The sun always seems to be shining in Eilat, a Red Sea resort town in southern-most Israel. In fact, the city clocks in 360 days of sunshine a year along with some of the nation's highest temperatures, making it a shoe-in for beach holidays away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
There's hardly any culture or historic landmarks to be found in Eilat. Instead, days are spent on the sand and in the Red Sea's calm waters, where pristine coral reefs make for stellar snorkelling and scuba diving conditions. If you'd rather keep your feet on land, the Coral World Underwater Observatory – Israel's largest public aquarium – features a replica of Eilat's reef as well as separate habitats for sharks, stingrays and turtles.
Like a true holiday town, Eilat's downtown is dominated by upscale hotels, shopping malls and a nightlife scene that caters to late-night revelers. The waterfront is also charming, though often busy with shoppers congregating around stores and booths selling souvenirs.
If you need a history fix, the Jordanian border is just a mile away from Eilat's hotel zone. A few hours north of that sits the famous ancient archaeological site of Petra, which features temples and tombs cut straight into sandstone cliffs.