It does have a spa which offers a full range of treatments in a newly designed space just off of the hotel lobby.

One afternoon we did go down to the pool to relax for an hour. The pool area is enormous and has plenty of deck chairs for lounging.

There’s also a small gym with cardio equipment that’s free for all hotel guests.

Bottom Line

The Dan Panorama Tel Aviv is worth putting on your list if you plan to travel to Tel Aviv. While not a 5-star hotel, it’s an above average middle-tier offering that is a good home base to explore the city from. The main reason to stay here is its terrific location within steps of the Mediterranean Sea, Carmel Market, Jaffa and the Neve Tzedek neighborhood. On the downside, there’s a chance of getting a non-renovated room which can be quite dated.

Trip Report Index

1. Introduction and Planning
2. The 7 Must Do Activities in Israel
3. Dan Panorama Tel Aviv
4. Dan Panorama Haifa
5. Eight Lesser Known Activities Worth Doing in Israel
6. Dan Panorama Jerusalem
7. Masada
8. My Dead Sea Experience and 6 Interesting Facts That May Surprise You
9. Dan Panorama Eilat
10. What and Where to Eat in Israel