Okay - so every so often I check CO frequent flier availability to Israel and last night they had 4 cheap first/business class seats available on the non-stop Newark to Tel Aviv run on December 26th but I couldn't get anything for the return, so I called CO.
Got the most helpful agent who went through about 1/2 a dozen iterations for the return finally finding one on KLM for the return through Amsterdam. It's not the greatest routing, a day later than we wanted (kids will miss 3 days of school), with an 8 hour layover in Amsterdam, returning into JFK. She suggested taking it though b/c of Chris's platinum status, if something better opens up, we can always change it at no cost. I agreed, so we booked it! The complete routing was only 120K miles a ticket which I never thought we'd get!
Now, I'll just check daily to see if something else opens up better on the return but at least the tickets are set. Must go look at hotels now!
GREAT, Kim. Although you don't write when your return is. Hope we can meet. Keep me informed. And let me know if you need any help with hotels, info, etc.
Thanks Joe, actually, we were debating of whether or not to head down to Eilat for a couple of days at the end of our trip. How easy is it to get there? I'm assuming we would fly from Tel Aviv - any ideas on airline websites I could check pricing?
Originally posted by Kim: Thanks Joe, actually, we were debating of whether or not to head down to Eilat for a couple of days at the end of our trip. How easy is it to get there? I'm assuming we would fly from Tel Aviv - any ideas on airline websites I could check pricing?
Here are the links to the sites of the two domestic airlines that do the flight from Tel Aviv to Eilat.
Flights from TA are frequent, and the small airport in Eilat is situated smack in the middle of the town, so you're not more than a 5-10 minute taxi drive from most hotels. The flight from Tel Aviv is less than an hour.
Flights from Tel Aviv usually leave from an airstrip in the northern suburbs of the city called Sde Dov, but there are also flights from the Ben Gurion International Airport (can be accessed by train from Tel Aviv). Make sure you check which port your flight flies out of.
Buses take around five hours - half the trip is through the desert, so it's nice if you're not used to that type of scenery - otherwise it's a bit tedious.
At the end of December weather is perfect down here...
Posts: 177 | Location: Israel | Registered: 21 July 2007
Just out of curiosity here, hoping Joe can answer:
In 1978, we drove from Jerusalem to Eilat via Mitzpe Ramon (a magnificent crater area), and visited the Nabatean ruins. This was a spectacular drive. Then we continued to Eilat. I remember that we drove on a very old road ---- is this road still open? It had been replaced by a newer one, further east, so I am wondering.
(An aside: As we were driving south from Mitzpe Ramon, we saw almost no traffic on the road, and we increasingly saw shadows as the sun got lower and lower in the sky. Despite all the evidence to the contrary (only one road, and the sun right up there where it should be) we began to wonder whether we were in fact on the correct road, and whether we would ever get to our destination . We (my husband and I) tried to hide our concern from our little 5 year-old daughter sitting there in the back seat, so we didn't say a word about this. But, she eventually piped up and said:
"I know what's going to happen. Our car is going to break down, and we will be stuck, and no one will find us, and we will all die here."
Well, clearly we found our way, and had a lovely few days in Eilat, and lived to tell the tale. (But we drove back on the newer road.)
Originally posted by Marian: Just out of curiosity here, hoping Joe can answer:
In 1978, we drove from Jerusalem to Eilat via Mitzpe Ramon (a magnificent crater area), and visited the Nabatean ruins. This was a spectacular drive. Then we continued to Eilat. I remember that we drove on a very old road ---- is this road still open? It had been replaced by a newer one, further east, so I am wondering.
You drove on what is today the "secondary" route to Eilat, via Mitzpe Ramon (Highway 40 as opposed to Highway 90, that goes the whole length of Israel's eastern side). The road from Mitzpe Ramon has been impressively overhauled, making it the preferred way to go if you're looking for a more scenic drive, without the trucks and usually heavier traffic on Highway 90 (what you call the newer road). It's a bit longer, but well worth the added minutes since it's been renewed. It's my preferred route going up and down, especially during the day.
The improved road has brought more travelers down this route, encouraging the establishment of various types of stopping places - goat cheese farms, cafes in Mitzpe Ramon, and more.
For someone who has never done the routes, I'd say go down #90 and go back through #40.
Posts: 177 | Location: Israel | Registered: 21 July 2007
Just saw a headline in Ha'aretz online that Arkia and Israir are petitioning the government--- which has recently given ElAl a route from TA to Eilat --- to rescind permission. Apparently they think it will take over all the traffic on that route.
(Can't do a link, as it is one of those rolling headlines from Israel Army Radio.)
I have two striking memories of Eilat from my time there more than 30 years ago. Eilat had the most gorgeous blue water, fish and coral for snorkeling, and it was also where I acquired the the worst sunburn of my entire life.
It's worth the time in transportation (whether by road or air) to get there, IMHO.
Thanks Anita, we're already here though. In the end we decided to not go to Eilat as we're only here 10 days and to spend that time traveling back and forth didn't seem worth it for a couple of days. We did end up spending two nights in Ein Boqeq and probably could have easily spent a third there.
. We (my husband and I) tried to hide our concern from our little 5 year-old daughter sitting there in the back seat, so we didn't say a word about this. But, she eventually piped up and said:
