One of the added values that I’ve become excited to incorporate into my vacations, is staying at unique accommodations, that are also ecofriendly. It’s always fun to get to know a new type of unusual place to stay at on your holiday or travels. So I have curated for you, the best unique places to stay at, in the beautiful south of Israel. From an exclusive five-star hotel that blends into the landscape, to huge converted concrete pipes, and Bedouin style tents in a picturesque oasis resort.
Here are the details on the best accommodation options you should consider booking for your next trip to the south of Israel:
1. Naot Farm, the Negev Desert
Looking for accommodation with a lovely hilly desert landscape in a farm-complex that pays homage to the desert? You’ve come to the right place.
Naot is a family owned goat farm, that was ecologically designed by the owners with a mix of simplicity, fun and intelligence.
Accommodation options:
Alternative accommodation:
Recycled Concrete Pipes Capsule Hotel
In the “Tzavta” (common chillout) area you can stay in recycled cement tubes outdoor Capsule Hotel rooms.
These are huge concrete pipes that have been given new life as bedrooms. The Tsvta complex includes common facilities from recycled materials. There are seats, outdoor showers, hammocks, small shallow little pool to dip your feet it and bonfire. For those who suffer from claustrophobia, lodging in these pipe conversions is less recommended.
Cabins:
If you don’t want to sleep in the pipe conversions, you can stay at the cabins. There are double and family cabins with hill views, shallow pool and fresh herbs outside for the guests’ use. I didn’t get to stay in the cabins, but they look great.
Also available on the farm:
Group tours of the farm and a shop selling cheeses produced from the farm’s goats’ milk. A fully equipped shared dining area and kitchen with free goat’s milk, books and board games, and an enchanting relaxed atmosphere.
Bonus:
Fresh (basic) continental breakfast included in the price. Great location to take photos that people will not be able to ignore, for Instagram :)
Price range: The tubes are extremely reasonably priced. The cabins are priced at medium to high prices.
What to do in the surroundings: coffee and delicious cheese-based dishes produced on site at the nearby Kornmehl Farm Restaurant; A visit to Ben Gurion’s hut in Sde Boker.
2. Exclusive luxury blending into breathtaking scenery: Beresheet Hotel
If you want to indulge in one of the most special places to stay in the south of Israel, if not in the whole country , Beresheet Hotel is the place you can’t miss. Once the Corona epidemic is behind us (hopefully soon), try this wonderful hotel that aims to leave a minimal footprint on its surroundings.
The five-star Superior hotel from the Isrotel hotel chain, is a place full of relaxation that blends into the magnificent landscape of the biggest crater in the world, Ramon Crater.
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Its’ low fences allow the indigenous ibexes to graze uninterruptedly. The hotel’s construction places high importance on the use of local materials. The low construction gives respect to and blends with the local landscape. It is made up of mainly of wood, stone and glass materials.
Accommodation options:
From standard 40 m² (430 sq. ft.) rooms with garden space, to various cottages, including the 200 m² (430 sq. ft.) Presidential Suite with crater views and an attached pool. There are dozens of private pools adjacent to the hotel’s rooms.
Bonus:
An infinity pool with a breath taking cliff-edge view of the Ramon Crater; Fine dining, and Israeli art with desert related elements in the public spaces
What to do nearby:
Visit the Alpaca Farm; wander through creative workshops and galleries in the city’s Perfume Roads District; watch the stars and meteors on non-light polluted summer nights.
Price range:
Expensive, but in my personal experience worth every penny if you have the budget.
Beresheet Mitzpe Ramon Website
3. Bedouin style experience: Kfar Hanokdim, the Negev Desert
Looking for accommodation that is also an experience that you, your friends or children won’t soon forget?
Try Kfar Hanokdim. Between Arad and Masada, you’ll find a green oasis in the middle of an arid landscape, featuring a picturesque artsy resort village, that pays homage to the desert and Bedouin culture..
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What’s ecological here?
The village combines local materials in its construction. There are buildings built with local stone, and tent fabrics are woven from goat’s wool. There are ecological desert workshops held in the village.
Accommodation options:
A wide range of accommodation options. Guest rooms in the small “desert hotel”, travelers rooms, stone huts, huge Bedouin tents for groups or large families, sheds, caravans and more.
It should be noted that although the village is enormous, there is a sense of privacy, due to the division into many areas and nice corners scattered around.
This is a fantastic place for group stays. I spent an amazing time here with my extended family the day after my brother’s wedding. It was a bonding experience I’m sure non of us will forget, that you cannot get in other types of accommodations.
Bonus:
Cool attractions for kids and adults: night trips with ultraviolet flash lights to find scorpions, local Bedouin hospitality in the nearby village, bonfires and meteor shower gazing during the summer.
Places of interest nearby:
Masada National Park, Tzfira Pool and marked hiking trails around the village.
As I mentioned, I absolutely love Kfar Hanokdim,. However, due to my respect for animal rights, I was less than enthusiastic about the camel rides operated by the resort. Nevertheless, I have been informed that they were in the process of replacing the trips by feeding the camels.
Price range: low-medium. There is an option for every pocket.
4. Sleeper bus in Ezuz: Zimmerbus
About two miles from the Egyptian border, and about 7.5 miles from Nitzana is the isolated community of Ezuz. The place is inhabited by a handful of local families who make a living mostly from tourism and organic produce.
I got to stay in Ezuz in another Zimmer, and was taken aback by the almost surreal atmosphere in Ezuz. Although I haven’t yet stayed in this particular Zimmerbus, it has caught my attention online. The place is made up of 3 “retired” buses converted into accommodation units.
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Accommodation options:
Sleeping in a double or a family units.
Bonus:
The artists’ houses in the village where you can take a peek at handmade ceramics and unique jewelry.
Places of interest and attractions nearby:
Cycling routes around the village, ancient archaeological remains a few minutes from the Ezuz, and Nitzana Cave. Hamukei-Nitzana: curvy white natural earth formations: a great playground for children at heart and photographers.
Price level: Medium.
Do you have any recommendations for other exceptional environmental accommodations I didn’t mention in the post? Tell me in the comments below.
You might also be interested to read about Ecotourism: 7 easy eco-friendly travel tips
This Post Has 2 Comments
“Amazing, this is really rousing! It’s astonishing to perceive how inventive and eco-cognizant facilities are springing up around the world. Israel’s eco-accommodating choices look staggering. I value how this article reveals insight into dependable travel decisions and maintainability. It’s spurring me to design my next trip considering the climate. Praise to the hosts for making such a delightful, eco-accommodating safe house!”
Thank you so much! I appreciate it