I cannot help you with accommodations in Tel Aviv but it sounds as if you will make your base there. You mention car rentals but I would think that you are better without an auto in Tel Aviv. If you stay in the heart of the city, parking is a very big problem, and I think that you should come from the airport by taxi, spend some time in the city site seeing and visiting museums, without the bother of a car, and then think about renting one to make your trips outside of the city.

You do not say whether you expect to spend the whole visit in Tel Aviv but once you have your car, then you may travel and bed down in different regions in order to explore.

If you find some accommodations in Tel Aviv and want to know about the locations, I am happy to help you but anything close to the sea is delicious and I doubt that you can make an unwise choice. I would not suggest locations close to Jaffa or the Intercontinental Hotel area only because this is a bit out of the way for main attractions but even from this location, everything is walkable.

After you get a few ideas, please post back and I will try to help. I know more about Jerusalem than Tel Aviv but I do know that parking and driving are extremely frustrating.

I will be in Jerusalem all of July so will be happy to help either by telephone or even a Tel Aviv GTG. If you plan some time in Jerusalem, then I will try to wrangle Alex and Debbie and we will all meet for a yummy Israeli dinner.

Bettina Jerusalem, Israel