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Rooms:
Carmel
or Carmel Deluxe:
The basic rooms. Includes beds, table & chairs and bath. Deluxe room faces the forest. Carmel faces parking and forest.
Tzameret
or Garden room:
Spacious room, includes sitting area, balcony and 2 sunloungers
overlooking the forest or garden.
Carmel Suite: elegant luxurious with a salon area, balcony and 2 sunloungers
overlooking the forest.
Tzameret Suite: Two room luxurious suite with a salon, balcony and 2 sunloungers
overlooking the forest. There is only one Tzameret Suite in the hotel. |
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Tips For Your Stay at The Carmel Forest Spa Resort
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The Layout of the Resort:
The Carmel Forest Spa Resort is built against a mountain, and it is terraced along the side of the mountain. The terraced architecture makes it easy to get to between floors by stairs. But there are two elevators for your convenience. The entrance and the lobby are on level 5. An elevator takes you to the rooms on the 6 and 7 floors, the upper floors at the hotel. A different elevator takes you down to the spa on the second floor, the dining room on the 4th floor, and the rooms on the other floors.
Rooms:
The draw of the Carmel Forest is not its rooms. The magic is the ambiance, the atmosphere, the incredible relaxing experience and the fine service. The rooms are all adequately sized, nicely appointed and comfortable, but most of the rooms are not very spacious and with the exception of the high end, not very luxurious.
The Carmel Forest resort has 7 types of rooms. There are two key considerations when you choose a room:
- Do you want a standard room or do you want a larger more luxurious room?
- Do you want a room with a porch or without a porch?
Standard Rooms Without Porches:
There are three types of rooms without porches. The resort categorizes these as “Standard” rooms.
- Oren Room
- New Carmel Room
(renovated 2015)
- Carmel Deluxe Room
- Oren Suite
The Oren room and the Carmel rooms are identical except for their location in the hotel. The location determines the view from these rooms, which explains the difference in their rate. They each contain a double bed, an oval table in front of the window with a chair on either side. The bathroom is basic with a single sink and a shower in the tub. There is a wooden closet, a dresser, and end tables near each of the beds. There is a coffee corner with an electric kettle and the makings for tea and coffee. There is also a mini bar (small frig). Each room has a flat screen TV with cable stations. The Oren Suite is larger than the rooms and is the room closest to the elevator.
Most of these rooms are located on the 6th and 7th floors of the resort. The great advantage of being this high up is the spectacular view of the forest and the sea beyond. The view is best from the Carmel Deluxe Rooms. As these rooms are above the main areas of the resort they offer more privacy than the other rooms.
Note that these rooms are not on the primary elevator line. You can take the elevator to the 5th floor (main lobby) and then use a different elevator line (or stairway) to get to the restaurant and the spa.
Oren Room and New Carmel Room: Small window with a limited view. Room faces the back entrance to the resort which is less desirable. This is the least expensive room at the resort.
Carmel Deluxe Room. Comfortable “Standard” room. Far wall of this room is a large picture window with a spectacular view of the forest and the sea beyond.
Oren Suite. The resort has only two Oren Suites: one on the 6th and one on the 7th floor, closest to the elevators. These rooms are large versions of the Carmel Deluxe room. They have a partially obstructed view.
Standard Rooms with Porches:
The porches off the rooms at the Carmel Forest are outdoor, uncovered areas accessed from within the room. Your porch will be separated from the neighboring porch by a hedge of shrubbery. This is the only physical barrier between you and the neighboring porch.
A porch has two lounge chairs and a large sun umbrella. Rooms with porches are on lower floors than the public areas such as the restaurant and the lobby. Many of the porches can be seen from these public areas, thus they are not very private.
The following three rooms have porches:
- Tzameret Room
- Garden (Gan) Room
- Carmel Suite
The Tzameret rooms and the Garden (Gan) rooms are identical except for their location in the hotel. These rooms are similar in layout but slightly larger than the Carmel Deluxe and the Oren rooms, and they have a porch. They each contain a double bed, an oval table in front of the porch door with a chair on one side and a 2-seater couch on the other side. The bathroom is basic with a single sink and a shower in the tub. There is a wooden closet, a dresser, and end tables near each of the beds. There is a coffee corner with an electric kettle and the makings for tea and coffee. There is also a mini bar (small frig). Each room has a flat screen TV with cable stations. The Gan room is on level 1, below the spa, and the porch fronts on the luxurious and beautifully landscaped Carmel Forest lawn and garden.
The Carmel Suite is larger than the rooms, with a separate seating area, a dvd machine and an espresso coffee machine. The bathroom in the suite is larger than in the rooms.
Tzameret Suite
Most luxurious room. Only one Tzameret Suite in the resort.
Do we need a room with a porch or not?
The Tzameret rooms, Gan Rooms, Carmel Suites and the Tzameret Suites are rooms with porches. The porch is a nice thing to have, but if you are cost-sensitive it is the first place to cut back. Your use of the porch will be limited by the weather. There is no additional furniture on the porch other than the lounge chairs so the porch is not appropriate for private dining or activities with other guests. Because it is open the porch is not a private extension of the room.
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Dining:
Meals are all served in the resort restaurant on the 4th floor. This is a very lovely room with comfortable seating. The dining room has been completely refurbished following the forest fire in 2010.
Dining at the Carmel Forest is one of the highlights of your stay. The resort offers Two full meals each day (dinner and breakfast till noon). The meals at the Carmel Forest are exceptional. Buffets are stunningly presented with the finest and original culinary ideas. Main courses brought to your table are creative and outstanding. A high level of professionalism and expertise is apparent in the entire dining aspect of the resort.
The resort offers an optional lunch for an additional fee.
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Your first meal is dinner, the day that you arrive at the resort. There are prescribed seating times so be sure to reserve your place at the hour that you prefer, as soon as you can, after arriving at the resort. See “Maximizing your time” below.
Each meal starts with an open buffet salad bar. A main course and dessert are served to you at your table. The beautifully presented salad buffet offers a very full selection of fresh and cooked vegetables. Main courses include either meat, fish or vegetarian options. There is dessert at each meal.
Breakfast is served from 7:30am – 12:00 noon. You can return to the breakfast room throughout the morning as many times as you want. The breakfast includes a lush buffet of vegetables, cheeses , bread and fish. A waiter will take your order for egg omeletes.
An optional lunch is available for an additional fee.
Breakfast guests are welcome to dine at the restaurant in their bathrobes. Casual/formal dress is appropriate for dinner.
Kashrut: Rabbanut Hof Hacarmel. Mashgiach Ronen and Yigal. |
The Spa
The spa is located on the second floor of the resort. Note that as soon as you have a reservation you can peruse the list of treatments on eLuna.com and book them from home. If you have to cancel your reservation you must remember to cancel your booked treatments as well, or you will be charged for the treatment. If you have not booked treatments before you arrive you can see the list of treatments in the hotel information book in your room. This list does not contain prices. Prices are only available at the spa. There you can pick up a full up to date list of the treatments available and the current prices. You can also book your treatments at that time.
The central area of the spa at the Carmel Forest has a large indoor pool and a Jacuzzi. There is also a Turkish Hamam. These are shared facilities for men and women.
The Carmel Forest spa has a sizable gender-separate section. In addition to a locker and changing room each section has a gender-separate dry sauna, a steam room and a plunge pool. There is a long list of spa treatments with male and female masseuses available. Be sure to specify your choice when you book your treatments.
Internet Access and Telephone Communication
Much is made of the rules regarding use of cell phones at the resort. To maintain the hushed and relaxing atmosphere, the resort discourages use of cell phones at the spa and in the public areas. You can use your cell phone freely in your room or outside the resort (at the entrance). There is access to all the major cell phone providers from the resort.
The resort uses Smartnet for wireless communication. The fee is 89 shekels for 24 hours. There is also an hourly rate. You can use the wireless network for cell phone and for internet communication if you have brought your own laptop.
Two computers with internet access are available to guests of the resort 24-hours a day, free of charge, in the library on the Lobby floor (5th floor). |
Maximizing Your Time at the Carmel Forest:
Check in:
You can check in at the Carmel Forest resort from 1:00pm but rooms are available from 3:00pm. You can use the time before you get your room to see the resort and even use the facilities. Even if you do not want to come early, plan to arrive at the resort at about 2:30 for a 3pm check in. This is because it takes time to park and do the check in, and you can do this before your clock starts ticking.
Check in is not standing at a counter as in most hotels. At the Carmel Forest you will check in at comfortable desks where you and your partner can sit down and receive a full explanation of the resort facilities. There are usually three working check-in stations so you should not have much of a wait. But if you do, there is comfortable seating available in the waiting area.
All of the information is available in both Hebrew and English. Don’t hesitate to ask for the instructions in your best language.
You will be asked to sign two documents when you check in: One is a statement of your health. I suppose this is to limit the hotel liability. The second is a promise to vacate the room on the day that you check out, by 12 noon. They are very serious about the check out time. You will want to respect this. |
Getting Oriented:
By 3:00pm your room will be available. Go up/down to your room, settle in, and organize yourself. You will want to make your dinner reservations as soon as you can. See “Dining.” This is also a good time to reserve your spa treatments if you have not already done so. See “Spa.”
You have all the hours between this time and your dinner, to enjoy the resort. There are activities throughout the day, including a 2-hour hike in the woods, exercise classes, aquatic exercise, etc. Or you can just relax and enjoy the spa facilities. See “Spa.”
Your first meal at the resort is dinner. After an afternoon of activities you will be hungry. See “Dinner” for information about dinner.
The Second Day at the Resort:
Breakfast is served throughout the morning from 7am till 12:00. You can return to the breakfast any number of times. You can start your day with coffee and something light at the dining room, enjoy the spa facilities in the morning and then revisit the dining room for a more elaborate breakfast in the late morning.
Check out is at noon. You must vacate the room and return the key by this hour. You can then stay for the lunch (for and additional fee). You can also have more treatments after check out.
Additional Costs:
Two meals are included, the pools, jaccuzis and saunas are included in the rate, so where am I going to be sending more money?
1. Many guests visit a spa resort for the massages. The Carmel Forest offers a wide range of massages and treatments. If you are planning to have massages you must book these treatments in advance and be prepared to pay at least an additional NIS 350 or more per treatment. Tipping the masseuse is also in order. The tip is usually 10 – 15% of the cost of the massage.
2. The Carmel Forest gift shop has a selection of sports clothing and wonderful cosmetics. There are Carmel Forest brand creams and soaps, as well as brands used at the spa. Whereas each cream may not be as expensive as known brands, watch your total cost climb.
3. Extras at your meals or in the lobby come with a charge. The coke at dinner or the glass of wine will come back at you on the bill. Enjoy these little extras, but be aware that you will have to pay for them on the bill.
Strategies for Stretching Your Shekel at the Carmel Forest:
A vacation at the Carmel Forest is a great time and a lovely experience. But this high end vacation comes at a price. Here are a few ways to get the most for your money when you vacation at the Carmel Forest.
1. Early Arrival:
The Carmel Forest offers you the option of arriving at 1pm, which is 2 hours earlier than the official check in. You can use the extra time to look around, check out the activities, spend time at the spa and enjoy the resort lunch. The fee for early arrival is 140 shekels per guest. The lunch alone probably covers most of this cost. Note that you may not get entrance to your room till 3pm, but the extra two hours and the delicious lunch stretch your vacation just that little bit longer.
2. Late Check Out:
As stated earlier, the resort is adamant about on-time check out. Late check out is only possible by prior arrangement with the hotel, if the room isavailable. If it is possible, late check out carries a fee. Here are two ways to stretch your time at the Carmel Forest with late check out.
There are two late check out plans:
Note that both of these plans are only available through the resort and depend on availability.
- Check out no later than 6pm without dinner:NIS 390 per couple. This give you an extra 6 hours at the resort. Leave the resort before dinner.
- Check out no later than 9pm with dinner: NIS 590 per couple. This enables you to enjoy a full day at the spa, enjoy the dinner, and then go home. This option will give you another full day at the spa and another great meal, without sleeping over. This is a reasonable option if you live within an easy drive of the resort. We suggest that you check out before dinner, then have your dinner and drive home.
3. One Free Treatment Per Room, Mid Week:
The Carmel Forest offer guests who stay one night, on Wednesday night, one free treatment valued at nis 300. If you were planning to book at least one treatment on your vacation, this will save you NIS 300 on your total bill. This offer applies to reservations in any room.
Note that the offer is one free treatment per room, not per guest, and does not apply if you stay more than one night or any other night but Wednesday.
4. 10% off and 15% off Multiple Night Stays:
At certains times of the year the Carmel Forest offer a 10% discount on 3 nights and a 15% discount on 4 night stays, mid wek. Yes, three nights is a substantial bill, but if you were planning on two nights, the third night will cost you much less than the price of a regular night.
Example: Two nights in a Carmel Deluxe Room at NIS 1,795 per night comes to NIS 3,590.
If you book a third night the resort offers 10% off the full three nights. Rather than costing 5,385 for the three nights, the rate will be 4,847. The third night is costing you only NIS 1257, a 538 shekel savings.
5. How to save 1800 shekels:
Here’s a strategy where you can enjoy two long days at the resort for the price of one night.
Reserve your vacation for a Wednesday night during a time period when the resort offers one free treatment on this night. Arrange late check out on Thursday for an additional fee. Check out on Thursday night after a long day at the resort and a great dinner.
Example: Suppose you booked two nights mid week in the Carmel Deluxe room at NIS 1,795 per night. Two nights would come to 3,590. One NIS 300 treatment will bring your bill to NIS 3,890.
Instead of two nights book one night, Wednesday, for NIS 1,795 and 9pm check out for an additional 590 shekels for a total of NIS 2,385. Your Wednesday night booking will entitle you to one complimentary treatment, reducing your bill by NIS 300 for a total of NIS 2,085 (instead of 3890, a 1805 savings). You will have to drive home Thursday night after dinner.
Note that this option is only possible if late check out is available and if you have a reasonable drive home.
The Carmel Forest Club - Loyalty Program:
The Isrotel hotel chain is masterful in marketing. There is no end to their clever ideas and their programs. Top of the list is the Carmel Forest Club, the resort’s loyalty club.
The Carmel Forest Club is a two year membership program for a fee of 400 shekels per couple. You can only join the Carmel Forest club while you are at the hotel. If you choose to join the club you will enjoy the discount benefits on all your purchases and extras at the current visit but you will only get the discount on your room – the most significant cost - at your next visit to the resort.
The membership benefits include a 10% discount on all treatments and on purchases at the resort shop, wine, drinks at the meals, etc. You will enjoy a 10% discount on the room rate on top of any other discount on future visits to the resort. If you visit the resort on your anniversary you will enjoy a 25% discount on the room rate.
Note that as a club member you CAN make your reservations through eLuna.com and enjoy all the membership benefits. When you book through eLuna you will enjoy both the eLuna discounts and the membership discounts.
You are going to love your visit to the Carmel Forest and you are going to be strongly inclined to become a member of the club. We advise you to think long and hard before you buy into the club. For many of us it is not the cost of the visit but finding the time to vacation at the resort that is the deterrent. I know many very intelligent people who are very careful with their shekels, who bought into this program and never used the benefits.
Rates and Reservations:
Click here to see the rates and to complete the reservation form. When we receive your form we will process your reservation. If you are making an inquiry please state this in the comments section of the reservation form and we will not process the reservation. All price information is on this page. Save time and check this page before sending an inquiry.
We do not answer questions about availability. Availability changes from minute to minute. If the dates and room requested is available and you have entered all the information in the reservation form, we will get it for you. Otherwise we are sorry, we cannot help you. |
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