The Setai Sea of Galilee

The Setai was wonderful. The property is beautiful, villas are lovely and spacious with awesome private pools (too cold to use in December/January tho), and service is so attentive and friendly (5 stars to Nabeh and Nuri!!). We traveled with our 8 year old son and they had a sofa bed turned down for him. We enjoyed the free breakfasts, the wine bar with a fire pit, and also loved the new year's eve dinner. The resort is right on the Sea of Galilee. We hope to return!

Most of the employees and hotel staff were lazy, on their phones, crowding the public beautiful areas, very unhelpful at the spa- not changing towels on the pool loungers when they were wet and used by other people. Were very moody, never smile, not friendly or helpful

We stopped here randomly for a drink. The hotel looked nice, so I asked the reception staff about availability for one night.

One of them referred me to online offers, and when I asked about the price for a standard room he tried to upsell me a villa with pool.

I persisted by explaining that I preferred personal service so could
they please check their system.

This was being handled by several men on reception. Throughout, a woman colleague was looking on increasingly embarrassed, realising this is not how you’re meant to handle a walk-in in a supposedly luxury hotel; but presumably she felt too awkward to intervene.

Then a more senior manager was summoned who spoke even less English than his colleagues. He kept shouting, what room are you in? Which didn’t add a lot to the dialogue!

The Israeli tourism industry is on its knees. One would like to help, but how can one if forced to deal
with donkeys with limited English and a bad attitude? Were I a shareholder in this group I’d have been tearing my hair out. Compulsory retraining for all
the reception staff in this hotel !

My wife and I stayed at the Setai Galilee last week for 2 nights. Our experience was amazing from start to finish. Waking up to the view of the Sea of Galilee was breathtaking. The villa was amazing ( we were given an upgrade at check in without even requesting). Breakfast and dinners were all buffet service with a large selection including some items not typically seen at buffets. Service was wonderful. The pool was delightful and not too crowded. We are already planning our next stay - can't wait.

The infrastructure of this hotel is actually beautiful and well planned. The issue is that maintenance is extremely weak with broken fixtures and fittings. Shabby repairs and not invested. Ripped curtains. Toilet seat that does not fit. Bulbs not working. Switches busted. Broken and damaged tiles. Old beds. Basic linen. Shower that floods the bathroom.
This is not a luxury hotel!
And yes, like everyone else here they promised to call me after I checked out- but nobody has reached out to me. I showed them these pictures and they said someone will contact me I am still waiting!

Till today I have no answer from
Dear Management Team of The Setai,
Send on 6/09/2025
I am writing to express our deep dissatisfaction with the level of service we experienced during our recent stay in the Golan Villa with Pool at your establishment.

From the outset, our experience was far from the high standards one would expect from a hotel of your standing. It was impossible to sleep due to continuous noise — both from outside (machines operating through the night) and inside the villa, where the refrigerator and ice machine made unbearable noise. This made our nights extremely unpleasant and unrestful.

At breakfast, the situation was no better. We had to wait for clean plates before we could even begin to serve ourselves, and the coffee machines were out of order, adding to the frustration. Again, this is unacceptable in a hotel that claims to offer a luxury experience.

Unfortunately, the issues extended beyond the facilities. The customer service was appalling throughout our stay. Even when we expressed our dissatisfaction, the so-called managers showed no real concern or willingness to resolve the issues. Their lack of professionalism and empathy was particularly disappointing.

To add insult to injury, at the pool the following day, we had to wait 45 minutes to receive our drinks, only after complaining — and our food order never arrived, even after an hour and a half, forcing us to cancel and leave, utterly disappointed and frustrated.

This entire experience was deeply disheartening and far below what we expected. We do not recommend The Setai to anyone seeking quality service or comfort.

We expect a formal response from the hotel’s senior management regarding this matter, and we request that appropriate steps be taken to address these serious service failures.

Sincerely,

I’ve been wanting to stay at the Satai on the Kinneret since it was under construction. The Kinneret area has long needed a truly high-end hotel, and the Satai looked like it would fill that role. Sadly, our stay was very disappointing. While the property itself is beautiful and the grounds have the potential to be magnificent—the Satai could be the jewel of the Kinneret—the reality of our experience fell far short.

From the start, things felt disorganized. The security gate was open with no one monitoring cars entering the property. At check-in, I stood in line for at least ten minutes before anyone acknowledged me. Three staff members were occupied with one guest’s conflict and essentially ignored our arrival. Only after I asked did someone finally come out of the back office. The supervisor barely looked up before asking for my passport and credit card, and only after I mentioned it was my first stay did she look at me and say, “welcome to the Satai.” Hardly the warm hospitality one expects from a five-star hotel.

Our escort to the room simply dropped our bags at the door—no assistance inside, no explanation of room features. The room itself was clean and comfortable but lacked basics I would expect from a luxury property: no robes, no slippers, and no in-room room service menu. There was an ice machine, which was a nice feature, and we did receive a call to check if we needed anything. When we asked for fresh towels, they were delivered—but the used ones were left behind. One pillow had no case, and even after housekeeping serviced the room, it was left on the bed uncorrected.

Walking the grounds, I was surprised by the amount of litter, broken light fixtures, and general lack of maintenance. For a hotel positioning itself as a high-end destination, this was unacceptable.

My wife and I both booked massages at the spa, which we had been excited about. I specifically requested a deep tissue massage—while the massage itself was decent, it was not deep tissue. The bigger disappointment was the atmosphere. A spa should be calm and tranquil, yet the attendants at the desk didn’t acknowledge us until we said, “hello, excuse me.” When we asked about robes, we were sent upstairs, only to be told they were downstairs. When I asked for towels, the attendant pointed to a bin that appeared to contain used ones. Inside, massage therapists called out to each other across rooms—loudly and unprofessionally. After the massage, my therapist disappeared completely and didn’t even offer a cup of water. While the quiet room had tea and a water dispenser, the dispenser was empty both before and after my treatment. The entire experience was the opposite of what a spa should provide.

Dining was similarly disappointing. Breakfast was overcrowded and poorly managed. The food itself was plentiful and of good quality, but served haphazardly, with no labels. Once the juice machine filled with peels, no one emptied it. Water, juice, and coffee were served in paper or plastic cups. I even watched staff walk over the same egg on the floor multiple times without cleaning it. The one bright spot was the barista at breakfast—he greeted guests with genuine warmth and made an excellent cup of coffee. We had planned to stay for dinner, but after the breakfast experience, we decided to dine elsewhere. At the bar, there was no drink menu; when I requested a drink to be served by the poolside firepit, it was delivered without a napkin or coaster. Staff overall seemed indifferent at best.

They also provide bikes on the property for guests to use, which is a nice idea in theory. Unfortunately, most of the bikes were broken—broken/bent pedals, with no brakes, or otherwise unsafe. While the bikes are free to use, broken bikes are worse than having none at all. At best, they were unusable; at worst, they were dangerous.

Most of the issues we experienced seem rooted in poor staff training and a lack of service standards. The Satai could be the jewel of the Kinneret, but unless management makes a serious commitment to professional training and true five-star hospitality, it risks sliding quickly into mediocrity. Sadly, unless we hear of significant improvements, it’s doubtful we will return.

A 5 star luxury hotel which is 3 star hotel.

The problems started before arrival.

Tried booking spa a week and half before our arrival and was denied ability to book. Only on the week before was I able to book. Every time I phoned the spa they closed the phone on me. Going through reception the spa also closed the phone on me.

After checkin we had to wait for the courtesy car to take us to the room. Of course about 20 mins passed before the person at the main phoned and shouted at the driver to come as many people were waiting. That helped.

We got to our room and found that the room was not cleaned properly. The safe was locked and only after I phoned for third time did some come (after 45 mins).

Next problem was that the towels for the jacuzzi were torn. People also had left the jacuzzi leaving their wet towels on the furniture but only by asking twice did they send some to clean and change the towels.

At the swimming pool though it was over 35 centigrade , no cooler was out with water to drinker. The toilet was missing a light, filthy and smelly.

The swimming pool was not cleaned properly at night so the floor was full of sand and dirt.

On the internet sight they talked about two restaurants , milk and meat. But neither opened during our stay.

The room had light bulbs burnt out, 30 hours later still waiting for service.
They cleaned the room and removed towels but of course did not bring clean towels. When i tried calling the reception ut was engaged.
When I personally arrived, i discovered that they had purposely taken off the handset. They put it back and everything worked but immediately they repeated the process.

The hotel is in a great setting, food in the main dinning room was good.
The service in the dinning room was good and they were helpful.

For me and my partner, the Setai Kinneret Hotel fell well below expectations. IT IS NOT A 5 STAR HOTEL.

DON'T go there. You have better options at the price the ask.

A horel will succeed on the service and this hotel failed

One of the worst spa and pool experiences I’ve ever had. The staff were unprofessional and even rude. The food area and pool were messy and poorly maintained, and the place was clearly overcrowded beyond its capacity. We paid a lot of money for a massage, breakfast, and pool day, but it was truly disappointing.
When we approached the manager, he did absolutely nothing to address our complaints. To make matters worse, a pool staff member named Gaber even attacked my friend.
I’ve tried many places, and this was by far the worst.

We came to Setai Tiberias to celebrate a birthday, expecting a luxury experience but were deeply disappointed.
The pool was completely overcrowded with no available seating, and we were even told to ask other guests to give up their chairs. Service was extremely slow, there were not enough waiters, and both the pool water and surrounding area were not clean. At the restaurant, we waited about half an hour with no service and eventually had to order at the bar. Despite clearly sitting in the restaurant, our food was served in takeaway boxes.
Overall, the experience did not meet any expectations of a luxury hotel very disappointing and not recommended.

The service at the hotel is horrible! Rooms have a dated and dirty feel. The hotel is not well kept at all! The entire property is filled with trash from the beach of the gallie to the entrance. Staff are rude to customers swearing. And no help. Definitely not a 5 star hotel. DONT STAY HERE!!!!!

We stayed at The Setai, Kinneret, and the experience was far below expectations for a so-called luxury hotel.
• Service: Nonexistent. Staff were rude, unhelpful, and often refused to serve us. At Shabbat dinner we were left without water or soda, and when we asked, our requests were ignored. Yesterday we tried ordering a fruit platter and chicken nuggets for our kids. The servers told us to go to the bar. At the bar, we were ignored for 30 minutes until my husband intervened and eventually had to bring the manager in just to get basic service. Completely unacceptable.
• Cleanliness: The property was not maintained. We saw dirty dishes from lunch still sitting in the same place 24 hours later. Pool water did not look clean, and many chairs were broken and dirty.
• Basic amenities: We requested water for the room. They brought us just two small bottles, charged 28 shekels in cash at the door, and falsely claimed they didn’t have our credit card on file (even though they did).

This is not a five-star experience by any standard. For the high rates charged, we expected luxury and professionalism. Instead, we received rudeness, neglect, and an overall uncomfortable stay.

Bottom line: Not worth the money. I would not recommend The Setai, Kinneret.

Terrible customer service. Arrived and no one showed us to our room. Front desk was tied up with multiple yelling customers trying to check out. We were handed our keys and told to wait for a ride that never showed up to our room. This should have been a clue of how things were going to go.

The room was unkempt. For three people there was one crumpled up towel shoved in the closet. Multiple calls to the front desk to ask for more were ignored for HOURS ON END. The third bed was never made up. Multiple calls to front desk to ask for help for HOURS ON END and no sheets were sent for this bed.

Let’s talk bathrooms. No soap. No shampoo.

Food: they got this right. Delicious! Like really that good! Food services seems to be the saving grace of this place on this stay because housekeeping is clearly the anchor bringing the shop down.

Needless to say, we won’t be returning.

Terrible hotel – not worth the price at all!
This hotel was absolutely awful. The price is completely unjustified for what you get. First and foremost, the room was dirty and smelled horrible – like sewage. The floor was filthy, and it was so bad that I had to wear flip-flops in the shower because it felt disgusting.
This is supposed to be a luxury hotel, but there was nothing luxurious about it. The staff was not friendly or helpful, and it took at least an hour to get anything – whether it was towels, ice, or even the menu.
There was always something missing, and service was slow and frustrating. I strongly recommend staying far away from this hotel!

This hotel offers a stunning view of the Kinneret, but overall cleanliness and management leave much to be desired. The biggest disappointment was the beach in front of the hotel, it was completely neglected and extremely dirty, covered in large plastic sheets and debris, making it unusable, The staff claimed it had been cleaned that morning, which was clearly not true.

The pool area wasn’t much better. It had not been cleaned before opening, with cigarette butts, plastic straws, and other trash scattered around. While the rooms are comfortable, they also require maintenance: a broken faucet handle, toilet seat that didn’t fit properly, and a crooked picture that looked like it had been left that way for a long time and the traditional empty minibar that seems to be standard practice in Israel 5 stars hotels.

We also received inconsistent and confusing information from staff, such as incorrect breakfast times (we were told 9 AM when it actually starts at 7). Storing luggage was poorly handled-I was told offered to leave our bags in an open, unattended laggage room. (we decide to leave it at the lobby instead)

Overall, the experience reflected poor management and a lack of basic hospitality standards.

I love Israel, which makes it all the more disappointing to have such a poor hospitality experience.

Stay away. Terrible Service. they will never take responsibility for their mistakes, and blame you. management is 100% complicit in this terrible service. it's ran by some clan from the villages in the area.

Very disappointed both by service and mostly upkeep & cleanliness. Poolarea dirty. People smoking in the pool. Dining room tables dirty at breakfast.
Oranges not washed before pressing juice.. spa not clean at all and unkept….not worth price at all

After spending over five months on active duty in Gaza, my husband (and I) were greatly looking forward to a much-needed break at the Setai Sea of Galilee. Unfortunately, our experience fell far below the expectations of a hotel marketed as a five-star luxury destination. The following is a summation of the issues we encountered:
Our Room

• Upon arrival, the floor in our room was both wet and dirty. When we requested that the housekeeper clean it, he used my personal bottle of water to do so.
• The towels were stained.
• There was a sticky substance on the outdoor floor and garbage was left outside.
• Flies had gathered in the corners of our toilet.
• Bird feces covered the decking and area around our hot tub.
• The fridge emitted an extremely unpleasant odor and was not switched on.
• There was obvious wear and tear throughout the room including visible rust around the taps in our bathroom and scratched and worn bedside tables and lamps.



Public Areas and Service:

• The breakfast area was unclean, with dirty placemats and spilled food left unattended.
• The pool area had food crumbs throughout the area and was not properly maintained.
• When I attempted to raise these concerns at reception, I was passed from person to person. One staff member didn’t speak English, another was busy, and the last was on a call and did notdeign to acknowledge me.



Privacy Disregarded:

• Despite placing a “Do Not Disturb” sign on our door, housekeeping entered the room regardless. We had valuables inside and had specifically wanted privacy.

After finally being able to voice our complaints, we were sent a bottle of wine, some fruit, and offered a complimentary dinner. However, we declined the latter after witnessing the uncleanliness of the dining area during breakfast. We sincerely wish we could have enjoyed the high-standard accommodations we were promised. Instead, we feel deeply disappointed,particularly after such a long and difficult period of military service.

Stayed here for our 1-year anniversary and my parents’ 40th. The villas and setting are beautiful, but nearly everything else fell short.

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The Good:

Property (4.5/5):
Gorgeous grounds, peaceful atmosphere, and well-kept facilities.

Private Pools (5/5):
Clean, refreshing, and easily the highlight of the stay. Booking a villa with a pool is 100% worth it.

Villas (4/5):
We stayed in both Golan and Kinneret villas. Golan villas are more spacious and private; Kinneret villas had noticeably stronger water pressure. Some pool shazes (loungers) lacked cushions, and no pool towels were provided — a surprising miss at this level.

Shabbat Services (4/5):
Handled respectfully. The mashgiach led short Sephardic services. Smooth and appropriate for the setting.

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The Mixed:

Food (2.5/5 overall):

Shabbat Dinner (3.5/5):
Items like asado, foie gras, and lamb chops were offered — sounded amazing, but the execution was average at best.

Desserts (2/5):
Mostly parve mousse shots in little glasses and over-sweet macarons. Uninspired and too sugary.

Breakfast (2/5):
Very repetitive. Omelet bar was only available on weekdays. Otherwise: cheese blocks, yogurt, cereal, gnocchi, pancakes, and a salad bar. The fresh juice was the best part.

Spa (3/5):
Not overcrowded, but many guests were scheduled for procedures at the same time, causing a lot of waiting around. Massages were fine but nothing memorable. The scheduling system needs improvement.

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The Bad:

Dining Setup (2/5):
Very misleading.

The “dairy restaurant” is just the indoor lounge with limited options: frozen ravioli, pizza, salad, and a surprisingly good vegan section. No table service. Only two physical menus exist. We ordered a dips platter that was supposed to include homemade bagel sticks — it arrived 15 minutes late and without the bread. Only after we asked did they say they were “out of bread.” Why even offer the dish?

The “meat restaurant” is actually just a poolside bar with a grill. We didn’t eat there, but it had a very limited menu and didn’t resemble a real restaurant at all.

Cocktail Bar (2/5):
Located at the meat bar. The menu listed a full range of cocktails, but only 3 were actually available — all vodka with flavored syrups. The drinks were decent, but again, why offer a full menu if you can’t make most of it?

Friday Night Dinner (1/5):
Total chaos. Not enough tables for the number of guests coming from services. We waited over 30 minutes for staff to locate a table. When we were seated, the table was half-set with dirty glasses and silverware. It took additional time to receive silverware, tablecloths, and glasses. They eventually brought paper napkins because they had “run out” of cloth ones. Inexcusable for a resort of this category.

Lobby Staff (2/5):
No English spoken at the front desk. Communication was a constant struggle unless you speak Hebrew or Arabic. This created unnecessary friction during check-in and throughout the stay. Other staff at the hotel could be found outside the lobby smoking and chatting away to each other.

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Overall:

The villas and private pools are truly excellent — no complaints there. But everything else, from dining experience to staff training and guest logistics, needs serious attention. Service is not aligned with the premium price point or the brands it claims (Orchid and Herbert Samuel). Only book if you get a deep discount and care mostly about the room and pool. Otherwise, it’s not worth the cost.

There is a lot of potential but maintenance really brings it down
The rim is big but would you believe they mistaken body lotion with body shampoo so there was not even a body soap
Breakfast they give disposable for cold drinks and the dining areas are dirty most of the time
Ther is no gaming areas at all
No billiard or ping pong tables and basically nothing to do in the evenings
And most of all they located on the shores of the sea of Galilee and they don't even have their
own swimming area !
And so on - there are so many wrong things with this hotel that really brings it down
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