Boutiques, bars and bazaars: Christmas shopping with a difference in tasty Tel Aviv

By HELEN MINSKY

Sunshine shopping: The ancient and modern reside side-by-side in Tel Aviv and Jaffa


The shops weren’t crowded, although the sales had already started in many of them. Nor were there any coughing, spluttering strangers, wrapped up against the freezing cold in drab winter clothes to jostle us.

Whenever we felt weary, there was invariably a relaxing café nearby where we could recharge our batteries over a cup of foaming cappuccino and a diet-busting slice of apple strudel. Shopping in the festive season had never felt so stress-free.

There was only one drawback - the heat. The thermometer was nearly at 30C. Welcome to Christmas shopping in Tel Aviv.

Of course if retail therapy had been our only reason for taking a five-hour flight across the Mediterranean, then it could hardly be considered cost-effective. But my husband and I - he rather reluctantly - had decided to hit the shops prior to taking in a few of Israel's celebrated sights (more of those later) in a city break with a difference.

First stop was the twice-weekly craft market at Nachalat Binyamin street – a bonanza held every Tuesday and Friday - complete with street performers - where local designers sell unusual hand-made jewellery, toys, pottery, home-blown glasswear and all sorts of great gifts. I bagged a silver bracelet for one member of the family, a bright red glazed pottery vase for another, and dangly earrings for a third.


Good for a rummage: The many markets sell everything from jewellery and ornaments to fruit and veg


If I’d had room in my luggage I would also have stocked up with provisions from the bustling Carmel Street market in the adjoining road. The fresh fruit, vegetables and massive bunches of herbs are a colourful work of art in their own right, and the taste of the freshly-squeezed juice drink I bought from a street vendor - comprising crushed ice with pomegranates, figs and dates - still lingers.

However, clothes were the next objective and I headed for the northern (quieter) end of busy Dizengoff Street, the large avenue which runs through the heart of the city.

Tel Aviv has plenty of ultra-modern shopping malls packed with international names and brands, but I wanted to find something a little different. Israel's port city, I discovered, is full of small boutiques selling clothes, designed and made locally, which you won't find anywhere else in the world.


Bizarre: A life-size zebra is one of the plastic animals spotted on sale by Helen and her husband in Jaffa


First stop was Liora and Rina, two designers at 227 Dizengoff, where I bought two pairs of baggy state-of-the art trousers – half-price from the sale rack at £60 each – followed by a variety of long-sleeved cotton tops at Liat and Miravin (down the road at number 223). After popping into half a dozen more shops, all boutiques, all selling unique designs, it was still only lunch time and I needed a break.

Five minutes walk away is the beach. I placed my shopping bags alongside a sun-lounger (£2 to hire for the day) and slipped into the swimsuit I had sensibly brought with me. There were only a handful of fellow sunbathers nearby – yet the December Mediterranean was surprisingly warm.

A couple of sun-tanning hours later, I still had enough energy left for a 40-minute sunset stroll south along the seafront, where the wide, weaving promenade is filled with cyclists and joggers – to start shopping yet again.

For at the end of the prom is the ancient port of Jaffa, with its narrow streets and flourishing flea-market. Here you can buy everything from a turn-of-the-century teapot to a near life-sized plastic zebra, should you have need of one.

Nearby you find a smattering of upmarket antique shops – plus bars and laid-back restaurants which are increasingly popular with Tel Aviv’s bright young things.

I decided that food could wait as I raided the rails at the cotton boutique, followed by the impulse-purchase of a pair of Israeli-made Naot sandals in a cluttered nearby shoe shop on Jaffa Street. As well as sales patter for the shoes, I got an explanation from its 52-year-old bachelor owner about why he had never married (he had looked after his mother) and a plea about how desperate he now was to find a wife. Did I know of anyone for him? Sadly not.


Back in time: Winding streets lead to fleamarkets and antique shops in Jaffa


I escaped to a terrific junk shop a few doors away and lingered over a fifties oil painting by an apparently well-known Israeli artist. But how would I bring it home unless I took it out of its frame? Ah well – that was the one that got away.

If you have time, Shabazi Street, in the newly-chic Neve Tzedek area, is a treasure trove of unusual shops and restaurants. I was told to visit designer Lee Bonk’s jewellery store at 9 Tchernihovsky – as well as the boutiques, restaurants and ice cream parlour at the renovated Jaffa to Cairo Old Railway Station (Ha Tachana).

Israel is a surprisingly tiny country, about the size of Wales, so it is possible to cram a lot into a few short days, whether you are shopping or not.

With the help of our expert tour guide Opher (who confided that he once took Madonna to the Wailing Wall with her Kaballa rabbi in tow), we visited Masada, the stunning hilltop fortress besieged by the Romans whose occupants committed mass suicide rather than be captured, and then had a brief dip in the Dead Sea – all in one afternoon. Be careful not to get the stinging saltwater in your eyes…


Hot to trot: Fashionable Neve Tzedek is full of chic boutiques


It also takes less than an hour to travel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by bus (cost around £6) – where, in a few hours, you can visit with ease all the sights of the Old City - the Wailing Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Mount of Olives. And, of course, the souk where the humus, flatbreads and mint tea in the Arab Quarter revive even the most weary of tourists.

The next day, Opher took us to the port of Haifa, which boasts the delightful terraced Baha’i Gardens which stretch from the heights of Mount Carmel towards the port. Then it was on to the ruins of King Herod’s Caesarea and the Crusader fortress at Acre – a magnificent structure, remarkably preserved thanks to centuries of being hidden under the desert sands.

But back to shopping. One important tip: You can sometimes claim your VAT back at the airport but the shop has to fill out a special form and you have to keep your receipts – and, importantly, have the goods with you to show the officials, otherwise they won't stump up the money.

Armed with my tax refund, I had one final coffee before heading for my flight, nursing just one regret: I wished I’d bought that painting in Jaffa after all. Come to think of it, I might have to go back.


Travel Facts
Helen travelled with Superstar Holidays(www.superstar.co.uk / 020 7121 1500), the tour operator with EL AL Airlines(www.elal.co.il).

A twin centre holiday including two nights at the Crowne Plaza Jerusalem and three nights at the Crowne Plaza City Centre, Tel Aviv, as well as flights with EL AL, costs £699 per person. The prices are based on two people sharing a twin room on a bed and breakfast basis.

Alternatively a seven-night Discover Israel tour costs from £1,099 per person including six nights' accommodation on a half-board basis, flights and all entrance fees and transfers.

For those wishing to book return flights only, prices start from £324.10.
All prices are based on January departures.

Extra day trips to Jerusalem cost from £50 per person and to Akko and Caesarea cost from £60 per person.


source: dailymail