Poli House

Tel Aviv is known among architects and designers for the unique Bauhaus architecture of its White City, and the Poli House is a splendid example: a Thirties edifice built by Schlomo Liasowski and restored by architect Nitza Szmuk for the local Brown Hotels group. What’s inside, however, is famous among architects and designers for another reason: the interiors, by the Egyptian-born starchitect Karim Rashid, add the contrast of vivid colors and curvaceous forms to the existing structure’s classic, monochrome Bauhaus geometry.

It’s a heady mix, for the visually inclined, but all of this is perhaps secondary to the real business of the hotel, which is to play host to guests who don’t necessarily know the Bauhaus from the blobular — all they need to know is that this place is full of life, full of comfort, and, with the curtains drawn, full of sunlight. What the smaller rooms lack in square footage they make up for in open-plan rationality, and the public spaces, like the rooftop bar and restaurant with its poolside lounge, are a particular delight. From here you’re in the heart of bustling, modern Tel Aviv — after breakfast in the café’s garden you’re perfectly placed to take in the best of the White City.