Eilat, Eilat

Eila is a Finnish female name. That's why the Israeli town ”Eilat” sounds like two Eilas in our language. So, what about visiting these two lovely ladies – if you get my joke? :)

It all started with my cousin actually. It was a painfully long Finnish winter. Dark, cold and snowy – the usual stuff. A break in a warm, sunny destination sounded like a great idea. As Spain, Italy or Greece aren't too warm in March/April, we looked for a destination more in the South, but close enough for the trip to be reasonably priced and worth going for one week. Eilat fit our criteria. But, between my work projects and her thesis pains, we weren't able to find a time slot that would fit both of our schedules.

I told my mother about this who then suddenly jumped at the chance: I want to visit Israel! It didn't take long until we booked the holiday in Eilat in January, and my long, dark winter started looking much better as I had something to look forward to in early March. From then on, it was counting the days till we leave.

And finally the 8^th of March came. The charter flight took something between four and five hours, and when landing at Ovda airport my tired, blinded-by-the-winter-darkness eyes saw palm trees, desert and the so bright sunlight. It was like landing in a bliss of my own making, guarded by an armed man when stepping out of the airplane.

The formalities entering Israel did take a while. The border control people were very keen on our holiday plans, and probably found it interesting that we had different last names – yet were family. Never mind, after the 24 questions we were greeted by smiling Israeli men at the airport, welcoming us to the country.

There was an hour drive from the airport to the town of Eilat, and the scenery was nothing but desert on the way. Those kibbutzim build in the area seemed like an utmost miracle, how anyone could cultivate anything in this dry land. The tall palm trees standing in orderly rows in the desert, pushing out delicious dates for us to enjoy, reminded me of persistent soldiers – standing there straight, diligently, and loyally persisting the heat and sun.

We stayed at Hotel Astral Coral which definitely was worth its price tag. It was centrally located, and the proximity to the Eilat Airport (located right downtown) did not bother us at all. When arriving at the hotel, the reception desk was congested with Israeli tourists all shouting and yelling very loud, and the hotel poor staff trying to meet their demands. Typical Mediterranean mess where no one seemed to get nowhere. It looked like it might take a while until we get a room, so I dug out my Greek attitude and elbowed my way rudely through the masses of these loud, short, dark-haired pensioners and handed over my passport to get a room. It paid off, as the guy at the reception gave us a very, very spacious room with a view to the pool. Toda!

Just looooved waking up to this every morning!

The first thing we did was to head for some food. And something local, please. We headed for a street side restaurant serving falafels, Jerusalem mix, shwarma and my personal favorite – hummus. After the confusion on how to order (sit down and wait, go to the desk, pick it up yourself, what about tipping, how much is this in euros) we got huge plates of fresh stuff in front of us – and couldn't even finish the half of it. Delicious! Then we visited a supermarket to pick up some water, local snacks and dates.

Eilat isn't a very big place, so we decided to check out whatever the tour guide had recommended. Right the next day, we took a taxi to a nearby kibbutz where shabbat buffet dinner was served. Never mind the humble surroundings, the buffet table was something I had never seen before. There were... So. Many. Different. Dishes. Everything fresh, everything local. It does not get any better than this! By the time I had sampled through the delicious salads and veggie stuff, I barely had room for the meat - let alone dessert. Israelis know how to eat, and they do it well! The people enjoying this massive feast were mixed: tourists like us, young teenagers working at the kibbutz and local Jews. They recited their shabbat prayers and blessings without anyone interfering or getting annoyed. Only my mother and I shyly spied on them and wondered what they were saying in Hebrew, as we had never seen or heard something like this in Finland.

Unfortunately I didn't take photos at the kibbutz, but this was just the salad section of the dinner at our hotel. One night, the hotel treated us for the dinner for free. Toda again!

A couple of other things I enjoyed in Eilat was, ehm, the Mall by the Sea. It doesn't take much to please me, but visiting the Gap, Gant, shoe shops etc. keep me happy no matter where I am. When entering the mall, handbags where screened for weapons or bombs - but that's just how things work in Israel. At least you know you're safe inside. Another sight is the local Aquarium and underwater observatory. Getting there by local bus was cheap and relatively easy. It was fun, and the perfect way for us non-divers to see the underwater wonders of the Red Sea without getting our feet wet.

Here you can get familiar with the wonderful fauna and flora of the Red Sea.

A souvenir I picked up at the Aquarium.

There is also a quite nice beach promenade in Eilat, packed with little shops selling souvenirs and whatnot. I stocked up on affordable but good Dead Sea cosmetics as they were a steal at €2/tube or jar. A special offer at the sunglass hut prompted my mother and I to buy sunglasses: Marc Jacobs for her, Dior pour moi. My vacation also included a day trip to Petra in Jordan (be prepared for some border control formalities) and a day visit to Jerusalem.

A holiday in Eilat offers two birds with one stone: catch the ancient city of Petra in Jordan while you're in Israel.

Eilat is a nice destination for a vacation, if you're looking for a quiet place to spend a relaxing week at. Compared to the other Mediterranean countries, here you won't be bothered by pushy (door)men at restaurants, nightclubs or souvenir shop but may stroll around in peace. I saw only one stray cat during my visit, and no one got food poisoning (hooray kosher?:). For beginners, it might take some time getting used to armed soldiers, kosher hotels (e.g. automated elevators and coffee machines on shabbat, no meat at breakfast) and Israel is not a country of low prices compared to Finland - price levels are more or less the same except for the cheap cosmetics and falafel joints. I would go to Eilat again, and then seize the opportunity to swim with the dolphins and buy the Mulberry Alexa bag tax free at the Helsinki Airport upon departure!

I just wanted to grab a small bite. Not chicken wraps the size of my arms and a whole loaf of bread...!