Mayer House Hotel is located directly on Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Street, about 100 meters away from the famed Dizengoff Square, where protesters who had arrived early for a planned demonstration were still lounging in the grass on this first summery day of the year.
The hotel building itself dates from the ’70s and exudes the classic modernist Tel Aviv style. After housing offices, a dance studio and a bar, it was converted into a hotel that opened in March 2022. Located smack dab in one of the busiest corners of the city, Mayer House does not have its own parking facility. We were graciously given one of the few staff parking spaces under the hotel, but there are many parking garages in close vicinity and it is easily accessible by public transportation.
Going up the steps from the parking garage, we entered the beautiful reception area. As the building wasn’t originally planned as a hotel but retrofitted for the purpose, the entrance area is relatively small. It is also the first showcase for the stylish design present throughout the hotel.
The decor, the walls and floors are designed in a luxurious but understated style, reminiscent of 1920s Art Deco with a modern twist. The cushions and carpets in shimmering dark green tones, golden metal appliances and vibrant black-white marble create a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere, without overwhelming the eye.
Then it was time to inspect our room. We were given a corner suite, with a beautiful small balcony overlooking Dizengoff Street. Two sides of the room are glass-fronted and allow beautiful vistas of the city.
The view can even be enjoyed sitting in the bathtub, which is located right in the corner of the room, surrounded by glass and the Tel Aviv skyline. The spacious bathroom once again shows off the luxurious design, featuring tasteful gold-plated faucets and a huge marble shower area.
After freshening up and relaxing on the balcony for a while, we headed out to explore the vicinity of the hotel. Even though it is just a 10-minute walk from the beach, we decided instead to head into the hustle and bustle of Dizengoff Street on a Saturday evening.
We returned from our walk appropriately hungry, which would immediately be remedied by our dinner in the hotel’s rooftop restaurant. Part of the rooftop is occupied by the hotel’s bistro, which until now opened to the public only in the evening, but will soon begin operating from lunchtime. The other half of the rooftop is taken up by a breathtaking infinity pool with a view the Tel Aviv cityscape.
Dinner at Mayer House
We began our meal with some excellent rosé wine and fresh bread. The restaurant’s menu doesn’t separate first courses from main dishes, instead letting you choose from a plethora of options that all come in mid-size portions. We began with a sashimi dish, served on labaneh cheese sprinkled with pistachios, which might have been our favorite dish of the night.
Then arrived a wagyu meat skewer, whose beefy flavors were well balanced out by the tangy and spicy amba-tahini sauce. Next, we had shrimp served in an aromatic cherry tomato sauce, which was so good we had to order more bread to scoop up every last drop. The last dish was wonderful lamb meat, slow-cooked for six hours and served on freshly baked laffa bread.
The food was truly excellent and was served by an attentive and friendly staff. The dinner thus continued the theme of simple, understated excellence we experienced throughout our whole stay. We then treated ourselves to desserts of Greek panna cotta and a dish best described by its name, “Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate,” before retiring to a quiet corner of the roof next to the pool.
There we enjoyed the cool evening breeze and some cocktails, which were excellent as well. The relaxed rooftop atmosphere was only briefly interrupted by one of the city’s weekly protests that went right by the hotel, but this only served to underscore and enhance our Tel Aviv experience.
The next morning we received a breakfast voucher at the reception and went to have breakfast at Cafe Mayer, which in spite of taking up the hotel’s first floor and sharing its name, does not belong to the hotel but is owned by one of the hotel’s owners. Our breakfast of croque madame and poached eggs with salmon was good, but a noticeable step down from the truly special dinner the night before.
After breakfast, we were excited for the couple’s spa treatment, as we are not experienced spa-goers. We were not disappointed. The hotel’s spa, which was only recently opened, occupies its own floor, making it convenient to simply ride the elevator down directly to the spa entrance. We were welcomed with a bottle of sparkling wine by the charming massage therapists and began the treatment. The dimmed lights, the tastefully curated fragrances and the skilled hands massaging us made the time an absolute joy, leaving us supremely relaxed.
Then it was time to pack our things and leave our rooms, but we were graciously allowed by the hotel manager to stay a while longer and continue to enjoy the rooftop, which, he assured us, is something all guests are invited to do.
Our impressions regarding the target group of the hotel were confirmed by manager Ronen Abutbul, who explained that the hotel’s design and ambience are catered mainly towards a younger business clientele, including many hi-tech workers traveling to Tel Aviv from abroad. This is reflected in the hotel’s pricing, which starts at NIS 1,000 including breakfast and thus might deter families. In spite of this, we saw some very content-looking children on the rooftop, and Abutbul stressed that, of course, everybody is welcome at Mayer House.
Mayer House Hotel exhibits effortless, understated excellence and an eye for (golden) detail. It is ideal for people looking for a stylish, urban getaway right in the beating heart of Israel’s metropolis.
The restaurant and café are not kosher.
The writer was a guest of the hotel.
