Hadera's cozy resort area is a hidden gem in Israel, and rich in history.
View of Kfar Hayam Beach, Giv'at Olga, Hadera; Photo: Janis Raisen, Israel Sites and Sights
Kfar Hayam Beach (Sea Village) in Hadera, is a hidden gem in the Haifa District, located north of Netanya, and south of Caesarea.
View of Kfar Hayam Beach, Giv'at Olga, Hadera; Photo: Janis Raisen, Israel Sites and Sights
The cozy, tranquil beach, on Binyamin Bay, in the iconic Giv'at Olga neighborhood is serene and peaceful. It's a small beach with a short boardwalk, but it has character and charm.
The beach is great for some rest and relaxation and a no-fuss holiday, or a quick getaway. It has the feeling of an exclusive resort, yet the beach is a public one.
View of Kfar Hayam Beach, Giv'at Olga, Hadera; Photo: Janis Raisen, Israel Sites and Sights
Instead of restaurants lining the beach, as with many other beaches in Israel, there is only one restaurant on the beach: a popular upscale fish restaurant, Benny HaDayag (Benny the Fisherman). The restaurant overlooks the sea and is a quiet place to enjoy a meal, which includes a few veggie options for those who prefer.
View of Benny HaDayag on Kfar Hayam Beach. The iconic Hankin House can also be seen sitting on the cliff above the restaurant. Photo: Janis Raisen, Israel Sites and Sights
The restaurant is also quaint and romantic, especially for dinner. For a larger variety of restaurants for lunch however, there is an open-air mall nearby, Mall Hof Village. It is a massive complex with lots of options, and is only about a 20 minute walk, or a 10 min drive away from Kfar Hayam.
Resort Hadera by Jacob Hotels seen on the far left ; Photo: Janis Raisen, Israel Sites and Sights
Where to stay at Kfar Hayam is an easy decision. A luxury hotel with a spa sits right on the beach, and also has both an indoor and outdoor pool. The hotel, formerly the Ramada Resort Hadera Beach, is now the Resort Hadera by Jacob Hotels. All of the hotel rooms face the beach, yet the most spectacular view is from the banquet hall on the top floor.
View of the banquet hall balcony overlooking Kfar Hayam Beach, Giv'at Olga, Hadera; Photo: Janis Raisen, Israel Sites and Sights
Rich in History
The view of the sea from the hotel is spectacular, but it is not the only beautiful sight you can see from above. The iconic Hankin House that sits on top of the cliff is an important part of the view.
Bird's-eye view of the Hankin House on Kfar Hayam Beach, Giv'at Olga, Hadera; Photo: Janis Raisen, Israel Sites and Sights
The long staircase leading up to the Hankin House can also be seen clearly in the above photo. The bird's-eye view, helps to provide perspective on approximately how many stairs need to be climbed to reach the top.
Olga and Yehoshua Hankin House, Photo: Creative Commons
The Hankin House was built in the1930s by Yehoshua Hankin. He built it for his wife, Olga, for the two of them to live there together, but unfortunately, they both died before they could take up residence.
Yehoshua and Olga Hankin; Photo: Courtesy of Beit Hankin restaurant
Yehoshua emigrated from the Ukraine during the first Aliyah in 1882. He began purchasing land for the Zionist movement, which included the land where the city of Hadera was established. He made an impact by helping to build the Zionist dream, and was referred to as the "land redeemer."
According to the Jewish Agency website, "During his lifetime, he arranged the purchase of more than 600,000 dunams of land. Kfar Yehoshua in the Jezreel Valley is named after him."
Olga Hankin created her own legacy as well. After making Aliyah from Russia, she worked as a midwife, and was considered to be the first Jewish one. A midwife for both Jews and Arabs, she travelled on horseback alone at night in order to reach the women who needed her assistance, according to the City of Hadera (Hebrew source). Giv'at Olga was named after her.
Restaurant in the Hankin House
Restaurant in the Hankin House that is currently closed while the cliff underneath is being repaired; Photo: Courtesy of the Hankin House restaurant
The restaurant inside the Hankin House was well known to locals, and was a popular place to watch the sunset over dinner.
It was shut down by the City of Hadera in Aug 2021 because of the instability of the cliff that supports the house. It needs to be repaired before the restaurant can be operational again.
The restaurant provided a unique opportunity to have a perfect front-row seat of the sunset. Even though it's closed for now, the Hankin House in general is still significant. It still has a story that needs to be told, and it adds an element of intrigue.
Sunset photo from the Hankin House restaurant; Photo courtesy Hankin House restaurant
It is not known when or if the restaurant will reopen, since the work to reinforce the cliff is still underway. The City of Hadera could not be reached for comment on the status of the renovations.
The restaurant manager has kept the Facebook page alive, so people can check back there for updates.