After months of lockdowns, the Crowne Plaza and many other hotels across Israel opened its doors to guests for the first time in months. I was excited to be among the first guests to stay at the Crowne Plaza the first weekend it re opened.
Who Can Stay Right Now?
Right now, hotels are only open to people with a green passport (two doses of the Covid 19 vaccination), those who have recovered from Covid 19, or other who can present a negative Covid 19 PCR test within 72 hours of arriving.
Booking
Rates at the Crowne Plaza range from about $250 per night to over $400 per night for a standard room without breakfast.
I had two free night certificates from my IHG Rewards credit card which I redeemed for Friday and Saturday night at the hotel, costing me nothing. I did pay NIS 250 ($75) per night to upgrade to an executive room and was given free breakfast, 50% off dinner both nights, and complementary entrance to the sulfur pool which would be NIS 70 ($20) per person otherwise.
Points rates are 25,000 per night which is a great deal if you can get a room during the weekend when rates are higher. Unfortunately this property blocks many dates from booking with points or certificates.
Location
The Crowne Plaza is located in the center of Ein Bokek, a small town by the dead sea consisting of about a dozen hotels as well as a few shopping outlets and restaurants. The Crowne Plaza is one of few beachfront properties with easy access to the dead sea from the back of the hotel.
Check In
Hotel Entrance
We arrive to the hotel around 1:30pm and were able to check in immediately, although the official check in time was 3:00pm.
Front Desk
The hotel lobby was recently renovated with new floors and seating, a new lobby bar, and beautiful views out to the dead sea directly behind the hotel.
I should note, the Crowne Plaza does not have enough parking for all guests when the hotel is full. We managed to squeeze the car into a small space in the hotel parking lot, but I’m sure many other guests were forced to find street parking.
We managed to squeeze the car into this small space. Just what I want to do before a nice relaxing weekend at the dead sea….
The Room
I was assigned room 1225, a club room on the top floor of the hotel. The room was on the small side (21 sqm), but still sufficient for a weekend stay for two.
A nice touch, the hotel made windows along the hallway so you can enjoy the view of the mountains from the front of the hotel as you walk to your room.
At the room’s entrance, there was a large closet to the left and bathroom to the right. The bathroom was newly redone with nice tile floors and a rain shower head.
The Crowne Plaza uses generic toiletries and shower products for the bathrooms, they were fine.
The room featured a double bed with two night tables at either side. The bed was not very comfortable, though consistent with the quality of the hotel.
The TV stand sitting opposite the bed spans most of the room and doubles as a dresser and work desk. The TV, mounted above the TV stand, is a bit on the small side and at least 10 years old. Certainly a downside for anyone who watches TV at a hotel.
At the far side of the room was a single lounge chair and a small glass table which we didn’t use once during our stay.
Finally the balcony was reasonably large with spectacular views of the dead sea. Only disappointment was the extremely cheap balcony furniture!!
Overall the room was reasonably nice, with the obvious highlight being the spectacular views.
Hotel Facilities
The Crowne Plaza offers guests a private beach beside the dead sea, large outdoor (non-heated) pool, and indoor spa which included a heated salt water pool, sauna, and several spa treatment rooms.
The outdoor area was not very well maintained with many of the lounge chairs being broken.
The indoor pool was much nicer for me, with heated water and better lounge chairs.
Adjacent to the outdoor pool is a small gym with basic machines. The gym felt cramped and dark, I wouldn’t really want to use it.
Breakfast
Restaurant Entrance
The Crowne Plaza serves breakfast every morning in the newly renovated dining room located on floor LL (-1). The buffet is fully open, though guests are expected to wear masks and gloves when taking food.
On offer were a range of vegetables and salads, fish, breads and pastries, cheeses, and hot dishes such as pancakes, bourekas, shakshuka, fresh omelets, pasta and potatoes. To drink there were some non fresh juices available as well as barista coffee which was an unexpected surprise.
The highlight for me was definitely the coffee. Barista made coffee at breakfast is very rare to find at 3 and 4 star hotels.
Coffee!!
Overall I’d rate this breakfast 3.5/5 stars. My biggest disappointment was no fresh cut fruit which I normally love at hotels.
Dinner
We had dinner at the hotel both Friday and Saturday nights. While there are some options for restaurants close by, eating at the hotel was definitely the most convenient for us.
Friday night dinner was great! For the hotel’s signature meal, there were around a dozen meat options including beef, chicken, veal, lamb, and duck as well as several fish options. There were pre made salads, grilled and raw vegetables, hot side dishes, sushi, breads, and finally desserts.
The desserts were all non-dairy and looked nice though none were too memorable.
Saturday night dinner consisted mainly of leftovers from Friday night. I noticed the hotel also had a kids section with french fries and fried chicken which wasn’t available Friday night.
Drinks aside from water and sweet wine were not included in the meal. Other alcoholic or soft drinks are chargeable.
Bottom Line
Overall, I was very happy with our weekend trip to the Crowne Plaza, Dead Sea. The location, views, and weather were spectacular, the room was better than I expected, and the food exceeded my expectations as well. This is not a luxury property; don’t expect amazing rooms, five star service, gourmet food, or a pristine beach and pool. But if you want a nice getaway in Israel, I can certainly recommend the Crowne Plaza for a short trip.