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Hotels
The Norman, Tel Aviv
‘In the beginning there was nothing but the murmur of the sea, sand dunes in
Galilee...’ These are the opening lines of a beautiful poem, written in 1956 by
Norman Lourie, South African proprietor of the Dolphin House, Israel’s most
glamorous resort in the 1950s and early sixties, located immediately south of the
Lebanese border. It was here that Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward came to stay
during the filming of Exodus.
Fast forward to 2014 and The Norman, a new boutique hotel at the heart of Tel
Aviv’s White City, has recently opened. The lyrical words of the late Norman
Lourie’s poem have been made into an artwork featured on the high wall in the area
between the original main building of the hotel and the new atrium structure
supporting the rooftop pool. The poem has become a talking point. Whenever you
walk into the atrium or take the glass lift up to the gym or pool, it beckons you...
A tiny square at the quieter end of Nachmani Street, at the heart of Tel Aviv’s White
City, named after the king of Belgium, is known as King Albert Square – although
few would be aware of its name because it is so small. It is a charming enclave
featuring an old tree with dense foliage, which is overlooked by some of the suites in
the Norman Suites building, our favourite of the two separate structures that
comprise The Norman hotel. They are located at numbers 23 and 25 Nachmani
Street, and linked by a garden. The main house, which is pure Art Deco, straight
from the 1920s, is entered through a gated landscaped front garden. Steps take you
up to a narrow entrance and stairwell, beyond which is a wide foyer with separate
concierge and reception area. This leads into a bar on one side and, on the other, the
main restaurant with a bar and servery opening out onto a decked patio where
alfresco meals and drinks are served throughout the day.
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Through an atrium and down a few steps behind reception, a stylish residents’
meeting and function room adjoins a shady paved patio. A glass passenger lift goes
to the fourth floor where a small gym/spa facility and a soon-to-open Dinings (of
London) Japanese restaurant are located. The restaurant will feature a spacious roof
lounge for outdoor dining and relaxing.
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One floor up, a rooftop sun-deck and infinity lap-pool have been skilfully added, a
welcome facility on the many warm Tel Aviv days – although we should point out
that it can get quite hot up here, so avoid it in high summer.
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Aside from its extremely stylish contemporary-meets-retro interiors, with plenty of
well considered accessorising and a keen eye for detail, what we like most about The
Norman is the overall feeling of warmth, and the staff. Managing Director, Olivier
Heuchenne; General Manager, Yaron Liberman; Food and Beverage Manager, Roy
Russ; the lovely breakfast team and those, like Danielle, on reception all deserve a
mention. We can’t remember everyone’s name but many are worthy of special
commendation as they perform a great role with passion for what they are doing.
Almost everyone we encountered goes that extra mile to make guests feel at home.
This is especially notable as Israel is not, after all, imbued with a great hotel service
culture.
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Breakfast taken outside on the elongated sofa banquette or at one of the tables on the
patio is the perfect way to start the day. We applaud the no-buffet policy, everything
ordered from the menu, prepared and cooked fresh to order.
We also give full marks to the way a glass of champagne is served in the
atmospheric bar, by hip waiters with their smart trouser-and-braces uniforms. The
glasses are pre-chilled, and our drink was poured from a fresh bottle. BillecartSalmon Brut is the house marque, although we hear they may be changing this to
Taittinger. Our advice is, stay with the Billecart!
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We rate the delicious bar food – especially when one fancies a light lunch or late
supper of small plates as opposed to a full-blown restaurant meal. And the olives and
salted almonds served with drinks are top quality.
The Norman had been open for little more than six weeks when we stayed there in
early October. Of course there were some expected glitches but nothing that
concerned us too much. There was a telephone that wasn’t working, one night of no
turn-down service, one morning when they ran out of carrots for juicing, etc.
However, these are small things and one has to make allowances and let a new hotel
develop its personality and bed down its service operation.
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On the whole everything went extremely well and we were made very comfortable.
And we liked the small touches, such as the monogrammed bags with towels they
gave us to go to the beach, as well as the white bicycles for getting around this
cycle-friendly city.
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We were impressed with the choice and size of accommodations, especially those in
the all-suite building. The Corner Suites (notably those on the second floor) are
particularly pleasing. A little ‘Hollywood’ in decor, with semi-circular balconies
facing King Albert Square and Lord Melchett Street below, they each feature a
living/dining room with kitchenette, a king-bedded bedroom, a well-appointed
bathroom with windows, twin vanities, a walk-in shower and separate cloakroom.
Those, like us, who prefer a studio-type space, will love the smaller open-plan Loft
Suites, especially the one on the second floor which overlooks King Albert Square. It
comes with a sitting area, a large bathroom, plenty of windows and good storage and
is ideal for the solo traveller.
If money is no object and space, privacy and great urban views are on your wish list,
the two penthouses cannot fail to impress. We preferred the smaller of the two,
rather than the larger duplex where we were less keen on the lower-level bedroom.
In overall terms, for style, quality, service and above-average food and beverages,
The Norman has set a new benchmark in Tel Aviv hotels and is one that can compete
internationally. Much will now depend on how they take care of maintenance and
service, and what clientele they will attract, for this also contributes to atmosphere
and identity.
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We would like to see an improvement in the service on the pool deck; and we shall
be back to experience the new Dinings restaurant when it opens nearer the end of the
year. From everything we saw and experienced on this initial review trip we have
confidence in The Norman. So watch this space.
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To plan a bespoke trip to the Holy Land, contact us. Highlights are contemporary art
and Bauhaus architecture in Tel Aviv; the unique holy city of Jerusalem; the wineries
of the Golan; historic Masada and the Dead Sea; the desert wilderness of the Negev;
and the charms and beauty of old Jaffa.
Nota Bene Global Ltd
152 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9TR
Telephone +44 (0)20 7259 9911
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