"The historic Jaffa neighborhood has become a cachet of Tel Aviv cool, loaded with designer boutiques, cocktail bars, and creative locals inside its 4,000-year-old walls. It’s appropriate, then, that the hotel that shares its name should act as a microcosm of the area. Star architect John Pawson and his team spent 10 years creating an aesthetic within this former convent-turned-hospital that played to Jaffa’s old/new dichotomy. In the lobby, remains of a 13th-century crusader’s fortress discovered during the hotel’s excavation are displayed alongside two Damien Hirst paintings, twin George Condo busts, and bespoke backgammon tables designed by Pawson himself. Stained-glass windows and checkered floors create a bar space that is both biblical and current—especially when beautiful Tel Avivians are sipping Negronis on the brown suede Cini Boeri Botolo chairs. In a city with a spectacular homegrown food scene, The Jaffa made a bold move placing New York’s Major Food Group in the kitchen. The rigatoni alla Norma and grilled octopus recall its Manhattan hotspot Carbone. But the way these dishes showcase the vibrancy of local produce, meat and fish means Israel remains the star. In a city that everyone’s talking about right now, this hotel has made the conversation even more interesting." - CNT Editors