The Margosa Hotel in Jaffa, Israel is a hidden gem nestled in the bustling streets of the historic port city. From the moment we arrived, we were struck by the hotel’s charming atmosphere and welcoming staff. The rooms are spacious and well-appointed, with comfortable beds and modern amenities. But it’s the hotel’s location that really sets it apart – just a short walk from the old city and the Mediterranean Sea, it’s the perfect base for exploring all that Jaffa has to offer.
The Hospitality at the Hotel
In in every corner of the hotel you feel the amazing approach of the embracing and smiling hospitality. This is reflected by the service of the lovely staff members; they will be for you for any request and answer with big smile. Free refreshments including great cakes and many types of high-quality and delicious coffee served 24 hours a day 7 days a week. You can notice that this place has different cleanliness level from what we use to get in a boutique hotel. The breakfast is something you never experience, varied and rich Jaffa breakfast which include the famous Shakshuka, variety of filled pastry and much more.
My Experience with Margosa Hotel
I can say without a doubt:
This is the best boutique hotel in Jaffa, the best in Tel Aviv and maybe even the best in Israel.
Urban courtyard hotel in Tel Aviv Jaffa inspired by Jaffa’s Orange orchards.
I have already been in a leading 5-star hotels in Israel and the world, and if I had to rate the hotel according to the five-star system, it would receive 7 stars for me (same like that famous hotel in Dubai lol).
Margosa Hotel location
The location of the hotel is also perfect: In the best place of Jaffa, two minutes’ walk to the lively and iconic Jaffa flea market, five minutes’ walk to the center of the old city and the galleries of Jaffa and seven minutes’ walk to the beautiful port of Jaffa. The hotel is just few minutes drive from the center of Tel Aviv.
About Margosa Hotel
An urban Jaffa hotel (in a beautiful and unique building) with a hidden patio corner.
The hotel has decorated rooms of different sizes from 20 square meters to 35 square meters. Each room has a balcony overlooking Old Jaffa, quality beds, outstanding spacious shower rooms with a double shower head, smart TV connected to the IP TV system, fast wireless internet (WiFi) free of charge in all areas of the hotel.
Each room has a coffee/tea set with electric kettle, mini fridge, a safe, and hair dryer. The hotel has an underground parking space based on availability.
The hotel has a new and modern meeting room that is equipped with the best multimedia equipment and is perfect for meetings, events and social gatherings. The hotel’s design is full of implicit reminders of the Jaffa oranges and the pastoral orchards that were on the hotel’s site until about 90 years ago, with an original combination of modern-minimalist design and traditional oriental motifs.
About the designe of the hotel
Tel Aviv studio Dani Revesz Architects ( www.danirevesz.com ) and Venice based designer Omri Revesz (www.omrirevesz.com ) transform a residential complex in the heart of Jaffa Tel Aviv into an urban hotel, featuring a courtyard inspired by Jaffa’s famous oranges orchards.
Jaffa, the southern quarter of Tel Aviv, and its oldest part, is a highly growing area in the city scape and life, uniquely giving space to a wide range of cultures and activities, presenting a solid model of conviviality in mixedcultures
contexts.
The building history itself is very interesting, it is actually build in a place where till 90 years used to be an orchard. We thought this was a challenging kickstart for the design. Infact, by the relation with the orchards, we wanted the hotel to present and symbolize the beauty and magic of the context, not only by traditional motives, but through a combination of elements from the variety of cultures living in Jaffa and from different times, to become a beginning of a new openminded approach to the context.
Rooms
In each room, a standalone concrete table structure, seald with Tadlakt plaster (traditional water resistant pressed plaster) is dividing between the sleeping and shower (wet) zones, allowing no walls divisions in the room and an open atmosphere.
Furniture in the rooms were cnc sculptured locally out of wornout cedar solid wood, recuperated from ancient constructions in jaffa. Beyond its structural qualities and appearance, the cedar enriches the rooms with a spectacular smell of nature. Traditional mashrabiya concept is used to create custom curtains, allowing light to come in form the holes during daytime, but reflecting it through its full parts, blocking the sight from outside.
The History Behind the Hotel Building
The hotel is structured over 4 floors, divided into public spaces and private rooms. The rooms are developed along the curved contour of the building, all facing the street with an inhabitable terrace, whilst the public spaces are facing the courtyard, a green public cafè area with orange trees, integrating local city life with tourism and guests.
From the entrance, through the public spaces and to the rooms and showers, the floors are all covered with floral custom made concrete tiles, inspired by Jaffa’s traditional painted tiles, but with a contemporary random geometry. The dominant green floor was a key element to continuously unify all the spaces of the hotel (under the same concept).
In each of Jaffa’s orchard lots there were limestone structures, sealed with plaster to be used as wells, ponds and irrigation canals, which led to water to each of the orchard trees.
The orchard soil was covered with carpets of spring flowers similar to those described Botticelli’s painting “La Primavera”.
The smell of the flowers mingled with the intoxicating odors of citrus trees blossom resulting in a pastoral atmosphere that could only be created in orchards.
This pastoral atmosphere is what they were trying to recover and weave everywhere in the hotel: by the floral paving, the structures on which basing are placed to define the showers, a variety mashrabiya, the filtered natural light, soft coloring and tints, natural materials, old photographs of Jaffa, its orchards, its characters and liberated atmosphere.
Video of My Visit
About Jaffa
Jaffa is not a holy city and has no monuments of worldwide importance, but it is diverse, cosmopolitan and interesting.
There is the sea, beaches, harbor, flea market, old city, alleys, arches, vaults, roofs, unique pink plaster, limestone, marble pillars, lots of cedar from Lebanon, painted tiles and lattice work (mashrabiya).
It has many kinds of people and religions: Jews, Muslims, Christians, Maronites, Copts, Catholics, Greeks grew up Orthodox, Greek Catholics and secularists, poor, rich, immigrants, locals, pilgrims and tourists.
It has many flavors and smells: fish, hummus, musabaha, pita bread, hyssop, lemon, baklawa, coffee and so on, but above all, Jaffa is known for its oranges JAFFA, local variety Shamuti.
(and maybe what unify in modern times all these diversities).
About Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv, it’s the major city and economic centre in Israel, It’s admittedly not the capitel city of Israel, but it’s definitely the most vibrant city in Israel
situated on the Mediterranean coast some 40 miles (60 km) northwest of Jerusalem. Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 as a Jewish garden suburb of the ancient Mediterranean port of Jaffa (now Yafo), with which it was joined in 1950. By the beginning of the 21st century, the modern city of Tel Aviv had developed into a major economic and cultural centre. Tel Aviv is headquarters for a number of government ministries, including the Ministry of Defense, as well as other public organizations, such as the Histadrut (General Federation of Labour). Most of the foreign embassies in Israel are also located in the city. In addition, most of Israel’s large corporations are headquartered in Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv has one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, perhaps only the beach of Rio de Janeiro can compete with the beautiful beaches and all the extensive activities that take place on its wonderful beaches
