Banana Beach Tel Aviv Review is part of the #NoCollusion, No Albania for TPOL where I break my 100 country count mark. See the World Map for where I’ve been.
I often get criticized about how I travel. Usually it’s from people who have not read TPOL’s Travel Philosophy, a worthwhile read before piping in with negative comments. One criticism that keeps me from sleeping all day is that partying all night in a foreign city is not an excuse to avoid getting after it during the day. While the round the clock attitude is sustainable for a weekend in Vegas (see throwback post, Vegas Knockout: Fading to Blackout at the Hard Rock), it will result in delirium tremens. This is a real condition and incidentally the name of my go-to beer at Tel Aviv’s best club, Radio, should the binge abruptly end. In an effort to curb the effects of alcohol withdrawals and see Tel Aviv by day, I spent a day at Banana Beach. It’s a tourist day retreat that serves overpriced hummus, good espresso, and reasonably priced white wine.
Getting There
After checking in at the InterContinental David Tel Aviv, I staved off DT disorientation by having a terrible welcome drink – a dirty martini that was inexplicably made with tequila. Searching for my C2H60 fix, I left the hotel, made a right at the beach, and kept walking until I reached the land of bananas.
Seating And Drinking
Seating is first come, first serve. I found a nice nest in the middle of the fortress and waited for my waiter to appear. As was the tradition throughout my #NoCollusion trip, I ordered a double espresso and the appropriate amount of alcohol to get the day started. Today that amount just happened to be a bottle of white.
Eating
I wouldn’t call Banana Beach a tourist trap (see Amalfi Coast: A Beautiful Tourist Trap), the demand for sitting on the beach while wining and dining with no care in the world comes at a premium. How else can they justify $12 for hummus?
Speaking of hummus, it was well worth the price. Look how many olives and how much bread I received.
The Watermelon
Nothing makes patrons of a restaurant ‘ooh and ahh’ like seeing, smelling, and hearing the sizzle of fajitas being served. Hate on Chilis all you want, but how many times have you changed your order on account of seeing someone else’s plate?
At Banana Beach, it was the watermelon served along side feta cheese that piqued my interest. And damn was it good. Interestingly enough, the best two places I’ve had watermelon are Tel Aviv and China. I’m not a melonologist but I always assumed that the best watermelon came from tropical places.
Overall
Whether you’re trying to avoid alcohol withdrawals or just want to relax at the beach while eating great watermelon, get over the ‘that place is just for tourists’ arrogance and head to Banana Beach. Your liver and taste buds will thank you for it. And, in turn, you will thank TPOL as well.
TPOL’S TIP
- Cost of day of leisure was $61.
- Another great day trip with a nice beach is Jaffa.
