Eilat is a southern Israeli port and resort town on the Red Sea, near Jordan. Its beaches are noted for their calm waters, like Dolphin Reef, where the aquatic mammals are often spotted. Known for snorkeling and diving, Coral Beach Nature Reserve has buoy-marked underwater trails among fish-filled reefs. Nearby Coral World Underwater Observatory Marine Park has a glass-enclosed observation center submerged offshore.

Hugely popular with Israeli families looking for a beach break and Europeans taking refuge from bone-chilling winters back home, the Red Sea resort of Eilat is brash, ugly and almost inevitably crowded, a place where being scantily clad and sunburned is the rule rather than the exception. However – and it's a big however – Eilat is also a place where visitors seem to have a great time and where children in particular seem blissfully happy. The turquoise waters of the Red Sea, home to some of the world's most spectacular coral reefs, offer snorkelling, scuba diving and swimming opportunities galore, and there are plenty of other attractions on offer, including (in no particular order) hiking amid spectacular desert scenery, VAT-free shopping and an aquarium. So far, the Red Sea's reefs have suffered almost no bleaching, perhaps because the kinds of coral found here are already used to elevated water temperatures.