U Boutique Kinneret by the Sea of Galilee

The U Boutique in Tiberias impresses with its exceptional cleanliness, friendly staff, and luxurious amenities. Guests appreciate the excellent breakfast, stunning views, and convenient location on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

A perfect, thoughtful vacation. Every detail was just right. We returned again to the U Boutique Kinneret Hotel in Tiberias, and it was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable vacations we can remember. It all started with the service, led by Yonatan, the Guest Relations Manager, who is simply amazing. He was always available, attentive, respectful, and truly cared. He helped us plan, checked in during our stay, and was a big part of the good feeling we had throughout the trip. The stay was not only great because of the staff. The other guests were also quiet, pleasant, and considerate. That created a calm and relaxing atmosphere with no noise and no stress. Just pure enjoyment. Jamil, the kitchen manager, welcomed us every day with open arms, a big smile, and warm hospitality. It felt like someone was waiting for us, someone who knew us. His presence made the hotel feel even more like home. The hotel manager, Shukri, was very involved and present. Always around, engaged, available, and caring. Each time we come back, it feels less like being a guest and more like returning to a familiar place. Luna at the reception was also very kind, patient, and helpful. She made the experience even better. The hotel was spotless. The rooms were sparkling clean and so were the public areas. Ken from the housekeeping team made sure everything felt fresh and well cared for. The pool lifeguard was also fantastic. Professional, alert, and focused on everyone's safety. He created a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. Our little child especially enjoyed his warm and smiling attitude, which made the time at the pool even more fun. The hotel is beautifully maintained. The view of the Sea of Galilee is stunning, and the private beach is quiet and very suitable for kids. We also took a peaceful boat ride on the clear water, which completed the overall sense of calm and beauty in the area. Everything was simply perfect. We will definitely keep coming back.

First the good: the hotel is situated literally up against the shore of the Sea of Galilee, giving it beautiful views from the hotel rooms, as well its own private little "beach". It has its own private parking lot (a necessity in that neighborhood!), and a very friendly staff. The rooms themselves are very clean (I even smelled the bleach in the bathroom), with soft, fluffy towels, a comfortable clean bed (and amazing pillows), and with good amenities (wonderfully fragrant L'Occitane soaps, shampoos, etc.; nice size refrigerator; Nespresso coffee machine with pods). The only thing missing from the room was a decent box of tissues. Finally, the hotel is relatively small, meaning that there isn't a crowded feel in any aspect of the hotel, from the pool to the parking lot, from the dining room to the gym. It's wonderfully quiet (even though it's a very kid- and family-friendly hotel). And now the not-so-good: this hotel prices itself into the luxury hotel bracket. As such, there is a certain level of pampering, attention, and extravagance that I would expect. And yet, despite all the nice aspects to the hotel, I didn't sense that "premium level". For example, the outdoor lounge-beds near the pool were soaking wet to the core in the morning (as though the mattresses were left on the lounges while the sprinklers were running earlier that morning). To make matters worse, they were still covered with the previous day's dirty terrycloth covers—and I'm talking about at 10am, not some ungodly early hour of the morning! I had to ***** the lounge myself and seek out a staff member to give me fresh covers, which I then had to set up myself! (Um, okay sure, I guess I'll do this myself...) Another example: the bathrooms near the pool were missing toilet paper. After raising the issue with the staff and assuming it would be rectified, a subsequent visit to the same bathrooms a couple of hours later revealed that it was never taken care of. Small but significant details like this point have to happen once or twice to kill the mood, especially when you have to seek out a manager just to get a roll of toilet paper brought over. And one example that was especially disappointing: the breakfast, which was incredibly underwhelming. Even most NON-premium hotels that I've been to have had a much more exciting variety of food. In fact, this hotel chain has a more budget-level hotel (U Splash Eilat) which has a breakfast that eclipses this one by far! The choice of cereals was boring, basic, and limited; choice of salads was sparse (and if you can believe this in Israel, there was neither hummus or tehina available), as was the choice of mains (no pizza, no quiche—and no shakshuka!!?!)... even the halva was one big block of a single flavor—no variety. One pastry that I bit into was stale (as though it had been left over from the previous day—or longer), and there were little pans of fried/sautéed vegetables that were drowning in oil and tasted off. And speaking