Bed and Breakfast in Jerusalem Israel

By Bonnie Danohe
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem ---- January 20, 2007..... Nestled within the ancient rolling hills of Jerusalem, one comes upon a large estate, with thick, tan stone steps winding up to the home's entrance. A blue tile sign from Italy and a red French post box announces that you that have arrived at the Potack residence.

As you walk into their home you are greeted by an array of friendly dogs and cats. To your left is a spacious kitchen and directly in front of you is a large dining room. You feel that you have arrived in someone's home. In reality, you are standing in a luxurious bed and breakfast accommodation in Jerusalem.

By daylight, you can see a large swimming pool in the Jerusalem Mansion backyard sitting next to an enormous Jaccuzzi. Below their home, with spectaclar views overlooking the wooded Judean mountains, they have voluminous rooms where one can stay a night or a week. These are not just any rooms, but decorated in both old and new Middle-Eastern style.

Black and white pictures of Jerusalem from 100 years ago hang on the Jerusalem stone walls, ancient oil lamps mixed in with a dozen dim controlled star ceiling lights, a large queen size bed and an indoor Jacuzzi await you. I had never experienced a bed and breakfast accommodation.

I had frequented many of the finest hotels in the world, stayed at youth hostels and camped in tents in the Israel Defense Forces. But this was my first bed and breakfast.

A bed and breakfast or B&B is usually a boarding house operating out of a large single family residence. Guests are provided with a wide variety of accommodations - from the very modest to luxury at its best. A bed and breakfast in Israel is for the night in private bedrooms and breakfast is served in the morning - either in the bedroom or, more commonly, in a dining room or the host's kitchen. Bathrooms can be private or shared (with other guests or with the family in smaller establishments) or en-suite (where the ablutions are directly accessed from the guest's bedroom).

Bed and breakfasts may be operated either as a primary occupation or as a secondary source of income.

"We were born in Jerusalem where we lived our entire lives," said Arbel Potack, an articulate and friendly women in her mid-forties. "We love Jerusalem and have many friends coming to stay with us from all over Israel. Since we always had an open house, love interacting with people, we always thought that when our children grew up and left the nest we would turn our home into an exclusive bed and breakfast for tourists and business people coming from Israel, North America, Europe and Asia."

Arbel continued: "In our own travels we usually preferred to stay at bed and breakfasts. Bed and breakfasts which are more intimate and personal than hotels and guest houses. Our primary income comes from a screen printing business that we have operated for over 28 years. And my husband, Danny is a professional handyman and carpenter who is responsible for having built and designed this house and the rooms for our Jerusalem bed and breakfast guests."

Most bed and breakfast guests are usually expected to pay for their stay upon arrival and leave before noon (or earlier) on the day of departure. A big advantage of this type of hosted accommodation is the local knowledge of the host. One advantage of staying at a bed and breakfast B&B is access to popular locations "off the beaten path" which may not be convenient to the city center.

The Jerusalem Mansion is only a ten minute ride from the Western Wall, the Israel Museum, the Knesset and Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, twenty minutes from the churches of Bethlehem and 30 minutes from the Dead Sea. It is also located two minutes from the new and expanding Har Hotzvim Industrial Park. Many senior executives who work at this busy commerical park or visiting from overseas have used the Jerusalem Mansion for an overnight stay.

The bed and breakfast arrangement is actually as old as Jerusalem itself. Before the 20th century, it was quite normal for country travelers to spend the night at a private house rather than an Inn and the custom persists in many parts of the world. However, prior to the 19th century, this was strictly an informal arrangement constrained by acquaintance and social rank, a doctor might stay with a doctor or pharmacist, while a nobleman would only stay with the local gentry.

The abbreviation of bed and breakfast which is B&B found on roadside signs first became popular in the British Isles. In the British Isles, breakfast is usually cooked on demand for the guest and usually features bacon, eggs, sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, etc. but increasingly, because of either a desire of owners to economize or guests to minimize their calorie intake, a 'continental breakfast' is becoming more common.

Arbel and her daughter Mayan cooked up a tasty and scrumptious Israel breakfast. This included warm home made bread, egg omelets, fresh vegetables, a variety of cheeses, french toast, juices and of course - coffee. They even had several sweet and healthy cereals for my young daughter to choose from.

"We actually spent a lot of money on those cereal dispensers," said Mayan as she pointed to three large metal and plastic units. "But we spare no cost to keep the children happy when visiting us. Happy children means happy parents."

Israel's economy is a very delicate one. An economy and tourist trade which has been badly bruised by Islamic terrorism. But in the past year, incidents of terrorism have almost disappeared but tourists have long memories. It is actually safer to be in Jerusalem today than in New York, London or Paris as Israel security is second to none.

"Unfortantly we are suffering a lack of stability here in Israel. Israel has sustained both wars and terror attacks which alienated and scared tourists away," says Arbel.

"The tourist market was bleeding in Israel and we experienced many cancellations during the Lebanon war, but this is a chapter which appears to have to have closed. Telephones are now ringing and we average about a dozen emails a day. We are now fortunate that we need to ask our guests to make reservations at least two weeks in advance."

The tourist trade is now slowly picking up with hundreds of tour buses now being seen at Israel historic sites such as Jerusalem, the Western Wall, Nazareth, Bethlehem, the Dead Sea, Banias, Eilat, the Negev desert, the Sea of Gailee, the Jordan River and Masada. Also Tel Aviv's balmy weather, long white beaches and modern night life has attracted thousands from the US, Canada, South America, London, Paris, Africa, Japan and China.

The Jerusalem Mansion's B&B bed and breakfast business was established two years ago.

"My father Danny started to build a Jacuzzi and a pool. As it was finished we were sure that creating an upscale bed and breakfast business was now what we wanted to pursue," said 26-year-old Mayan. "We placed Jerusalem stone into the rooms to create a real Jerusalem atmosphere. Since Jerusalem is the heart of the world, sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims we would expect to welcome all people to our home. But we have established an exclusive niche for couples and business people who are seeking the ultimate vacation holiday. One which caters to luxury and comfort. All of our rooms have everything from a Jacuzzi to wireless Internet."

Fresh flowers, chocolates and a bottle of Israel wine waits for guests who enter the Jerusalem Mansion's bed and breakfast rooms. "Our location is inside a quiet neighborhood that overlooks the mountains of Jerusalem, says Mayan, who was also responsible for decorating the beautiful rooms.

"Our guests expect privacy and quiet and we provide that atmosphere. The bed and breakfast rooms are tastefully decorated with ancient artifacts which add warmth and mystique which represent Jerusalem."

Reflecting upon the bed and breakfast business in Jerusalem, Arbel's says with a soft smile: "If one really cares to know a country or a city, a hotel is not the place to stay. A hotel in Jerusalem is a template of what one will see in Chicago, Montreal, Tokyo or Los Angles. Bed and breakfast accommodations offer an unique insight to both the history and culture of the place you are traveling to and for this reason bed and breakfast is an invaluable asset for Jerusalem and Israel."

Arbel who speaks fluent Hebrew, English and Arabic says: "As Israelis, we are an innovative, warm and creative people. We do not turn our heads down and cry but rather we move forward and get on with our daily lives. Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is doing its best to get out the message that Israel is both a safe and fun place to visit. Israel sees many Jewish and Christian projects such Jewish Agency sponsored tours, Birthright Taglit and thousands of Christians making pilgrimages to Jerusalem. In addition, Israel is the home of the world's largest brands in hi-tech including such companies as Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, NDS, HP, Amdocs, Teva, AVX, ECI, Rad Communication, Magic Software, Matrix Group, Mercury Interactive, Novell, Olympus - Aloda, One1 Computer Group, Ortra, Sapiens, IBM, Kodak, Sun Microsystems,Symantec and Unisys."

Arbel concludes: "The reality of a lasting and true peace in Israel and our region is not far away and we welcome tourists from all over the globe to view first hand how peaceful and beautiful Jerusalem really is. How both Arab and Jew, Christian and Muslim work together day to day in this Holy Land and this most magical and colorful holy city of Jerusalem."

Related sites: Israel Directory of Bed and Breakfasts B&B