The classic Sukkot dilemma: you crave the privacy and space of a private rental for your family, but the thought of cooking three meals a day for the entire holiday is exhausting. A new trend is emerging that offers the perfect solution: the hybrid holiday. This involves booking a private apartment or villa that is located in or near a hotel that offers a full Yom Tov meal plan.
The Future of the Family Holiday: The Hybrid Model
This “best of both worlds” approach is rapidly gaining popularity across Israel, from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea and the North. It allows a family to enjoy the benefits of both experiences.
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The Private Rental Advantage: You get multiple bedrooms, a living room for family time, and your own private sukkah. This is especially crucial for families with young children who need space to play and have different sleep schedules. It provides a level of comfort and autonomy a single hotel room cannot match.
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The Hotel Meal Plan Advantage: You offload the most labor-intensive part of the holiday. No shopping, no cooking, no cleaning up. You simply walk over to the hotel for delicious, plentiful, and festive meals in a communal setting. This frees up parents to truly relax and enjoy the holiday with their children.
Where to Find These Opportunities
This model is becoming increasingly common in several key areas:
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Jerusalem: Many new luxury residential projects are built adjacent to hotels. Look for rentals in buildings like the King David Residences or near the Waldorf Astoria, Inbal, or David’s Citadel hotels, and then contact the hotel directly to inquire about purchasing a meal plan.
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The Dead Sea: The hotel district in Ein Bokek is surrounded by holiday apartments. Many hotels are accustomed to selling meal packages to non-guests, especially during peak seasons like Sukkot.
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The North (e.g., Tzfat, Tiberias): As tourism grows, more hotels in these regions are offering flexible meal options. Renting a nearby villa (“tzimmer”) and arranging meals at a local hotel is a fantastic way to experience the beauty of the Galil without the hassle of cooking.
To arrange this, you must book both components separately. First, secure your rental. Then, contact the catering or sales manager at a nearby hotel to inquire about “non-resident meal plans” for the holiday.
Too Long; Didn’t Read
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A popular new trend is the “hybrid holiday”: booking a private rental and purchasing a meal plan from a nearby hotel.
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This model combines the space and privacy of an apartment with the convenience of hotel dining.
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This is an ideal solution for families who don’t want to cook during the holiday.
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Look for opportunities in Jerusalem’s hotel districts, the Dead Sea, and tourist centers in the North.
