Things To Do In Israel Master Thread

[Shmelly]

I can add a few reviews now.

Sheyan: Egg roll was decent. Entrecote skewers were amazing, I would highly recommend. Teriyaki chicken was really good. Chocolate peanut butter mousse dessert was pretty good, not too peanut buttery. Chinese Wall drink had no discernible alcohol in it. Service was excellent, food came really quick. Prices were decent and the place has nice decor. Look for Moishebatchy when you're there, he's the guy cutting the line. Luckily we were advised to place a reservation, as the place was packed. Roughly 13% tip is included in your bill.

Rimon Bistro What happened to this place? I always loved it in the past, now it was a massive disappointment. Philly steak sandwich had barely any meat in it, which might be a good thing as the little meat that was in there was severely undercooked. Since the last time I was there they also cut down tremendously on the amount of fries you get. The burger was just a burger, you'll find the same or better anywhere decent in America. I also ordered chicken nuggets to go, got back to my hotel and found wings instead of nuggets.  Huge thumbs down.

Sam Bagels Ate at the one on Paran several times. Decent food but insanely overpriced (5 bucks for a cream cheese bagel, $2 for a cookie). If you just want eggs, go down the block to...

Waffle Bar I wish someone had told me this before we ordered - ORDER ONE MAIN DISH TO SHARE! I got the Oreo belgian waffle, wife got the dulce de leche crepe, and both were really really good, but half of each dish went in to the garbage. (Not really a food you can take to go.) Food is not cheap, but on the bright side, they make scrambled eggs for just 3 shekel per egg. The presentation of the food is beautiful (I have pictures, will try to post later). Service is good and tip is not included in your bill.

I'll write more later.

[YudiG]

Was all at the DO. You missed it

and l'maaseh we paskened that its beyond a PITA and not so k'dai anymore....

[hocker]

Any have ideas for tonight's chulent?

[Moishebatchy]

Chinese Wall drink had no discernible alcohol in it.

Happens sometimes. You're supposed to ask them to fix it.

Look for Moishebatchy when you're there, he's the guy cutting the line.

ROFLMAO!!!

[Moishebatchy]

Any have ideas for tonight's chulent?

Ma'adanei Zahav on Rechov Malachi, owned by my best friend's father-in-law, has an amazing cholent. So good, in fact, that you'd never guess it's actually pareve.

Okay, maybe I'm a little biased, but it is good.

[rots5]

Any have ideas for tonight's chulent?

Im sick but i put one up this afternoon or bring me some moishala's. or yoilys now :-)

[YudiG]

Any have ideas for tonight's chulent?

was listening to menachem tokers radio show today and he was talking about cholent for 2 hours straight...he declared today national cholent day...was giving out free cholent...made me so hungry

[mmermss]

Roughly 13% tip is included in your bill.

Imteresting they dont tell you that.  Usually in Israel tip not included.

[Moishebatchy]

Imteresting they dont tell you that.  Usually in Israel tip not included.

These days, it does say it on the bottom of the receipt.

Oh, and BTW, great report Shmelly!

[Jkhein]

Imteresting they dont tell you that.  Usually in Israel tip not included.

not always a meilah....

[mmermss]

not always a meilah....

I wasnt saying it was.  Just saying I was there a few nights ago and gave a tip...on top of their 13% because I thought tip wasn't included.

[hocker]

Ma'adanei Zahav on Rechov Malachi, owned by my best friend's father-in-law, has an amazing cholent. So good, in fact, that you'd never guess it's actually pareve.

Okay, maybe I'm a little biased, but it is good.

Sorry, Pareve cholent is a no go.

Im sick but i put one up this afternoon or bring me some moishala's. or yoilys now :-)

Believe me I would, but I don't have a car.

[Jkhein]

Believe me I would, but I don't have a car.

I thought you have good deals :-)

[Moishebatchy]

Believe me I would, but I don't have a car.

Car rental enthusiast, PM me for assistance.

Aleh sheesters geyin boorvis, eh?

[Moishebatchy]

restaurant discussion is officially dead.   let's have it...

No CPR, eh?

Okay, fine, here goes...

take a look at this thread   http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2861.msg28664#msg28664

basically after the 11th rental you're walking away with 3,000 points each 2 day rental.  if you value lh at about 1.7/1.8 a point, then you're getting $54 back on each 2 day rental.  that should pretty much cover the cost of a two day rental on a small car.   

Back in the day (as recently as a few weeks ago), one could get a class A or B car on a qualifying rate code (not all rate codes give miles) for $23-$25 per day. That meant every two days was $46-$50 (if you weren't paying tax), and was earning roughly $48 worth of miles (M&M used to be worth less than it is now), making the car more or less free. But one out of every three rentals had to be three days (since the week has seven days, which is not divisible by two), which meant paying $69-$75, while getting the same $48 of miles. Nu, a little sacrifice for Shabbos Koidesh.

Now, life is a bit more difficult. The rate codes that earn miles have all been updated to a three day minimum at $26 per day, and if you only take it for two days, you are charged $33 per day. Thus, a two day rental is $66, and a three day rental is $78. But... If you book specifically through NoachCar, you get a zikuy Shabbat of $14, bringing down the price of a Thursday-Sunday rental (3 days) to $64. (Noach is the only agent authorized to offer zikuy Shabbat for the "American" rate codes.)

Also, M&M has gone up slightly - with the right connections, you can find a buyer whereby the points will be worth $54, or $162 per week (three rentals).

So... let's do the math:

3 rentals are $66 + $66 + $64 = $194
Points are worth = $162
total cost per week after all is said and done: $32

Not to shabby, eh? A car for four-and-a-half bucks per day...

Caveat: you want the points to credit automatically, since you don't want human eyes prying into your account unnecessarily. Blessings are only found in that which is hidden from the eye.

That being the case, try to avoid any unnecessary surcharges (like renting accessories on the same contract) or refunds (like demanding a few bucks back because you got the car with some gas missing), because touching the contract too much may cause your points to not credit automatically. Then you will have to make the difficult choice between forgoing the points for that rental altogether, or fighting for them and risking getting your account audited (kinda like how we try to avoid F/R triggers). Additionally, dealer has warned me that if the price drops below what you are supposed to pay for two days, you won't get any miles at all; so avoid, for example, taking a zikuy Shabbat on a contract of only two days. Better make the weekend rentals the three-day ones.

there are a couple things that need to be worked out though.    if you book it using the awd for the promo it's a higher rate.  supposedly though it's easy to book on a diff awd and then change it when you get into the store.  not sure if travel agent rate would work the same.     

This is the easy part: put the AWD on your Wizard, then have an agent (Noach, Yaari, Sruly Feig etc.) make the reservation for you. Make sure to give your Wizard number, and make sure to specify you want the HC or HZ rate code. Ta da! The AWD will be on your contract, and you will get the prices I mentioned above.

also, i don't think it would be worth it for most people if you need to spend an hour every 2 days returning the car and getting a new one, it's a major pita.   if you could work out a way with them to just stop by and fill out new papers or something, without actually returning the car it makes it much more feasible.     

True... let's just say, it helps to have friends in high places.

and of course you need to change the awd on each 2 day rental.

No, you don't... see above.

the other thing is the hold on your cc.  it would be very annoying if they put a new $1k hold on your cc for each rental...

-1

They can re-use the same hold again and again until it expires. I'm not sure if they do it automatically or if you have to ask, but it's definitely doable.

it usually takes about 10 days to come off.  but that's not such a big deal. 

Here's a little pro tip for anyone renting from Avis (not just people doing this promotion): once you return the car, you can ask the agent to manually cancel the hold, on the spot, instead of waiting for it to expire on its own.

i believe if you maxed it out from here until the end of the year (promo is through dec 31), you could do about 21 rentals, which is about 59k points (first 11 rentals earn less).      not the best, but still a great deal.

Here's where it gets a little sticky. Lufthansa's T&C's do not allow back-to-back rentals. This is not automatically enforced by the computer, but if they audit your account for whatever reason, you're screwed - they can count the entire period as one giant rental, and claw back all but 3,000 of the miles. In fact, someone lost close to half a million miles that way.

The way around this is to make two accounts, and alternate between them, so that no account has back-to-back rentals. Even then they may detect duplicate accounts, so for best results, you make one account in your name and one account in your wife's name.

However... each account needs ten rentals before it starts earning the full bonus. That sets the "buy-in price" at twenty rentals - pretty steep for someone starting this late in the year.

also they've been renewing this every year for the last few years so you could always just wait for january and start then with a full year to do it.

Let's hope they do renew it. I've got my fingers Magen-David'ed...

One final note, that may not be obvious to some: Avis Israel is not losing anything because of the miles you are getting. Or even if the corporation as a whole is, the specific branch you rent from is not.

Why am I mentioning this? Because it is worth noting that as far as the branch is concerned, you are a gold mine. You are a steady customer binging them the better part of $1k in revenue per month. Couple that with being a friendly guy, and they will treat you like royalty. I've had cases where I booked an A and drove out in an F, or where I returned a car six hours late and the manager authorized them to override the computer and not charge me an extra day. I've rented minivans for half the price, and had them hold specific cars for me even when other paying customers wanted them.

Remember, you are not some schnorrer who has to feel self-conscious that you are "taking them for a ride" because of all the points you are getting. The employees all know exactly what I'm doing, and not only don't they have a problem with it, they actually admire me for it. And when I'm one of their best customers... what's not to like?

[YudiG]

gr8 post...how long do you spend at the branch every few days dealing with the rental exchange?

[deals]

I can add a few reviews now.

Sheyan: Egg roll was decent. Entrecote skewers were amazing, I would highly recommend. Teriyaki chicken was really good. Chocolate peanut butter mousse dessert was pretty good, not too peanut buttery. Chinese Wall drink had no discernible alcohol in it. Service was excellent, food came really quick. Prices were decent and the place has nice decor. Look for Moishebatchy when you're there, he's the guy cutting the line. Luckily we were advised to place a reservation, as the place was packed. Roughly 13% tip is included in your bill.

u pay for the ambiance u basically get Chinese food tiny portion (but delicious)and no side dishes not even rice 

Entrecote skewers were amazing

+1

[yare]

No CPR, eh?

Okay, fine, here goes...

Back in the day (as recently as a few weeks ago), one could get a class A or B car on a qualifying rate code (not all rate codes give miles) for $23-$25 per day. That meant every two days was $46-$50 (if you weren't paying tax), and was earning roughly $48 worth of miles (M&M used to be worth less than it is now), making the car more or less free. But one out of every three rentals had to be three days (since the week has seven days, which is not divisible by two), which meant paying $69-$75, while getting the same $48 of miles. Nu, a little sacrifice for Shabbos Koidesh.

Now, life is a bit more difficult. The rate codes that earn miles have all been updated to a three day minimum at $26 per day, and if you only take it for two days, you are charged $33 per day. Thus, a two day rental is $66, and a three day rental is $78. But... If you book specifically through NoachCar, you get a zikuy Shabbat of $14, bringing down the price of a Thursday-Sunday rental (3 days) to $64. (Noach is the only agent authorized to offer zikuy Shabbat for the "American" rate codes.)

Also, M&M has gone up slightly - with the right connections, you can find a buyer whereby the points will be worth $54, or $162 per week (three rentals).

So... let's do the math:

3 rentals are $66 + $66 + $64 = $194
Points are worth = $162
total cost per week after all is said and done: $32

Not to shabby, eh? A car for four-and-a-half bucks per day...

Caveat: you want the points to credit automatically, since you don't want human eyes prying into your account unnecessarily. Blessings are only found in that which is hidden from the eye.

That being the case, try to avoid any unnecessary surcharges (like renting accessories on the same contract) or refunds (like demanding a few bucks back because you got the car with some gas missing), because touching the contract too much may cause your points to not credit automatically. Then you will have to make the difficult choice between forgoing the points for that rental altogether, or fighting for them and risking getting your account audited (kinda like how we try to avoid F/R triggers). Additionally, dealer has warned me that if the price drops below what you are supposed to pay for two days, you won't get any miles at all; so avoid, for example, taking a zikuy Shabbat on a contract of only two days. Better make the weekend rentals the three-day ones.

This is the easy part: put the AWD on your Wizard, then have an agent (Noach, Yaari, Sruly Feig etc.) make the reservation for you. Make sure to give your Wizard number, and make sure to specify you want the HC or HZ rate code. Ta da! The AWD will be on your contract, and you will get the prices I mentioned above.

True... let's just say, it helps to have friends in high places.

No, you don't... see above.

-1

They can re-use the same hold again and again until it expires. I'm not sure if they do it automatically or if you have to ask, but it's definitely doable.

Here's a little pro tip for anyone renting from Avis (not just people doing this promotion): once you return the car, you can ask the agent to manually cancel the hold, on the spot, instead of waiting for it to expire on its own.

Here's where it gets a little sticky. Lufthansa's T&C's do not allow back-to-back rentals. This is not automatically enforced by the computer, but if they audit your account for whatever reason, you're screwed - they can count the entire period as one giant rental, and claw back all but 3,000 of the miles. In fact, someone lost close to half a million miles that way.

The way around this is to make two accounts, and alternate between them, so that no account has back-to-back rentals. Even then they may detect duplicate accounts, so for best results, you make one account in your name and one account in your wife's name.

However... each account needs ten rentals before it starts earning the full bonus. That sets the "buy-in price" at twenty rentals - pretty steep for someone starting this late in the year.

Let's hope they do renew it. I've got my fingers Magen-David'ed...

One final note, that may not be obvious to some: Avis Israel is not losing anything because of the miles you are getting. Or even if the corporation as a whole is, the specific branch you rent from is not.

Why am I mentioning this? Because it is worth noting that as far as the branch is concerned, you are a gold mine. You are a steady customer binging them the better part of $1k in revenue per month. Couple that with being a friendly guy, and they will treat you like royalty. I've had cases where I booked an A and drove out in an F, or where I returned a car six hours late and the manager authorized them to override the computer and not charge me an extra day. I've rented minivans for half the price, and had them hold specific cars for me even when other paying customers wanted them.

Remember, you are not some schnorrer who has to feel self-conscious that you are "taking them for a ride" because of all the points you are getting. The employees all know exactly what I'm doing, and not only don't they have a problem with it, they actually admire me for it. And when I'm one of their best customers... what's not to like?

nice post!       at what point are you attaching your m&m number?   if it's automatically connected to your wizard number and you need to switch accounts every other rental period, that would mean you can't book the next one until you finish the first one and change out the number, no?

also, you sure yaari isn't authorized for the zikuy shabbat?    usually use em for my rentals

[Drago]

Great post Moishe!
I'm curious why their miles are worth so much. Dont they charge YQ? Is their award chart unusually generous?

[rots5]

gr8 post moish   so why the tus tus?