When entering the Efendi Hotel you feel Alibaba and Scheherazade might pop up on their magic carpet at any given moment and join you for a nice cup of tea, which will be served on a golden tray in the magnificent lobby by the pleasant and smiling staff.

For someone like me who thinks Istanbul is among the most beautiful cities in the world, this place is heaven on earth as you truly feel you have gone back in time.

Indeed, just as in my beloved Turkish city, you will come across true oriental beauty, classy and colorful designed furniture, refined chandeliers, shining marble floors and a labyrinth of different staircases leading to the mysterious and unknown philosophical and architectural ways of the building.

The floating smell in the palace is a mixture of the impressive flower bouquets illuminating the big halls, the spices used for the mouthwatering dishes of the restaurant and the wine which can be found in the cellar of this glowing gem.

The breathtaking view on the Mediterranean Sea, the surrounding neighborhood and the mosques of Akko will amaze you beyond words and will even surprise the most sceptic visitors.

But the true secret of the success of this place remains in the game of light and dazzling shadows as its strong and resonant silence produces an atmosphere which is impossible to replicate, even with special Hollywood movie effects.

The huge windows that can be found in almost all big, beautiful and divine halls of the palazzo are the real storytellers of this residence. They will uncover Akko’s reality, history, inhabitants and traditions to your eyes and I am sure you will do your utmost to catch every glimpse of this urban legendary reality.

This oriental empire of light and shadows in the middle of Akko is a must!

EFENDI HOTEL

Address: Louis HaTshi’i Street, 24124 Akko, Israel
Tel.: +972 74 729 97 99
Click here to visit Hotel Efendi’s website