Isrotel Princess

A five-star base in Eilat for a stay built around simple comforts: a restaurant, a bar, a pool, air conditioning and somewhere to leave the car. It is suited to divers who want the hotel to handle the practical bits while they get on with the important business of eating, cooling down and doing very little for a while.

The tone is straightforward rather than over-designed. You have a spa and sauna when your muscles have had enough of the day, a fitness centre if they have not, and room service when going back out feels like an unnecessary expedition.

You are in Eilat, Israel, around 5 miles from the city centre. That puts the hotel away from the main urban bustle, while still leaving the town within reach when you want shops, restaurants or a change of scene.

Taba Beach is nearby, placing the hotel in the southern part of the Eilat area. The setting works for a stay where the hotel is the evening base and the wider Red Sea coast supplies the reason for coming.

The rooms cover the useful basics rather than relying on decorative promises: air conditioning, a shower, television, minibar, slippers, hairdryer, toiletries and an in-room safe. Room service is available too, which matters when the legs have voted against another trip downstairs.

A minibar gives you somewhere to keep a drink cool, while the air conditioning helps bring the room back to a sensible temperature after a hot day outside. Facilities vary by room, so check the details of the room you choose rather than assuming every listed feature comes as standard.

Internet access is available in the rooms, and a lift makes the return from the lobby less of a logistical exercise. There is also a wake-up service, useful when the alarm needs to win an argument with a tired diver.

The hotel has a restaurant serving local cuisine, a bar for the less formal end of the evening, and breakfast. Bottled water is also available. It is a practical set-up for the day’s basic rhythm: breakfast before heading out, a proper meal when hunger catches up, and somewhere to sit with a drink afterwards.

The exact meal arrangement depends on the rate you select, so check that detail before booking. Room service gives you another option when you want food without changing out of the clothes that have survived the day.

The pool is the obvious place to switch from sea time to horizontal time. A terrace adds somewhere to sit outside, while the spa and sauna offer a more deliberate route to unwinding when shoulders and legs have been working hard.

There is also a fitness centre for those who still have energy to spend. Families are welcome, so the hotel can work for a mixed trip where not everyone follows the same timetable. For a quieter evening, the spa, room service and air conditioning make a convincing case for staying put.

Parking is available at the hotel, and internet access is provided. A lift, reception desk, currency exchange, safe facilities and laundry service cover the useful everyday details. Pressing services, newspapers and a conference room are also available for trips that mix downtime with practical business.

Visa and Mastercard are accepted. The hotel also has air conditioning throughout its listed facilities, and the rooms include a safe. Pets are not allowed, so that particular travel companion will need another plan.

The hotel is around 5 miles from central Eilat and Taba Beach is nearby. With no on-site dive centre attached to the property, you should arrange your diving separately and allow for the journey to your chosen centre.