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4.5
#51 of 154 hotels in Tel Aviv
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Situated along the Mediterranean Sea, Tel Aviv coastline and Jaffa Port, The Setai Tel Aviv is a prestigioushotel offering sophistication and tranquility at the crossroads of modern and ancient Tel Aviv-Jaffa. Housed within a historic Ottoman building, once used as a jailhouse, The Setai Tel Aviv offers an enviable entryway to the wonders of the Jaffa Port, Tel Aviv’s full beach coastline and steps away from the city’s bustling boulevards and urban hub. We would like to inform you about the update of hotel services during this period Thank you for choosing to stay with us, we know these are not easy times and hope to enjoy your time in the best way for the opening of the hotel, We have changed and adapted the hotel in accordance with the work procedures of the Ministry of Health in order to ensure you the safest vacation. At the hotel you will find accessible means of protection for the benefit of guests and staff - gloves, masks, alcohol, etc., in the rooms and public areas. The Setai Tel Aviv Hotel was awarded a purple certificate Food and beverage services: Breakfast on Sundays-Thursdays will be served between the hours: 07:00 - 11:00 Breakfast on Fridays will be served between the hours: 07:00 - 12:00 A dairy menu will be served in the lobby from 11:00 - 22:00 The pool buffet will be active between the hours of: 12:00 - 17:00 On Fridays, a traditional dinner will be served, a Jewish menu with the best ingredients. Room service - a dairy menu will be served. Reservations On Sundays and Thursdays, accommodation can be booked on a bed and breakfast basis only. On Fridays, accommodation can be booked on a half-board basis. The business lounge, sauna and hammam services are inactive. * The information and hours of operation are subject to change at any time by the hotel management and in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and government ministries.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Our stay at The Setai Tel Aviv was wonderful! The location in Jafo is amazing, right at the beginning of the old city so not a far to walk to other northern neighborhoods in the new city. The hotel itself is absolutely gorgeous, the rooms are comfortable and well equipped. There is a complimentary bar from 12-5PM & fresh bottles of water everyday in the room, which is great after touring all day. The staff was so helpful/thoughtful and really are available should you need anything. The spa is also pretty nice & I enjoyed the massage. Breakfast is very good, there is a large selection of options - I recommend booking the stay with breakfast included because it is fairly expensive once you arrive. Overall, I recommend The Setai at the Tel Aviv 100%, it was an oasis during our stay in Israel.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Shirsetai, Guest Relations Manager at The Setai Tel Aviv
Responded 16 Jan 2020
Dear guests, Thank you for your kind feedback concerning your stay with us. I am happy to learn you enjoyed your stay and liked the great location, food, spa and that we all managed to serve you according to our high standers of service. We hope to have the pleasure of hosting you again with us in the future. Sincerely, Shir Ston, Guest Relations Manager.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed at the Setai for two nights in July, for a quick mid-summer getaway.
Let's start with the positive: The building is beautiful and unusual. We had a premium room, which was in the old part of the building, as opposed to one of the newer rooms that were added on. It was spacious and nice, and a short walk to the pool.
We also had a lovely view of the water. And the breakfast was fresh and varied, with lots of salads, breads, and cheeses, as well as an omelette station. The breakfast restaurant has indoor seats, but we enjoyed being outside much more. I'd recommend that for anyone staying at the Setai.
The hotel's location is great for exploring Jaffa, whether it's for eating, shopping (not our thing), or walking along the water.
A few minor complaints: We found the layout of the hotel to be confusing, and got lost a few times. And while the hotel can't do much about it, there were *lots* of people outside of the hotel the entire time we were there, which made it a bit (but not terribly) noisy.
Also, the swimming pool is often small and crowded. It's not really meant for laps, but for enjoying the (spectacular) view, and maybe having something to drink.
Parking in the hotel, via a car elevator, was an exciting experience in and of itself. You'll definitely want to call them to know how to get into the parking garage; we wouldn't have found it without their help.
Our big complaint was the service, which just didn't match our expectations. The staff seemed a bit new and inexperienced. For example, we thought about eating something at the poolside restaurant, only to find that it served meat, whereas we wanted something vegetarian or dairy. Knowing that there are several restaurants in the hotel, we asked where else we could go, and got rather complex directions to the lobby. In the end, we discovered that there was a dairy restaurant literally next door to the pool, meters away from where we had asked.
We also had an minor (but unpleasant) experience on our final morning, when we wanted to swim when the pool officially opened — but the lifeguard hadn't yet arrived. When would he show up? The hotel didn't know, and it ended up with a bit of a standoff between hotel guests (who went into the pool) and the staff yelling at the guests to get out. In the end, someone came to supervise the pool, but "we don't know when you'll be able to swim, because the lifeguard isn't here and isn't answering his phone" isn't exactly what you want to hear at a high-grade hotel.
Did we have a good time? Absolutely. But we feel that it was missing that extra something to give you a feeling of "wow," mostly because the people didn't seem to know the answers to our questions, and/or anticipate our needs like we've had elsewhere.
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Date of stay: July 2021
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Rooms overlooking the water have stunning views, but they will be a bit noisy from the street.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Alex Arfi, Guest Services / Front Office at The Setai Tel Aviv
Responded 25 Sept 2021
Good afternoon, we thank you for your kind words that we will share with our team and we thank you for choosing the Setai Tel Aviv. We will as well work on the different points mentioned in your comments and make sure that the issues are fixed. We hope to welcome you back soon to your new Tel Aviv's home
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First stay at this excellent hotel. Two nights in March Situated on the Jaffa waterfront our superior room had wonderful views to Tel Aviv and further north and over the Mediterranean to a far horizon Room was comfortable extremely well presented and nicely fitted out In our opinion the staff wherever they were in attendance could not be faulted - friendly helpful and eager to assist Large dining area for breakfast but also other meals caters for seating indoors as well as a very comfortable open air lounge like area. Menus attractive and varied and food very good indeed and service staff here outstanding Very well located for walking along the beachfront for as far as you wish and to find restaurants cafes and shops in the Jaffa commercial heart Would definitely stay again Limited parking on site ( extra charge per night )
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Date of stay: March 2022
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:IMO definitely request a room with a sea view
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Alex Arfi, Guest Services / Front Office at The Setai Tel Aviv
Responded 14 Apr 2022
Good morning, we thank you for your kind words that we will share with our team and we thank you for choosing the Setai Tel Aviv. We hope to welcome you back soon to your new Tel Aviv's home
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I can't tell you about the other accommodations at the hotel, but definitely don't use the spa! I ordered a package to treat myself for a spa treatment + lounging at the pool. I was told explicitly that this package costs 380 shekels, I asked at the time of booking the package and at the time of payment. During the treatment I decided to extend the massage for an additional 100 shekels. I went to the front desk of the spa to confirm that the total charge would come out to 480 shekels. A few days later I looked at my credit card statement and saw that I was actually charged 630 shekels. When I called the spa to find out about the additional charge I was told that I was charged an additional 150 shekels to go into the pool, and when I enquired why I wasn't told about this additional charge the extremely rude spa manager told me that it's my problem. I told her multiple times that I was told that I would be charged a total of 480 shekels and when she couldn't get me to admit that it's "my mistake" (apparently she's under the impression that the customer is always wrong) she hung up the phone on me. I have no problem paying for any facilities I use, but trying to sneak additional charges in is dishonest and upsetting. If you use the spa make sure to check your credit card statement to make sure they haven't added additional charges, not that there seems to be any recourse for these dishonest practices.
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Date of stay: July 2021
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Alex Arfi, Guest Services / Front Office at The Setai Tel Aviv
Responded 04 Aug 2023
Good morning, We are sorry to read that and hope to welcome you back in order to provide you another experience. Best regards,
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The only reason I am giving it two stars is the location; Jaffa is a fun place to stay and you can walk out the door of the hotel into a lively area filled with great bars and restaurants. But from the moment we got there the whole experience was off. It took two hours for our bags to be brought to the room; we didn't have a bath mat until the third day of our stay; the lounge is understaffed and you will be ignored if you want a drink; when asked for beach towels, the concierge grunted and pointed without looking up. The pool area is so crowded there is barely room to walk and that is only the case if you can actually score a lounge chair. The day before we left we tried to go to the pool and were told by an attendant to come back in "two, three, or four hours." Six hours later there were still no available chairs. This is in July during the heat of the day. It's also worth noting that the guest population is young and flashy and there to party. This is not the fault of the hotel except that these guests stand IN the pool for hours drinking while the ambient music is crushingly loud. I wouldn't recommend this hotel and I certainly wouldn't go back.
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Date of stay: July 2022
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Just don't do it
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Alex Arfi, Guest Services / Front Office at The Setai Tel Aviv
Responded 27 Jul 2022
Good afternoon, we thank you for your feedback and are sorry to read it. The hotel is located in a historical building and therefore our pool can be full during the week end as the pool is located on the top of the historical building. We thank you for your visit and wish you a great day. Best regards,
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There were some nice aspects to this hotel, but overall, they’ve got some work to do. The good: Our room was nice and clean, had a decent ocean view and we could listen to the waves at night with the windows open. Some of the workers were very kind and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. The bad: Food selection in the bar and for room service is really limited and kind of a B- in flavor and prep. Highly recommend you don’t test + for Covid heading back to the US (as some ppl we met had), because you get locked in your room for 4-5 days living off room service menu with 4 items on it. In our bathroom, the shower door leaked badly flooding out the bathroom every time someone took a shower. The door stop for the bathroom door was missing the rubber stopper, leaving only the sharp metal shell. Ouch. The bed linens had small holes in them from too much use, and some of the towels had stains on them. In the breakfast restaurant, sometimes it took 4 tries to find a clean plate. And lastly, we know its hard to find good workers these days pretty much everywhere, but is it really that difficult to hire someone to run the bar who actually can converse and engage with the guests?
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Date of stay: April 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Recommend you keep looking unless you have an event to attend at or near this hotel.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Alex Arfi, Guest Services / Front Office at The Setai Tel Aviv
Responded 14 Apr 2022
Good morning, we thank you for your kind words that we will share with our team and we thank you for choosing the Setai Tel Aviv. We are currently improving our food and beverage outlets with a new menu in the different locations with our new Mediterranean lunch in our olive patio. We hope to welcome you back soon to your new Tel Aviv's home
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The Setai is a beautiful hotel set in a former Ottoman prison, just on the edge of the old Jaffa port and overlooking the sea. Much of old Jaffa has been restored and is filled with shops, galleries and restaurants, allowing for lovely walks. It's certainly a more interesting area than central Tel Aviv but expect to pay $10-$15 each way to get to downtown by taxi. The Setai has a top-notch staff that aims to please and a fine spa that offers great massages. There's a pool and a sun deck, as well as an executive floor that (if you qualify) offers free food and wine. The beach is right next door. The breakfast spread is astonishing and worth adding to the room charge. We opted for a city view room, and our hearts initially sank we realized that meant we overlooked a mosque. We were worried about the 5:30 am call for prayer but it turned out the Iman was so gentle and had such a lovely voice that my wife slept through it the first night and I slept through it the second night. But it might be worth getting an ocean view room if you don't want to take your chances. One of the best restaurants in Israel, George and John, is less than a ten-minute walk away and there are many lively options available in the area around the Jaffa flea market, just a couple minutes walk. Because the hotel is in a historic building, it has an unusually small entrance, with steps, for such a luxury hotel. But the porters will gladly handle your bags.
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Date of stay: October 2022
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:City view rooms overlook a mosque so you might hear the 5:30 am prayer -- though the Iman had a...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Alex Arfi, Guest Services / Front Office at The Setai Tel Aviv
Responded 06 Nov 2022
Good morning, we thank you for your kind words that we will share with our team and we thank you for choosing the Setai Tel Aviv. We hope to welcome you back soon to your new Tel Aviv's home
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The hotel, which has retained an old original structure is gorgeous and belongs in its surroundings. You felt part of the ancient city, while enjoying modern amenities Our room was wonderful and we had a free Am Ex upgrade, Out of one window was the Jaffa clock tower and from the other window, the Meditteranean sea. Their breakfast buffet is the most beautiful and bountiful I've had anywhere. Great customer service and small boutique feel. It was our first time in Israel and this hotel is beautifully located for site seeing. Hope to stay again
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from paulinasetai, Front Office Manager at The Setai Tel Aviv
Responded 14 Mar 2020
Dear noladoggie, Thank you so much for your amazing feedback! I am so happy to hear that you loved the hotel, breakfast and the atmosphere. This is exactly type of the experience of our guests we are aiming for. Thank you once again and we will be happy to host you again in the future! Sincerely, Paulina Bakshtanovski Assistant Front Desk Manager
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Am only a third into our stay here bur honestly not looking forward to the rest. The setting is stunning but it is so noisy within the hotel. I was woken up three times during the night from banging doors and guests banging on doors to get in. Apart from the total inconsiderate guests the room doors do not Ken's themselves to quiet. They are heavy and bang extremely loudly and reverberate around the floors and uncarpeted corridors. I really expected a better set up from this hotel that markets itself as luxury. And the bar is a disaster. Ordered a mango daiquiri last night and it was made with a bit of syrup! Thankfully we were not charged but the fruit platter we ordered which was great was nearly double the price written she forgot to tell us it was more! I really hope they can do something with the noisy banging doors .
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Date of stay: March 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Alex Arfi, Guest Services / Front Office at The Setai Tel Aviv
Responded 04 Apr 2021
Good afternoon, we thank you for your feedback and we are sorry to read it. We will share your comments with the team in order to improve it. We hope to welcome you back to the Setai Tel Aviv.
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The Setai is in Jaffa and is the perfect location to walk to the Jaffa Flea Market and Port. It’s also right on the beach so you can walk the boardwalk that has multiple restaurants. The hotel interior is beautifully designed while keeping the historic aspects authentic. Our room was spacious and we had a balcony overlooking the pool and ocean. The pool area is small and was always packed with people. The inside bar area was nice and offered good food with excellent service. We were there during Shabbat so finding coffee outside the room meant taking a walk. I did find this odd as the hotel does need to service international customers. The concierge was our only disappointment with mixed messages and at times rude responses to what we wanted to do. We also paid for the Mercedes transfer from the airport and instead got a Honda Passport. The ride was fine it’s just we paid a premium price for a service not received. I asked if we should be getting a refund of some sort and they said $40 which I never saw on my credit card statement and frankly it should have been more of a refund. Overall it’s a great hotel and location to be thrown into the lively Tel Aviv scene.
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Date of stay: June 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:If you are there on Friday or Saturday be prepared for service and food limitations due to Shabbat.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Alex Arfi, Guest Services / Front Office at The Setai Tel Aviv
Responded 04 Aug 2023
Good morning, we thank you for your kind words that we will share with our team and we thank you for choosing the Setai Tel Aviv. We hope to welcome you back soon to your new Tel Aviv's home
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Dear guest,
Thank you for your message.
The beach near by the hotel is not arranged with life guard, so we recommend our guest to walk to the arranged ones.
Looking forward to hosting you.
Regards.
Gustavo Scuppa
Evening Manager
The staff at the front office says YES it is. The staff at the Spa says Don’t Know. The truth is only told by an old life guard at the pool who says - NO it is not......
Dear Sir,
Thank you for choosing Setai Tel Aviv.
Unfortunately our pool is not open during the winter time.
Please do not hesitate to contact me for any further request or question.
Best regards,
Gustavo Scuppa
Guests Relationns Representative
There are more places to choose from in the Tel Aviv area.
PRICE RANGE
R 6,866 - R 10,023 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
IsraelTel Aviv DistrictTel Aviv
NUMBER OF ROOMS
120
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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