Princess

Princess Review

The southernmost hotel in Israel (it's five minutes from the Egyptian border), the Princess, which has recently completed a two-year renovation, is one of Eilat's most luxurious hotels. Owned by Frankfurt businessman Alexander Tessler, it has a light-filled reception area facing a two-story sheer rock cliff through a soaring glass wall; the public spaces are dazzlingly white with gold trim. The pool area—the largest in the city—is a country club in itself, where squiggle-shape pools connected by bridges afford views of charcoal gray mountains across the bay. Down at the serene snorkeling beach, reached by a short tunnel under the road, two jetties lead to the water, and suntanning beds beckon. The spa in this self-contained resort is ultramodern, and the two restaurants, under the direction of well-known Israeli chef Peter Hummel, offer superb fare.