Mizpe Hayamim Spa Hotel

Mizpe Hayamim has its charms, timewarpish though they are.

Upon first inspection, Mizpe Hayamim doesn’t look like much. The garden is overgrown, the building looks unkempt and the facade, obscured by wild trees and shrubs, looks like it might be the back. Once inside, you confront a lobby with, at best, a mishmash collection of well-used furnishings, and the clientele aren’t particularly chic. And yet, stay a few days and you’ll probably succumb to the sense of happiness and goodwill that pervades the place.

First envisioned in the 1930s and finally opened in the 1960s by Eric Yaros, a German-born doctor who was years ahead of the all-natural movement, Mizpe Hayamim still bears its founder’s imprint. Guests can lounge on the terrace or in the hot tub while drinking in a wonderful view of the Sea of Galilee and the hills around it. A walk around the property reveals all kinds of fruit trees and flowers growing from rock-strewn land, and a old-timey barn, home to the source of the goats-milk products the hotel serves in the restaurants or sells in the shop.

This being a spa hotel, with a large indoor pool and numerous treatment rooms and exercise classes, expect to find calorie counts listed next to each offering at breakfast. Short of a science lab, it’s hard to imagine yogurt and cheese being subjected to this much scrutiny and nuance. But pile up your plate anyway—it’s all organic, I told myself. Plus, I knew I could work it off later by signing up for one of the wellness-focused exercise classes that run each day.

Those willing to sacrifice luxury and style for an authentic experience.