Mizpe Hayamim: The Canonical Israeli Wellness Hotel
Opened 1967 on a ridge above the Sea of Galilee. Flagship of the Isrotel Exclusive Collection. The reference Israeli wellness property — organic farm, in-house dairy, kitchen garden. The country-house tradition older than Tel Aviv boutique by half a century.
Part of: Who Owns the Israeli Hotel Sector · The Galilee Hospitality Belt · Israeli Luxury 2026
Opened 1967 above the Sea of Galilee. The flagship of the Isrotel Exclusive Collection. The reference Israeli wellness property — organic farm, in-house dairy, kitchen garden, the country-house tradition that predates Tel Aviv boutique by half a century.
Mizpe Hayamim is the canonical Israeli wellness hotel.
A historic farm-and-spa on a ridge between the Sea of Galilee and Mount Meron, near Rosh Pinna in the Upper Galilee. Opened in 1967 by Yehuda and Rachel Avital as a natural-healing retreat. Evolved through multiple ownership cycles over five decades, eventually becoming the flagship property of Isrotel Exclusive Collection — the premium tier of Isrotel, the Lubinski-family hotel group.
The hotel runs an organic farm on-site, an in-house dairy, a kitchen garden, and an integrated wellness program. It has a serious, decades-deep following among Tel Aviv professionals who do not want to fly internationally to take three days off. Among Israeli wellness operators, no one else has the cumulative reference time.
BY THE NUMBERS
Opened: 1967
Founders: Yehuda and Rachel Avital — as a natural-healing retreat
Location: ridge above the Sea of Galilee, near Rosh Pinna · Upper Galilee
Keys: ~96 rooms
Operator: Isrotel Exclusive Collection — the premium tier of Isrotel
On-site: organic farm · in-house dairy · kitchen garden · integrated spa & wellness
Demand anchor: Israeli domestic UHNW & professional class · weekend traffic from Tel Aviv
The Avital Years
The property was founded in 1967 by Yehuda and Rachel Avital — a couple who saw the ridge above the Sea of Galilee as an opportunity to build a natural-healing center distinct from anything operating in Israel at the time. The original positioning was wellness, in the European sanatorium tradition — clean air, organic food, integrated nature, deliberate distance from urban life.
For decades, Mizpe Hayamim operated as an independent property under the Avitals and subsequent owners. It built its reputation slowly, primarily through Israeli word-of-mouth among professionals, journalists, and the wider Tel Aviv leisure cohort. The on-site farm, the dairy, and the kitchen garden became defining features. The property was never large — under 100 keys at most points in its history — and never tried to be.
The Isrotel Era
Mizpe Hayamim was acquired by Isrotel — the Lubinski-family hotel group founded by David Lewis in 1985 and built into one of Israel's two dominant domestic hotel operators (alongside Fattal). Mizpe Hayamim became the flagship of the Isrotel Exclusive Collection, the group's premium tier, sitting above the main Isrotel-branded portfolio.
Isrotel kept the property's defining features intact. The organic farm continued. The dairy continued. The wellness program continued. The ownership transition gave the property institutional capital backing and operational depth without erasing the small-scale, country-house character that had built its reputation.
The Wellness Program
The wellness offer at Mizpe Hayamim is more substantive than the cosmetic spa programs that dominate most Israeli luxury hotels. Integrated medical wellness, treatments rooted in the natural-healing tradition the property was founded on, an extensive treatment menu spanning bodywork, hydrotherapy, and nutritional consultation. The on-site farm and dairy supply the kitchen directly, allowing the property to operate a genuinely farm-to-table food program.
The combination — wellness program, organic farm, on-site dairy, integrated kitchen garden, all within a small-key property in a serious landscape setting — does not have a direct Israeli comparable. The closest international comparable is the smaller European country-house wellness properties: select Como properties, certain Six Senses positions, the smaller Belmond houses.
October 7 and After
The Upper Galilee was under sustained rocket fire from southern Lebanon through much of 2024. The northern security situation was a real operating constraint for every Galilee hotel. Mizpe Hayamim was affected, but the property held up structurally on Israeli domestic demand.
The guest base that fills Mizpe Hayamim — Tel Aviv professionals, Israeli UHNW, the country's serious wellness-traveler cohort — did not stop traveling inside Israel. International airline disruption and the patriotic-anchoring effect on Israeli high-end spending pushed more Israeli demand into the Galilee than less. By 2025 and into 2026, Mizpe Hayamim is among the most consistently booked wellness properties in the Israeli hotel sector.
WHY IT MATTERS
- The canonical Israeli wellness property — operating continuously since 1967
- The reference for what farm-to-table integrated wellness looks like in Israeli hospitality
- Flagship of the Isrotel Exclusive Collection — Isrotel's premium tier
- The country-house tradition older than the modern Tel Aviv boutique class by half a century
- Held up structurally through October 7 — domestic demand carried the property
- Set the operational template for every wellness-anchored Israeli hospitality position that followed
The Outlook
Mizpe Hayamim does not operate on a growth strategy. The key count, the geography, the wellness program, and the farm-to-table operation are structurally fixed. The property's role in the Israeli hospitality landscape is defined by its longevity and by what it pioneered, not by what it will scale into.
The longer-term question is whether Isrotel — or another Israeli operator — opens a second wellness property of this kind. The successful precedent of Pereh Mountain Resort (a different design language, but in the same Galilee geography at a higher ADR) suggests the demand is structurally there. A second wellness-anchored Israeli country-house property in the next five years is plausible.
The property founded in 1967 by the Avitals on a ridge above the Sea of Galilee remains the reference everyone else writes against.
Mizpe Hayamim — FAQ
What is Mizpe Hayamim?
Mizpe Hayamim is a historic Israeli wellness hotel located on a ridge above the Sea of Galilee, near Rosh Pinna in the Upper Galilee. Opened in 1967 by Yehuda and Rachel Avital as a natural-healing retreat. Now operates as the flagship property of the Isrotel Exclusive Collection.
Where is Mizpe Hayamim located?
The property sits on a ridge between the Sea of Galilee and Mount Meron, near Rosh Pinna in the Upper Galilee. The setting is one of the most beautiful in northern Israel — wide views over the Galilee landscape, structurally isolated from urban life.
When did Mizpe Hayamim open?
Mizpe Hayamim opened in 1967, founded by Yehuda and Rachel Avital as a natural-healing center in the European sanatorium tradition. It has operated continuously since.
How many rooms does Mizpe Hayamim have?
Approximately 96 rooms. The property has never been large — under 100 keys at most points in its history — and has never tried to be. The small scale is part of the property's defining character.
Who owns Mizpe Hayamim?
Mizpe Hayamim is owned by Isrotel — the Lubinski-family hotel group founded by David Lewis in 1985 and built into one of Israel's two dominant domestic hotel operators alongside Fattal. The property operates as the flagship of the Isrotel Exclusive Collection, the group's premium tier.
What is the wellness program at Mizpe Hayamim?
The wellness program at Mizpe Hayamim is rooted in the natural-healing tradition the property was founded on. It includes integrated medical wellness, an extensive bodywork and hydrotherapy menu, nutritional consultation, and a farm-to-table food program supplied directly by the on-site organic farm, dairy, and kitchen garden.
Does Mizpe Hayamim have a farm?
Yes. The on-site organic farm, in-house dairy, and kitchen garden have been defining features of the property since the Avital years. The farm supplies the kitchen directly, giving the property one of the only genuinely integrated farm-to-table operations in Israeli hospitality.
How does Mizpe Hayamim compare internationally?
The closest international comparables are smaller European country-house wellness properties: select Como properties, certain Six Senses positions, the smaller Belmond houses. The combination of small-scale, integrated farm, wellness program, and serious landscape setting does not have a direct Israeli peer.
How did Mizpe Hayamim perform after October 7?
The Upper Galilee was under sustained rocket fire from southern Lebanon through much of 2024. Despite the security situation, Mizpe Hayamim held up structurally on Israeli domestic demand. The Tel Aviv professional and UHNW guest base that anchors the property did not stop traveling inside Israel. By 2025 and into 2026, the property is among the most consistently booked wellness properties in the Israeli hotel sector.
Part of the Olam Travel & Hospitality cluster. Companion properties: Pereh Mountain Resort · Six Senses Shaharut · The Galilee Hospitality Belt · Isrotel and the Lubinski Family. Capstone: Who Owns the Israeli Hotel Sector. Sector guide: Israeli Luxury 2026.
