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Ok... so you have 4 nights and 3 days to go wild in Eilat. What can you do in this amount of time? We've put together a collection of options for you to check out by selecting the category below.
Agadir Burger Bar
A delightfully eclectic place, both in menu and ambience, this is part of an idiosyncratic chain (no two locations are alike) that's been popping up all over the country. The burgers may be the best in Israel, with unbelievable toppings including portobello mushrooms, feta cheese, or spiced breast of goose. You'll also find everything from guacamole to tempura shrimp, spicy Moroccan merguez sausages, veal dumplings, and a choice of Israeli wines. The place morphs into a lively bar at night.
Casa do Brasil
This big, bustling place is a carnivore's paradise, and probably the best bottomless Brazilian meat restaurant in Israel. Everything here is delicious; only great self-discipline and the heat of Eilat's long, torrid summer will keep you from overeating. Meats are prepared on rotisserie grills imported from Brazil under the supervision of a Brazilian Israeli (whose family fled the Nazis in 1935), and his tasty Brazilian meatballs (bolinho), chorizo sausages, and chimichurra are all special. A cheerful serving staff brings appetizers, bread, olive tapenade, salad, rice, a little pot of Brazilian chili con carne, fries, and other treats to your table. Then the real parade begins: filet; baby lamb; beef ribs; chicken wings; gooseliver; aged, flavorful entrecôte; baby chicken basted in a sauce of honey, white wine, and soy; and duck breast. The menu varies at different times of day and season, but goes on and on. A less expensive luncheon parade offers less variety. Children's meals start at NIS 44 ($11/£5.50), and there's a selection of pastas and Brazilian-style pizza in case you manage to drag a vegetarian here. You can also order from an a la carte menu, but few do. Some nights there's Brazilian entertainment, and for those who can still move, excellent Brazilian desserts or refreshing fruit sorbets to finish.
Denise Kingdom
This very informal, busy restaurant is run by a local Eilat fish farm specializing in bream (dorade), a succulent white-meat sea fish, but it also serves sea bass and a few nonfarm choices. Kids will like the fish tanks, which they can visit between courses, as well as the chance to climb on the fish sculptures in the gardens beside the dining terrace. There are carefully deboned filets and nonfish plates on the children's menu. Adults will enjoy the ultrafresh whole fish or combo platters, which you can order steamed, poached, smoked, grilled, baked, or pan-fried. I especially like a dish of delicate fresh denise stuffed with lemon, chili, and spices. Main courses come with a baked potato and are preceded by a meze of Middle Eastern salads served with delicious fresh rolls, herbed butter, and olive tapenade -- so although there's a choice of fish-centered appetizers, you probably won't want them. The pies, cakes, and cheesecakes are hefty in size and come with ice cream, another plus for kids.
Dolphin Reef Pub Cafe
This thatched-roof, tropical pavilion at the easygoing Dolphin Reef is a good place for lunch if you've paid admission to the Dolphin Reef's private beach for the day; it's also a congenial place to hang out in the evening, when admission to the Dolphin Reef is free and the management often provides live entertainment and dancing on the sand. The floor is sand, the bar is lively in the evening, and the menu choices range from cold yogurt and Greek salad to grilled whole fish or hamburgers.
Eddie's Hideaway
One of Eilat's very best restaurants, this quality establishment serves an enormous menu in a variety of inventive styles, yet manages to keep its prices reasonable and its customers very happy. Main courses, designed by Eddie himself, include such creations as Nairobi shrimp cooked in butter and hot paprika with onion, fresh mushrooms, and a touch of pineapple; moist, delicate Shanghai fish, smothered in a spicy soybean paste; or rich, heavenly gooseliver in a Middle Eastern date sauce. I'm also a fan of the homemade lasagna, the steaks, and the honey barbecued ribs. In addition, the menu includes lean, light dishes such as grilled sea bass or bream. A salad, vegetable, and potato are included with most main courses. A 10% service charge, which covers the tip, is automatically added to the bill. Because Eddie's is out-of-the-way, Eddie may deduct the price of your taxi (from any hotel in Eilat) from your bill -- just give the waitress your receipt.
Ginger
Housed in a sleek, glassed-in upper-story pavilion, Ginger serves a Pan-Asian menu that's always interesting and a step above the many fast-food places on the North Beach Promenade. The Thai dishes are the strongest. There are pad Thai noodle dishes, both vegetarian and with meat; classic Thai dishes such as omm olai (chicken in a coconut, chili, and mint sauce); and my favorite, a spicy Beef Chang My Style, all of which the management will adeptly tone down in case you're not yet used to Thai seasonings. It's located at the edge of the New Tourist Center neighborhood facing Yotam Road. There is a nonsmoking section.
Last Refuge
Right across the street from the Ambassador Hotel, this rather expensive but good fish restaurant has weather-beaten nautical decor (not unlike something you'd find on Cape Cod or Long Island), tables both indoors and outside on a seaside deck, and generous portions of seafood and fish served in a variety of cream sauces. Simple, very fresh grilled fish is an excellent choice here.
Pago Pago
Moored in the North Beach Lagoon near the King Solomon Hotel, this floating restaurant, club, and bar offers a South Seas tropical ambience and a menu of exotic seafood, fresh fish, and meats prepared and served with flair. The light Thai seafood salad is a perfect dish for a hot Negev evening; or you might try gratinée of shrimps and calamari in cream sauce or the royal triple seafood platter for two (served in a giant ruffled clamshell). There are tropical drinks and mellow desserts (try the chocolate Pavlova mousse) served with chocolate liqueur coffee. A 10% service charge is added to the bill.
Red Sea Star Underwater Restaurant, Bar and Observatory
This amazingly designed restaurant is 5m (16 ft.) below the surface of the Red Sea, with thick Plexiglas windows that give you an octopus-eye view of the surrounding fish, corals, and other creatures. The decor is fantasy oceanesque, with sand floors covered by a layer of clear epoxy; velvet, sea urchin cushions on the chairs; starfish lighting fixtures; and wavy blue underwater light filtering through the subsea pavilion from natural sources by day and artificial sources by night. It may sound campy, but the details are so well done that the effect is enchanting -- you find your attention torn between the underwater vistas outside the windows, and the interior decor, overflowing with marine shapes and textures. The food is average, but the basic experience is fun. Denise, a fish from the Red Sea, leads the list of fish (though you may not feel comfortable dining on a sea creature while its family and friends glide past the windows). The restaurant becomes mostly a bar by 10pm. Both adults and kids enjoy the decor, but service can be slow enough to test the patience of visitors regardless of age. Tours come through and are led to an often worn-out buffet table -- avoid it.
Spring Onion Restaurant Cafe
A favorite of Eilat vegetarians, with fresh, well-prepared food, this small modern place expands to a large outdoor terrace after the sun goes down, and is a great spot for people-watching as you dine. Salads are excellent, enormous, and can easily be shared by two. Pastas and fresh fish fill out the main courses, and there's also an assortment of wonderfully rich cakes for dessert. The sign is in English, but if you're asking directions from locals, the Hebrew name actually translates as "Green Onion."
Tandoori
Located in the Lagoona Hotel building, with its entrance on King's Wharf, this is one of frenzied Eilat's most calm and special restaurants. Beautifully decorated with Indian artifacts, the restaurant serves a variety of Indian dishes, although it specializes in tandoori cooking. All traditional styles executed with a light, elegant touch (let them know if you want authentic, fiery spicing or prefer your dishes mild), and house creations, such as giant prawns in ginger marinade or South Indian lamb in spiced coconut milk sauce, are very much worth trying, as are the stuffed Indian breads and appetizers. Look into the reasonably priced luncheon specials, which include soup, breads, four choices of main course, plus vegetable curry, basmati rice, dessert, and a drink. Homemade desserts, such as the honeyed gulab jamun, are both exotic and delicious; and lassi, a yogurt-based drink, is a cool antidote to Eilat's torrid temperatures and clears the palate between hot courses.
Wang's Grill
This elegant restaurant uses Asian cooking techniques to produce delicious dishes that have a Chinese influence, but are often far from standard Chinese food. Hot and cold appetizers (mostly in the NIS 32-NIS 54/$8-$14/£4-£6.75 range) include interesting variations of Asian crispy chicken salad and inventive California wonton soup, but you will also find ginger lamb dumplings with wild mushrooms, ginger, and garlic sauce, or tangerine duck with toasted almonds and crispy wontons on a bed of lettuce. A fusion grilled foie gras first course is NIS 90 ($23/£11). Main courses include grilled sirloin steak with a spicy Szechuan sauce and vegetables; grilled sea bass with sautéed Chinese cabbage and mustard vinaigrette; and a number of variations of Peking duck. Vegetable side dishes cost extra. Chocolate hazelnut terrine, poppy seed parfait, and a dynamite hot chocolate cake/brownie with a molten interior are among the dessert choices. Wang's has a kashrut certificate, and there's a NIS 41 ($10/£5.10) children's dinner not noted on the menu. Tip: Look for 10% discount coupons in tourist brochures or at www.eluna.com.
The Beach
Eilat is a city built around its beaches. Yes there are the pesky port and the Navy Base that take up some swathes of coastline but otherwise, lay back and enjoy. The beaches at the north part of the Red Sea are hopping with music, sun-beds, bars and restaurants (and “hotties” galore). Quieter beaches are to be had as you head south towards the Princess Hotel, The Coral Beach, where you can snorkel on a coral reef and the aptly named Quiet Beach.
The Eilat Mall
This seaside mall is Eilat's biggest shopping center. All the shops and temptations are here - and since Eilat is a tax free zone, there is no VAT, a substantial discount! Some of the stores you'll recognize and some will be new to you but are sure to find something you need...or want...or for a gift...but you'll keep for yourself...
Dolphin Reef
Dolphin Reef is a magical palm-fringed beach whose azure waters are home to a delightful natural treasure - a school of bottle-nosed dolphins that live as a homogenous group including a number of babies born and living at the reef. The Dolphins are not captive and live quite naturally at the reef in an area of some 10,000 square meters by 18 meters deep. They have free access to the open sea at all times and they often venture out from the reef, staying away for as long as they wish. The fact that they return is testament to the good-natured friendship that exists between the dolphins, visitors and staff at the reef. You can swim and/or dive with the dolphins. What a great memory to have!
Coral World (Underwater Observatory)
What a great way to get to see Eilat's unique and colorful marine wildlife - and let them get a good look at you! In the world famous Underwater observatory you can descend below sea level for a close encounter with funky fish, creepy-crawly (and very not kosher) crustaceans and other unique fish, coral and more. This is one of those "not to be missed" attractions.
Read More: http://www.coralworld.com/eilat/eng/
Kings City
A theme park of biblical proportions! Take a Journey to the Past and explore the Cave of Illusion and Wisdom. Ride a boat through the King Solomon Falls and many more adventures await you in this once-in-a lifetime experience!
Read More: http://www.kingscity.co.il/en/index.asp
Red Sea Sport Club
Are you a licensed scuba diver? Do you want to learn? How about an introductory dive? This is the premier diving club in Eilat - but that's not all: you can go snorkeling, on jeep tours in the desert, sail on the blue waters of the Red Sea or even try your skills at a shooting range. Give them a call, then strap on your fins!
IMAX 3D
If you have never seen a movie in 3D before - you should try it here. Facing a huge screen, you feel immersed in the experience. Later, explore the lobby and guess how many of the 200 wax figures is Jewish or try your hand at ice-skating on a synthetic rink. Loads of fun!
Hananya Beach
Get ready for sun and sea and fun! Motorboats, pedal boats, kayaks, banana boats, inner-tubing water skiing, parasailing, and bicycle rental. But that is not all - sail on the Jules Verne - a glass bottom boat around the coral reefs, or enjoy a cruise on a yacht around the Red Sea. Woo-hoo! Have some fuuuuuuuun!!!!
The Camel Ranch in Nahal Shlomo
Take a camel safari deep into the desert. Explore the stark beauty of the mountains around Eilat and here lore of the Bedouins, drink tea brewed with desert herbs and have a unique fun time unlike anything you have ever experienced. Just beware of the camels - they spit!
The Three Monkeys
The Unplugged
The Platinum Club
Beach Parties
The Underground Pub
The Promenade
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