Maskit Estate

In three words:

Classy, Culinary, Spa

In 363 words:
Here's a slightly embarrassing confession for a straight man: I'm a sucker for British period films. I don't know if it's the large mansions, the gardens, and the class that oozes from every corner, or just the pleasant feeling that it's far away... A film like this just popped into my head when I stopped in front of the ornate iron gate at the entrance to "Mishkit."

I'd heard a lot about this place (I think Yael Bar-Zohar and Guy Zuaretz got married here), but like any good Israeli, I was skeptical. When the gate opened and the car slid into a large colonial garden, my skepticism was gone. It turns out that there are real mansions here after all...

There’s something very effortless about the luxury that this place exudes. It doesn’t need to shout that it’s on another level – it just is, completely confident in its qualities.
You see it in the lounge, which is decorated with classical restraint, in the large pool surrounded by a blooming garden, and in the sweet professionalism of Sarit, the owner of the place, and Ilanit, her right hand.

We sit in the shade of the umbrellas by the pool, and every now and then a quiet waitress comes over and gently asks if we're missing anything. 'It must be missing,' I think, I miss moments like that in my life... It turns out there's an entire team here, whose sole job is to make sure that the guests make a minimum of movements beyond the required 'abdominals'.

"You can also have chef meals here," says Ilanit, and I think there's no greater understatement than that - with all due respect to the millions of B&Bs that offer chef meals, this is in a different league. 'A gourmet restaurant for one table' seems to me an apt description for the large professional kitchen, and the cozy space with a heavy wooden table in the center. "We also have wine that we produce in our own winery," says Sarit, and I ask myself how it happened that I arrived in Europe without passing through Ben Gurion Airport...

The spa also screams quality, and again – don’t confuse it with some poor sauna in the backyard of a forgotten B&B. There’s nothing less than a complex here: a couples treatment room, a beautiful sauna and above all – an impressive wooden cabin with a unique pool for Watsu treatments (don’t ask me what that is, I just know it’s nice as hell…).

Oops, I didn't write about the suites, and it's not that there aren't any. There are 4 of them, arranged in a half-heap, hidden in the vegetation. And each of them has its own design touch. They have a vaulted ceiling and an original design that Ilanit says is something between Spain and Tuscany (I checked on the map – it comes out to be about Sardinia). Inside you will expect all the pampering and amenities, and outside – a slightly small, but intimate and completely private garden.

Back at the parking lot, as I got lost in the thicket of paths and vegetation, I once again had the feeling that I was on the set of "On Sense and Sensibility." As long as they don't yell 'cut'...

• The estate covers an area of approximately 15 dunams, including gardens, fruit trees, seating areas and horse stables.
• There is a lounge equipped with a professional kitchen that also functions as a private chef's restaurant.
• The property features a professional spa complex that includes a double treatment room, a sauna cabin, and an indoor, heated treatment pool.
• Room service is available , including flowers, a newspaper every morning and daily linen change.
• A professional team is at the guests' service and provides a variety of treats and surprises.
• Each suite has two bicycles for trips around the area.