Dizengoff Garden Hotel in Tel Aviv

Dizengoff Garden just won the “smallest hotel room” competition! This is where the itsy bitsy spider lives! Once two people are inside, they can forget about opening their suitcases. Sardines enjoy more spacious accommodation in the can. Luckily we only stayed here one night. On a positive note, the bed was comfortable, the receptionist was very friendly and helpful and the hotel is located relatively close to the beach, in a safe area. Public transportation is right around the corner. To summarize it, it’s a budget friendly place, resembling more of a college dormitory (easy going vibe, barely there reception area) then a proper hotel. I’d still recommend it if you’re there for a night, or if you’re on the budget.

I recently stayed at the Dizengoff Garden Hotel during a short trip to Tel Aviv. At first, my experience was quite positive: the room was clean, the location was central, and it was easy to explore the city and reach major attractions by feet. Unfortunately, the last day of my stay completely ruined the impression of the hotel.

One of the biggest issues is breakfast. The hotel does not provide an in-house breakfast service. Instead, they give guests vouchers for nearby cafés. At check-in, I was handed several vouchers and told I could use them for breakfast at partner cafés. What the staff failed to mention was that these vouchers are capped at 70 shekels. If the bill exceeds that amount, the guest has to pay the difference out of pocket.

I only discovered this on the final day when I went to a café and my bill came to more than 70 shekels. I had no problem paying the extra, but since I had never been informed of this rule, I asked the café manager to confirm with the hotel first. The cafe manager mentioned that hotel will sort it out with me, so I do not need to pay anything. When coming back, the hotel accused me of refusing to pay and even went so far as to say that I will be “blacklisted” from staying here again.

This behavior was shocking and completely unprofessional, especially considering the fault was entirely on the reception staff for not explaining the voucher system properly. Neither the booking details nor the vouchers themselves mentioned any 70-shekel limit. Rather than admitting their mistake, they tried to blame me.

What began as a pleasant stay ended in a very unpleasant experience. Because of the poor communication and unacceptable treatment by the staff, I will not be returning to this hotel, and I cannot recommend it to others.