The new Effendi Hotel in Acre is now open

The new Effendi Hotel in the ancient city of Acre has opened its doors to locals and tourists looking for a unique experience on the Mediterranean coast. The one of a kind boutique hotel was the brainchild of a local chef Uri Yarmias, who envisaged a calm artistic cultural oasis located amongst the hustle and bustle of the Old City of Acre. The hotel is situated inside a pair of fully restored two hundred year old houses with panoramic views of the western Galilee, the old city and the Mediterranean Sea. Under the supervision of the Israel Antiquities Authority and expert renovators flown in from Italy, the buildings were restored to reflect their former glory, with careful effort put into every minute detail. Each of twelve rooms is unique and boasts its own special panoramic view; some look out to the sea, others deep into the Western Galilee. The hotel bar is supplied with wine that is stored in its very own cellar, which dates back to the crusader period. Guests can relax at the hotel's spa, with treatment rooms, located in a 400 year old fully restored Turkish bath. Acre is a must see on every tourist's agenda. The city’s fascinating historical heritage, is a rare blend of East and West, authentic sights from the past, a unique meeting place of art and religion alongside the remains of various cultures - all these have made Acre one of the most important cities of the ancient world. The walls of the city, its fortresses and citadels, its churches and mosques and the other buildings within its boundaries, tell the history of the many rulers who governed it and fought for it, who built the city and glorified it. Acre’s most prominent sites include ruins from the Hellenistic-Roman period and buildings from the Crusader and Ottoman periods: Al Jazar Mosque, the buildings of the Order of Saint John, the subterranean Crusader city, Khan Al Omdan, the Turkish Baths (which now house the municipal museum), the Bahai Temple and more. In Acre you will be able to see the fingerprints of many peoples and religious movements: the Canaanites, the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Crusaders, the Mamelukes, the Turks and the British.