I feel ambivalent towards this hotel. On the one hand, it is pricy, and the rooms are unimpressive and not on par with 5 star standards. On the other hand, it is the best place in Eilat for a quiet and tranquil holiday, has an excellent staff, and is equipped with outstanding spa facilities.

The Herod's Vitalis is one of the three adjacent Herod's Hotels in Eilat (the others being the main Herod's Palace, and the Herod's Forum). Being a boutique spa hotel, it does not accept guests under the age of 18, and smoking and the use of mobile phones is prohibited (although the later is not totally enforced, the atmosphere is much quieter and calmer than any other place I have been to in Eilat).

The hotel has only 52 rooms, and therefore, houses only 104 guests when fully booked. The small indoor / outdoor pool, which serves only Vitalis guests, is pleasantly sufficient, as is the spa which has two large and superb jacuzzis (one indoor and one outdoor), hot and cold massage "waterfalls" a Finnish sauna a steam sauna as well as a fully equipped gym. There is also the usual array of massages etc.

Vitalis guests can also use all of the other Herod's hotels facilities (which is not the case for the other Herod's guests) i.e. the main Herod's swimming pool, lobby, and dining hall, although, I preferred using those in the Vitalis itself. The breakfast dining hall in the Vitalis is smaller and has a lesser variety than its counterparts, but the peace and quiet and the waiter service you get there really make a difference, as does the absence of children.

As for dinner, Vitalis guests can choose between the excellent gourmet Lawrence fish restaurant, the main buffet dining hall in the Herod's Palace, or the Tamarind Middle Eastern cuisine restaurant. Here again, the high level of food and the choice allowed to Vitalis guests clearly outdo those offered at to guests staying at the Herod's Palace or Forum.

Unfortunately, the rooms in the Vitalis are not at all impressive, and are less than standard. They are a bit outdated, the jacuzzi - bathtub is difficult to get into and out of, and there is a lack of storage place in the small wardrobe and drawers provided.

There is no real main lobby at the Vitalis, but rather quite a few quite, well decorated and quaint corners in which you can sit and chat, read or relax without being harassed by noisy children and endlessly ringing cell phones.

Another plus is the lounge which if open from 12:00 - 18:00 in the breakfast dining hall, again, solely for Vitalis guests. Here you can have tea, coffee, wine, freshly pressed fruit juices, fresh fruit, cake etc. for free. At 16:00, bread and salads are added.

All in all, I would recommend this hotel for those looking for a quiet, intimate holiday with good spa facilities and food options (if you plan to eat at the hotel, half-board will save you some money - you needn't book all nights half-board, but can rather do so on some days and book bed and breakfast on others, in order to allow for eating at some of Eilat's other superb restaurants). If you are visiting Eilat with no children on a Jewish holiday or during the summer months (July and August), you should definitely choose this hotel, since it is the only one at which you will find peace and quiet, good food, and personal attention from the staff and management.

The overall experience was dissapointing - the hotel roooms are of a very poor standard and very much 2 - 3 star standard rather than the 5 star that you are paying for.
There were cigarette burns on the carpet, the bath was peeling, there was a pervasive unpleasant smell of damp and the furniture was bric-a-brac.
When we complained we were told all Vitalis rooms were the same and we were moved to a suite in the main Herod hotel complex which was better but by no means luxorious. Don't expect too much from the Herods and you won't be disaapointed.
The spa facilities are quite nice and we did like the pool.

My boyfriend and I went to Israel for 2 weeks this month and had the pleasure of staying at the Herods Vitalis for 3 nights. From our very arrival, everything was wonderful. The staff is super-courteous, the hotel lobby area is architecturally interesting and spotless and the views are amazing!

At the first glance, the room didn't impress me, but it was perfectly fine. The bathroom was done in marble with a Jacuzzi and even had built in speakers for the radio!

While the pool area is rather small, it's totally sufficient and protects those seeking peace and quiet from the little screaming rug-rats (while being totally cute, you know they can be disruptive) playing around the pool of the main Harods hotel. Only adults here, thank you very much!

Be sure to try their breakfast - a true Israeli selection of salads, pastries, eggs made to order and cheeses. All delicious!

Have fun!!!

This is actually the second time we've been to vitalis, we were there about five years ago, and I remember it to be better. In general, the quality of the service is not up to par, I was told to get my own towels when I wanted to go to the beach, when I needed pool chairs and there were none, I was told to just be patient and wait, while the staff sat around chatting with each other....my massage was brutal, and I've chosen this word specifically because I like hard massages, this was brutal and ugly by a severely masochistic Russian (and, by the way most of the staff is Russian.... a smile, a kind word, have a nice day....NEVER) Turn down service was non existant, the rooms need to be refreshed immediately if not sooner, the beds are unpleasant, and the bedding (and pillows) a throwback to the 1950's....c'mon guys, get with the program....in general, I was dissappointed, I'm truly sorry.