Tel Aviv’s most important resource is undoubtedly its coast. Tel Aviv is considered a costal city and it attracts tourists from around the world due to its magnificent coastline. Many residents in the city are likewise drawn by a desire to live by the sea.
Seaside Houses
Tel Aviv’s coastline is unique in that it is located in the heart of the city, and is studded with hotels and residential areas, giving residents a direct view of the beautiful sea and an incredible variety of restaurants and recreational outlets. So it doesn’t matter where you live- in the promenade area, Herbert Samuel St., Hayarkon St., or Ben-Yehuda St.- you will be a few minutes’ walking distance from the nearest beach. Tel Aviv’s beaches are spread over 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) in total, most of which is utilized by residents and tourists for various activities, including swimming, promenades and parks.
Many people from outside Tel Aviv want to buy real estate within walking distance of the sea and penthouses with a view to the sea in general. The apartments nearest the sea will always retain their price and indeed rise in value, since their skyline will never be blocked. These apartments serve both as residential areas and as recreational spots. Most of the luxurious buildings adjacent to the coast that are being built today have all the service one can find in any upscale tower in the world, such as a gym, pool, kid’s pool, grand lobby, etc.
Tel Aviv Promenade: Lahat Promenade
Tel Aviv’s central promenade connects the Tel Aviv port with Jaffa port, and its central segment is adjacent to Herbert Samuel St. It was built in 1939 and was torn down in the 1980s for renovation, resulting in the new promenade that we know today, recognized as one of Tel Aviv’s most prominent landmarks. The promenade is separated from the beach by a narrow strip of greenery, is paved with pebbles and includes statues and memorial plaques. In 1989 it was named after the mythological mayor of Tel Aviv, Shlomo Lahat, who presided over the building of the promenade. At the extremes of the promenade, in the north and south, are exercise machines, intended for those who walk and work out on the promenade. In 2011, the promenade was again renovated and a bike trail was added, as in many other areas in Tel Aviv.
Throughout the year, and especially during the summer, a plethora of events open to the public take place along the promenade, including movie screenings at the beach, the all-night “White Night” events, sporting events and more. These can be found on Tel Aviv’s most popular beaches, in particular Banana Beach (near the neighborhood of Neve Tzedek and the Opera Tower), Alma Beach (Manta Ray), Gordon Beach (also known for the mythological Gordon Pool) and the famous Hilton Beach which served as a filming site for many movies.
New and Luxurious Houses Near the Promenade
Today, luxurious residential areas are slated for construction alongside the promenade, many already in intensive stages of construction, whereas others will be built in the next few years.
The luxury tower “Herbert Samuel 10”, located at the corner of Herbert Samuel 10 and Daniel St., lies adjacent to the sea and includes an upscale residential building with only 40 apartments across 21 floors. Each floor houses two apartments, each with an area of 250 sq. meters (2,691 sq. feet) and including a 30 sq. meter (323 sq. feet) balcony with a view of the sea. One wing contains seven loft apartments, each with an area of 230 sq. meters (2,475 sq. feet), as well as two balconies with a total area of 53 sq. meters (570 sq. feet). The top two floors offer penthouses with areas of 728 sq. meters (7,836 sq. feet), distinguished by a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea and the city.
It is also possible to buy two apartments on a single floor and thus unify the apartments into one that extends to the entire floor. The building was planned by Rani Ziss, the well-known architect, in cooperation with Orly Shrem, Israel’s leading interior designer. The result is a collection of well-lit apartments with high ceilings, as well as glass walls that “internalize” the scenery and sea into the house , creating a feeling of freedom and an amazing atmosphere. The elevators in the building come directly to the apartments, and every apartment includes advanced utilities such as the “Smart House System”, air conditioning control and an assortment of luxuries.
The building was designed with the very highest level of finish, including a magnificent lobby, 24/7 service and security, a recreational room, underground parking and an extravagant spa that occupies an entire floor and includes an indoor pool, kids’ pool, health club, sauna, private treatment rooms, beauty parlors and more.
Sea One
The entrepreneurial real-estate companies Electra and Pines (“Oranim” in Hebrew) are today in the process of building the luxury tower Sea One on the Tel Aviv coast, at the juncture of Herbert Samuel St., Ezra Hasofer St., Hayarkon 19 (the front of the building) and Zrubavel St. The building, comprised of 23 floors on a lot of 4 dunams (one acre), is in advanced stages of construction and will soon be populated. The building has piqued much interest because it will include the two most expensive apartments in Israel, each worth NIS 110 million ($30.4 million); apparently, the incredible view seen from the top floors of the building led buyers to agree to pay any sum of money for them.
The Sea One tower was built as part of a complex which will also include a fancy shopping mall, a commercial center, a pool and a parking lot.
The architects of the project are Tishbi-Rosio Architects, who designed the building, and Rosenheimer Architects and Shlomo Frankel Architects, who were responsible for interior design.
David Promenade Residences
Henry Taic, the owner of David InterContinental Hotel, Le Meridien Dead Sea Hotel and Grand Court Hotel in Jerusalem, is building a complex of two luxury towers on an 8-dunam (2-acre) lot on the Tel Aviv coast (between Hayarkon St. and Herbert Samuel St.). One of the towers will serve as a residential area while the other will function as a luxurious hotel for tourists. The project is slated to be populated these very days.
The residential tower will rise to encompass 25 floors, with rooms of varying sizes from 100 to 1,000 sq. meters (1,076-10,763 sq. feet), each including at least one balcony. All the balconies, which have an area of 12 sq. meters (129 sq. feet) and up, face the sea. On the first floor is an external pool that will service both residents and occupants of the hotel, while a two-level underground parking lot will be built below the hotel and will service both residents and hotel occupants. The underground facilities of the hotel, including a gym and spa, will be available to the residents of the adjacent tower.
The promenade is also adjacent to many well known landmarks such as the Independence Park, Atarim Square, London Park, Herbert Samuel Square, Charles Clore Park, and more.
The Yarkon Flows Into the Sea
Hayarkon St., named for the Yarkon River, is one of Tel Aviv’s major arteries, and is considered a tourist center along which are many of the most important hotels in the city, such as Dan Hotel, Sheraton Hotel, Hilton Hotel and more. Most of the most important embassies are located on this street (e.g. those of the US, France, Britain, Canada, Russia, and more), as well as many recreational centers. Hayarkon St. lies parallel to the beach, and winds through centeral and northern Tel Aviv, from the Charles Clore Park to Tel Aviv Port in the northern part of the city.
Ben Yehuda
Ben Yehuda St. is a major artery for Tel Aviv transportation, and lies parallel to the sea between the streets Dizengoff and Hayarkon. It is named for Eliezer Ben Yehuda, the reviver of the Hebrew language.
The street was rejuvenated from the 1920s to the 1940s, due to an influx of Jewish immigrants from Germany who settled in the area, turning it into a major residential area in the city. As the years have gone by it has regained its popularity and is once again being rejuvenated, due to (among other things) its ideal location, couched between the sea on the one hand and Dizengoff street on the other, the latter being the vibrant center of urban life in Tel Aviv. This revival consists of extensive renovations in a large number of buildings, which are adopting an international style, alongside construction of new residential buildings.