City and resort Eilat on the Red Sea in Israel

Israel owns only 12 kilometers of the coast of the Red Sea in the Bay of Aqaba, and the only Krasnoarsk resort of the country is located on this section of the shore – Eilat. Of course, in Eilat are not only hotels, but also a large seaport, naval base and research centers.

Now (approx.: This article was updated in the fall of 2019) attendance of the resort of Eilat by our tourists stably high. In 2018, Israel visited 316,000 tourists from Russia, and approximately half of them rested in Eilat.

After banning sales of tours to the resorts of Egypt and the abolition of air traffic with this country, Eilat turned out to be the only one affordable year-round resort for most ours.

Dominican Punta Cana, Thai Pattaya and Phuket and Chinese Island Hainan – It’s now far and expensive. The replacement could be the Moroccan resort of Agadir, but the charter flights are no longer flying there, as the demand has fallen much.

And Eilat is close, and prices for accommodation in hotels here are available. Sea temperature in winter here is rarely lowered below 21.5 degrees, and the air temperature in the middle average – 20 degrees. In addition, tourist infrastructure is very well developed in Eilat. There is an oceanarium, dolphinarium, amusement park and even ice skating rink.

Facts and numbers

Eilat is a city with a permanent population of about 52,000 people (data of the Central Bureau of Statistics from 25.08.2019). There are about 50 hotels of different categories ‘stars’ with approximately 11,000 rooms. This resort is difficult to name ‘big’. For example, in the neighboring El-Sheikh charm, the number of hotels is already approaching 200.

Nearby across the border is the Egyptian tab of Taba, which is much smaller than Eilat. Tourists in Taba gladly went to the bus tours to the Dead Sea and in Jerusalem. Now everything changed a little.

Now our tourists from Eilat leave for excursions to Egypt to Moise Mountain and the Monastery of Holy Katerina. Eilat is more convenient for tours for excursion lovers, from here closer to the famous town of Peter in Jordan, and do not need to move the border to see the sights of Israel himself.

Features of the resort Eilat for our tourists

Unlike neighboring Egyptian resorts, there are almost no hotels with the "All Inclusive" in Eilat. Hotels Ai here not more than a dozen.

In Israel, high prices for rest over the system ‘All Inclusive’. If the tour with breakfast included in the price of living, you can buy for 65,000 rubles (7 nights, 4 stars hotel, 2 people in one room), the similar tour ‘All Inclusive’ will cost already from 90,000 rubles and above. In neighboring Egypt, there is no such price difference.

Such a big difference is due to high prices for food and alcohol in Israel. For example, a kilogram of potatoes in Egypt costs 10-12 Egyptian pounds, and in Israel he has already worth 5-6 Israeli shekels. feel the difference! Prices for most products, see our detailed article "Product prices in Israel".

Also, our tourists are accustomed to hot jackets in Egypt and Turkey. In Eilat, there are such hotels, but there are few of them. More precisely, at the time of publication of this review of them only 8. All of them are classified as 5 stars, and prices for tours for 7 nights begin from 110,000 rubles.

The reason for this is a huge beach line shortage. In Eilat, only 12 kilometers of the beach, and part of it is employed under the port and parking of the yacht, the part is used for the dolphinarium and the oceanarium, and the longest band is highlighted for public beaches.

In Eilat, you will have to put up with a walk to the public beach, or even with a trip to it. Public beaches are free, but you need to pay for the rental of umbrellas and sun beds.

Eilat is not a full-fledged replacement of Egypt’s All Inclusive hotels, it needs to be understood first. It is from this misunderstanding that all negative tourist reviews arise.

What to look at the resort Eilat

COAL BEACH NATURE RESERVE – This is a reserve consisting of 1.2 kilometers of the beach and adjacent coral reefs. These are the most northern coral reefs on our planet. About 270 species of corals and more than 2500 types of marine animals live here. This is one of the most popular diving sites on the Red Sea.

Underwater Observatory – This is a big oceanarium, where more than 800 species of marine animals live. Details in our article "Underwater Observatory".

Dolphin Reef – This is Dolphinarium. Unfortunately, here do not suit the show. But you can swim with dolphins. Details in our article "Dolphin Reef".

Yotvata Hai-Bar Nature Reserve – This is a reserve where you can see the rare animals of the desert. Animals are in a natural medium, and not in cells.

Kings City – Amusement Park, stylized under biblical topics. Very colorful place.

Ice Mall – shopping center with a cinema, rides, restaurants and shops. There is a real ice rink. In the Middle East, now such a fashion is to arrange rollers in shopping centers, remember at least Dubai Mall. Details in our article "Shopping Centers Eilat".

But the most interesting for tourists is the location of Ice Mall in the Special Trade Area. Here from buyers is not charged VAT tax (VAT), which in Israel VAT is equal to 17%. However, prices are not so low here as tourists await.

Have a good holiday in Eilat, and read other articles about this country (Links below).