Ohalo Manor Hotel

Let me start with the positive. The hotel's location is great. It's right by the Sea of Galilee (the Kinneret), with plenty of the region's attractions a few minutes' drive away. But that's it. Let me also qualify myself by saying that there are several buildings in this complex and that there seem to be significant differences between them. The maintenance standard at the old and crumbling building we stayed in was atrocious. You call this a hotel? I wouldn't even call it a Youth Hostel. The dorms at a military base would be more inviting that these rooms which offer nothing. And I do mean nothing beyond the barest of bare essentials, and occasionally not even that. For example, there are soap and shampoo dispensers, but they did not make sure they were full before we came. They didn't equip the room with enough towels and we had to ask for more. The dining room is very crowded and very noisy. The food is occasionally inedible -- I encountered some undercooked meat. The table we were assigned to was not set completely or available at our assigned time and we had to wait for it to become available. Another negligible but annoying point relates to soft drinks. If you want any, you need to pay extra and buy bottles from the refrigerator. There are drink dispensers, but for some reason they only work in the morning. Thirsty in the evening? We're afraid you'll have to settle for tap water. How people would agree to pay such a fortune for this is beyond my comprehension. There are so many alternatives in the area, and it would be difficult to find a worse standard of hospitality than the one we were unfortunate enough to experience here.

We were part of a 14 person tour. Spent two nights at the hotel. Towel bars falling off the wall. Staff were rude and catered to the locals versus everyone. Children running around dining room not mashed by parents. We could not even talk to each other. Staff unwilling to talk to parents. Many of our group left without eating. On Shabbat morning we were unable to get proper coffee (not unexpected). However this did not prevent the staff from having their coffee which they snuck fro under the cloths covering the machine! No bar - only sold one type of wine. Would not allow us to open a bottle we had bought that day at a local winery.

We stayed here overnight and found a clean, beautiful place- fairly priced and staffed by professionals who did whatever was needed to make our stay pleasant. Also there was a great breakfast included in the price. Would definitely stay here again.