Tourism Breaking News
Efendi Hotel, a 12-room luxury boutique property that is the living testament to the ancient city of Akko’s 5,300-year history, today announces it will officially reopen to receive guests on August 24, 2021.
Efendi Hotel will offer bookings of its enchanted rooms and suites, all of which are furnished and equipped to the highest standards and have a unique character and style. Several of the rooms’ ceilings feature restored motifs and frescos, while others are made from preserved wood. Most of the windows offer Mediterranean sea views, while others look out over the ancient city of Akko and the scenic mountains of the Western Galilee. Guests will also be permitted use of the hotel’s rooftop, with sweeping views of the sea and Old City of Akko, and will receive in-room breakfast and wine and cheese upon request.
Nestled in the picturesque narrow lanes of the Old City of Akko, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the former capital of the Crusader Kingdom, Efendi Hotel holds the highest level of architectural preservation and restoration out of any private building in Israel. The property officially opened in February 2012 following a meticulous eight-year restoration process of the original buildings overseen by tourism innovator, chef and entrepreneur Uri Jeremias along with archaeologists and antiquities experts who were hired to restore the Byzantine and Crusader-era cellar. Jeremias oversaw the restoration of the two original Ottoman buildings and hand-painted motifs and frescos along the walls and ceilings, including a fresco of an ancient Istanbul.
The unique structure of Efendi Hotel begins in the property’s wine cellar, which in itself is based upon bricks from the Byzantine era of Akko, more than 1,500 years ago. Ascending from the wine cellar is the dining room and the main lobby of the Efendi Hotel, which includes a foundation from the Crusader era (900 years ago) in its midsection and restored walls and foundations from the Ottoman period (more than 400 years ago). What is currently used as the Efendi Hotel dining room was once a church built during the Crusader period in Akko.
For maximum relaxation and enjoyment, the hotel features wellness treatment rooms for singles or couples, as well as an original Turkish bath, known as a Hammam, that has been painstakingly preserved and used for restorative treatments. An intimate wine bar has been built in the restored and renovated wine cellar with foundations dating back to the Byzantine era. Throughout the hotel lies relics and historic furniture pieces, contemporary art, books, chandeliers and other design elements that truly recreated the zeitgeist of Akko’s original grandeur. And just a short walk from the hotel is the famed Uri Buri restaurant, a culinary institution by the namesake chef and a sought-out destination for gourmets from Israel and around the world.
Taking into account all of the antiquities, ruins, original structures and unique location in a 5,300-year-old city, within Efendi Hotel guests will feel as if the have been transported into the past grandeur of Akko combined with the modern look, feel and comfort of a luxury boutique hotel. From its early importance as a stop along the wine route; an epicenter for the development of Medieval medicines and plants to its importance today as a vibrant seaside destination replete with pristine Mediterranean beaches and access to water sports (kitesurfing, windsurfing, swimming), Akko delivers a one-of-a-kind travel experience unique to its history, location and and modern day offerings.
photo credit to Assaf Pinchuk
