I stayed for a night at the Meridien. The room was a little worn but large and no problems other than the bath had lost the plug! Breakfast was a perfectly good buffet with excellent coffee. The room service was the best I have had in a long time. It was a limited menu, but the pizza and salad were excellent. The staff were friendly and helpful. Overall I good experience.

We had a horrible experience at the Crown Plaza (see my review of that property), and ended up having the clerk there reserve a room for us anywhere else he could find. Just as I found the positive reviews of the Crown Plaza to not match my experience, same with the negative reviews of Le Meridien. We ended up in a gorgeous two room suite with a great view, great bed, a lot of space, and impeccable service. We liked it enough to spend the rest of our trip here. The value at about 180 per night was outstanding. The only quibble I have at all is .. parking is inconvenient (the main parking garage is under another building next door). The restaurant there is Dairy under Kosher Rules, and while the breakfast buffet is great, the lack of meat limits dinner and room service options (this is common in Israel).

The hotel is seemingly a Le Meridien on the beach, however: it does not compare to any Meridien hotels I know, the rooms are so dowdy (I stayd for six nights and changed rooms frequently), the furniture condition worn, the plants in the building brown, and the atmosphere impoverished. The access to the beach is problematic (one needs to go all around the building and down through an unpleasant and unkempt plaza to get to the public beach and promenade (many steps - not a hotel for the walking impared!). The breakfast is quantity but like everything else in the hotel - not really quality. It is very kosher and there seem to be many religeous groups at the hotel. One needs a car here, but if one has a car one may as well stay in one of the many other hotels which offer better standard and better value. Many of the hotel amenities (such as the spa and pool and a small store where you can buy a paper) are actually in another building some 200 meters away. The only reason one should stay there is to collect starwood points and to enjoy the only five star attraction of the hotel: the window with the direct view to the sea.

After reading what others had to say about Le Meridian in Haifa, we were quite reticent about staying there even at the suggestion of Artzeinu tour guides in Israel (Rivkah is extrememly helpful), But my wife and I both enjoy beaches so there you have it, the only place available in Haifa on the beach was Le Meridian. We found the facility to be very nice. Though the room was not impeccable, it was very accomodating. We enjoyed a room with a TV in the living room and Bedroom as well as a full size refrigerator(which we didn't need). The Med Sea is Awesome and the beach at this Hotel in peak season was not crowded, a major plus. There is a wave barrier that allows for bathers to experience the crash and mist of incoming waves...pretty cool. The bathers seemed to be an older group but there were children as well. The staff were pleasant and attempted to assist us when needed. Only a few spoke english fluently. They were able to guide us with our requests and to the various destinations as we patiently worked through the language barrier. Our only gripe was that the drinking glasses were not replenished with clean ones each day even though we asked twice, we eventually just picked up clean ones from the lobby bar. The breakfast was quite delicious with variety that would satisfy even a demanding palate. The room views and breeze were spectacular. It is also only a few minutes from the mall and within 20 minutes of most attractions. Also the board walk on the beach was great for jogging in the morning and late day strolls. This is definitely not a 5 star pamper you to pieces place. But it is very nice and kid friendly. Since I see myself as a big kid (was able to do some sand art on the beach) was impressed enough to feel compelled to write this and share with others. Without a question we will stay there again and perhaps next time with our family from the Houston TX area.