Haifa: Gallery Hotel and Ramses Restaurant

Haifa was our first stop on our recent trip to Israel. We stayed the Gallery Hotel located at 61 Herzl Street.

This turned into a great place to stay. The staff was extremely nice and the hotel has some parking. There is an outdoor lot that accommodates about 6 cars. One night when we couldn't find a spot the staff was creative in getting us in the lot. Getting a hotel with parking is very hard to do in Haifa.

The hotel prides itself on their artwork and they should. On top of the art in the hallways, there are sculptures that really caught my attention. The lobby is spacious and has a computer.

Our room was small but clean with hardwood floors. There were no amenities i.e. no hairdryer, iron, shampoo or even tissues. The first night we got two towels but then we got more. We had a refrigerator and safe. Although we were supposed to have WI-Fi we did not. We had WI-Fi in the lobby and sat in the comfortable chairs and checked our e-mail. We had a view of the Mediterranean from our room and for $125.00 a night it was perfect for us. There was a decent fitness room in the hotel.

If you have your heart on a huge Israeli buffet then skip Gallery Hotel. If you want a terrific and filling complementary breakfast in their restaurant where anyone can eat, then this is it. Each morning we were given juice, fresh bread, salads and our choice of eggs. The salads alone could be breakfast. Cappuccino, coffee, or tea were offered as well. The owner was very nice and got to know us since every morning we got there right after rush hour.

The concierge at the hotel suggested a restaurant in Germantown that was supposed to be a 20 minute walk. We toured a bit, which I wouldn't suggest if you are in a hurry because we walked for about an hour. We ended up at an amazing restaurant called Ramses. The address and hours are: 22 Ben Gurion Street and Sunday through Saturday 12:00 to 11:00p.m

The man we thought might be the owner put down tahini, hummus, eggplant, potatoes, tomato salad garlic bread and more. We learned that we could have this for 17 sheckels (divide by about 3.5 give or take depending on the day) or we could have it with a meal for 35 sheckels (NIS). We went with the latter and got delicious food. I got a lot of decent-sized shrimp dish in garlic butter and my husband got fried St. Peters fish, which is native to Israel it seems. Note that fried in Israel isn't fried like we know it. In fact the fish didn't look fried.

There was no one in Ramses when we first walked in. Don't be afraid of that. It was wonderful. On the way back take a right from Ramses and you will be treated to Baha'i Gardens lit up. You'll pass a McDonald's where you can get soft serve ice cream and a convenience store if you want to pick up some items for your frig.