i stayed in the new wing of the rimonim which has 0 character. room had a pretty big balcony but shared with neighboring room. next time ill try to get the original building.
for shabbos, mendi's was providing meals at the nearby 'ulam merkazi' on rechov yerushalayim, and i negotiated shabbos (3 meals) for my family of 2 adults 1 child and 1 infant for $200. not sure how often they do this. food and drink was average but plentiful
on friday, we toured the various art galleries, and tried to enter some of the shuls, most of which were locked. we did succeed in entering the ari ashkenaz shul though.
althought the candle factory is a must do on everybodys list, i felt it to be too gimmicky. its not much of a factory, but rather a store. unless you want a penguin havdalah candle, id give it a pass
on friday night i davened at the 'mekarav' shul where they also run a carlebach type service. its a great environment with jews from all different walks of life coming together in prayer and song. be sure to arrive early, as its sure to be standing room only. its near the 'chernoybel' shul, just off kikar hameginim.
shabbos day i davened at 9 at tzanz for a 'heimish' experience.
note that tsfas is full of hills and steps so not conducive to baby strollers. next time i think ill stick to the baby bjorn.
as im not familiar with where the cool rabbis lived, i was unable to visit their homes on this trip
