Israel’s Negev Desert is dotted with great places to stay, but finding the best accommodation and hotels in the Negev can be a challenge for any visitor not familiar with this magical region of the country. The Negev has everything from hotels offering unrivaled luxury and architecture, to authentic desert khans (camplodges). What places them together is their unique desert setting and engagement with the land, as well as their high levels of hospitality. This article showcases the best hotels in the Negev.
Best for a Luxury Hotel Experience: Beresheet, Mitzpe Ramon
There’s no doubt that the Beresheet Hotel in Mitzpe Ramon is the most exclusive property in the Negev, and possibly in all of Israel. This unique hotel is set right on the cliffs of the Ramon Crater, on a huge site, with the rooms occupying smaller stone buildings across the campus. Rooms all feature either a view of the crater, or of the desert, and the hotel’s extensive facilities, including its awesome infinity pool, movie theater, gym, and high quality restaurant, make it a great place to base yourself to explore the Negev, or just to relax.
Mitzpe Ramon. Read more
Best for Rural Bliss: Midbara, Zukim
Located in the Arava region, the eastern area of the Negev, mid way between the Dead Sea, and Eilat, Midbara is a collection of nine exclusive stone cabins, set across a beautiful desert setting, which has earned its place as one of the best hotels in the Negev. Each cabin is finished to an impeccable standard, with an authentic desert feel complimenting modern facilities such as iPod docking stations. There’s a swimming pool, and guests are given great support to explore this beautiful region of the Negev, by the family who own this amazing property.
Zukim, Arava.
Best for Desert Atmosphere: Shkedi’s Camplodge, Neot Hakikar
In Neot Hakikar, just half an hour south of the Dead Sea, Shkedi’s Camplodge sits on the edge of an agricultural village named Neot Hakikar. Owned by a true-to-the-desert family, this is not a campsite, it offers wood cabins of various sizes, from doubles, to family rooms, as well as dormitories and large cabins for groups. The rooms sit around a beautiful campfire, and there’s also an internal bar area.
Net Hakikar, Dead Sea Region.
Best for Wildlife: Alpaca Farm, Mitzpe Ramon
The owners of Mitzpe Ramon’s Alpaca Farm discovered that the climate and topographical conditions at Mitzpe Ramon are a perfect substitute for the South American Andes where most of the world’s alpacas live. The farm’s unique wildlife and atmosphere allows guests to sleep just far enough from the animals in cozy cabins, and enjoy activities with the farms alpacas, llamas, and horses, as well as being a great location to explore the desert surroundings.
Near Mitzpe Ramon.
Best Hostel: The Green Backpackers, Mitzpe Ramon
Mitzpe Ramon has, for a town of its small size, a huge accommodation spectrum, a great luxury hotel, and an amazing backpacker hostel, The Green Backpackers. Opened just a couple of years ago, The Green Backpackers has fast become a backpackers hub in the heart of the Negev, with great facilities in and around it, as well as amazing hiking trails, and activities in the desert available to keep travelers happy and enabling them to maximize their time in the Negev.
Mitzpe Ramon.
Best Farm: Boker Valley Vineyard, Mashabbe Sade
The Negev is full of surprises, and finding a vineyard in the heart of the desert would appear to be one. The Boker Valley Vineyards, is set in the heart of the desert, yet surrounded by its own vineyards and olive groves, which produce home grown products including a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Each guest receives a wood cabin, with an opening out onto the desert, something totally unique in a unique region.
Road 40 between Masabbe Sade and Sde Boker.
