The South of Israel is a beautiful part of the country. Whether you’re looking for five-star luxury, the coolest hostels, or anything in between, this guide has got you covered!
You can also book hotels directly in Israel and around the world through Secret Tel Aviv’s Booking.com Platform, it will cost you the same, but you will be supporting the work we do at Secret Tel Aviv!
We’ve broken this guide into areas:
- Negev
- North Arava
- South Arava
- Be’er Sheva
- Arad
We included all the best places outside of Eilat and the Dead Sea, check out our Guides for the Best Hotels in Eilat and the Dead Sea to get the full experience of the South!
We’ve also created a ranking system based on ratings from other popular websites.
Pricing for 2 people sharing 1 room:
- $$$$$ >$500/ night
- $$$$ >$400 / night
- $$$ >$300/ night
- $$ >$200/ night
- $ <$200/ night
The Negev
Beresheet Hotel
Swimming Pool | Boutique | Luxury | Isrotel | Mitzpe Ramon | $$$$$
Escape to this beautiful spa resort in the middle of the Negev Desert, rated as one of the best in Israel. Opened in 2011, and part of Isrotel’s Exclusive Collection, the hotel has 111 rooms, many overlooking the spectacular Mitzpe Ramon crater.
Celebrity guests have included Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich, who booked out the whole hotel over Pesach 2014 for a cool $450,000. Guests can go on guided walks in the crater, or take rides on bikes, open-top jeeps… and camels! Or you can just switch off in the hotel’s spa, kosher restaurants, and hotel pool – which overlooks the crater!
Isrotel Ramon Inn Hotel
Swimming Pool | Boutique | Mid-Range| Isrotel | Mitzpe Ramon | $$
Whether you’re looking for a quiet desert retreat, or a place to freshen up and re-energize en route to Eilat, look no further than the Isrotel Ramon Inn. This warm, quaint and intimate haven is set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Ramon Crater, providing a blissful escape from the bustle of your daily routine.
The natural magic of this desert locale makes the Isrotel Ramon Inn the perfect lodging for nature enthusiasts, desert lovers, and cyclists of all ages.
Desert Iris Hotel
Swimming Pool | Tower | Mid-Range | North Negev | $$
In the heart of the desert, there is a peaceful place with a welcoming homely atmosphere. The Desert Iris Hotel.
The Hotel has a restaurant, bar, a shared lounge and garden in Yeroẖam. Featuring family rooms, this property also provides guests with a terrace. The hotel features an indoor pool and a 24-hour front desk and free WiFi throughout the property.
Boker Valley Farm and Vineyards
Desert Lodge | Mid-Range | North Negev | $$
Boker Valley Farm is set in the wine area in the Negev Desert, South Israel. It offers unique accommodations and a large communal hot tub.
This property is part of Negev Farms and produces its own wine and includes the largest wine shop in the area with 47 different sorts of wine to offer. Guests can enjoy tastings of wine for free.
Alpaca Farm
Desert Lodge | Mid-Range | Mitzpe Ramon | $$
Farming a herd of the exotic alpacas and llamas, the unique Alpaca Farm organizes a range of activities from feeding the animals to wool production workshops in the local factory. Each accommodations unit has its own kitchenette and a terrace with hammock in front.
The farm is peacefully located in the Negev Desert, 2.5 mi from Mitzpe Ramon. Horses, donkeys, angora sheep, camels and many other animals are also farmed there. The area includes various hiking trails.
Carmey Avdat Farm and Vineyard
Swimming Pool | Desert Lodge | Mid-Range | North Negev | $$
Carmey Avdat Farm is a family-run property in the Negev Desert, 5 minutes’ drive from Sde Boker. It offers rustic chalets with natural pools and hammocks. Homemade wine is available to taste and buy.
Built on the site of a 1,500-year old agricultural settlement on the ancient spice route. Its chalets are scattered around the grounds and feature a private patio with dining area. The kitchenettes come with an espresso machine and free wine, milk and fruit.
Desert Olive Farm
Swimming Pool | Tents | Mid-Range | Sde Boker | $
Desert Olive Farm gives you the chance to really experience the Negev Desert. It offers a choice of cabins, tents or suites, each one with a small pool and outdoor area with BBQ.
You can choose between an Indian tent, an African ecological cabin or a luxurious suite. In any case, your stay at Desert Olive Farm is sure to be unforgettable. Suites and cabins have their own private bathrooms. The tents have showers and toilets outdoors underneath the stars.
InnSense
Desert Lodge | Mid-Range | Mitzpe Ramon | $
Each of the rooms is tastefully decorated using high quality furnishings and special attention is paid to contemporary design, combining luxury and comfort with an atmosphere of sophistication.
Two of the rooms are ideal for couples seeking a quiet retreat while the others can comfortably accommodate three adults or small families.
Mashabim Country Lodging
Desert Lodge | Mid-Range | North Negev | $
Mashabim Country Lodging, located on the stunning Mashabei Sadeh kibbutz in southern Israel, offers guests a unique kibbutz hospitality experience. This is the perfect tranquil refuge, where you can escape the bustle of daily life, against an awe-inspiring backdrop of breathtaking desert landscapes.
Mashabim presents 82 guest rooms overlooking the gorgeous desert vista, spread out among rustic buildings on landscaped green lawns.
Tsavta Tube Hostel and Naot Farm
Desert Lodge | Hostel | North Negev | $
Tsavta Tube Hostel is a meeting and relaxing place, for travelers from all places, young souls from 18 to 80, that enjoy a multi- generation company.
Sleeping a double bed or 2 single beds- is in a huge air-conditioned pipe on a pleasant bed, an invalid water conductors pipe that we gave it new life!
Negev Camel Ranch
Desert Lodge | Hostel | North Negev | $
The Negev Camel Ranch was established in 1986 in the Eastern Negev, along the northern Incense Route, near the ancient Nabatean city of Kurnub-Mamshit.
The ranch raises riding camels with the utmost care and offers camel tours, desert hospitality and lodging.
ibex (iBike) Desert Inn
Desert Lodge | Hostel | Mitzpe Ramon | $
Just 5 minutes’ drive from the Ramon Crater, iBike Hotel is modern boutique hostel in Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev Desert. It features a café and social areas with a TV and DVD player.
Hotel iBike has a bright and colorful design throughout. Guests can relax out in the garden or in the comfortable lounge with plenty of sofas. Cyclists and hikers are welcome and bikes are available to rent from reception.
Silent Arrow
Tents | Hostel | Mitzpe Ramon | $
Offering authentic tent accommodation or Camping, many activities, Work Shops hospitality and a lot of inspiration…
Chai Negev Revivim
Tents | Hostel | North Negev | $
Chai Negev is an Ecological site built entirely out of mud.
In addition, a desert zoological garden with a variety of animals, petting and feeding zoos, The desert hospitality includes: making pita on the saj – made by visitors, labane (cheese), vegetables, olive and za’atar oil, spicy olives and desert tea.
Chan Hashayarot
Bedouin Tents | Hostel | North Negev | $
“Chan Hashayarot” is a site for lodging and desert activities located between Sede-boqer and Mizpe-Ramon, right on the ancient Nabatean “perfume route”.
The Chan offers magnificent Bedouin tents for lodging and activities, guest cabins for families and for couples as well as a camping site, a variety of pampering desert meals and authentic Bedouin feast meals, which are served at the hospitality Bedouin tent or under the open sky.
Me’Ever Hostel
Hostel | Mitzpe Ramon | $
Me’ever is a space for meeting and creation In the beautiful desert town of Mitzpe Ramon, Just by the Ramon crater, offering simple & cool accommodation options.
During your stay, you will other great travelers, the people of Mitzpe Ramon, and the amazing staff of Me’ever…Come to be a part of an inspiring daily life!
HI – Mitzpe Ramon Hostel
Hostel | Mitzpe Ramon | $
Set on the northern ridge of the Ramon Crater, HI – Mitzpe Ramon Hostel is immersed in the Negev Desert. It offers air-conditioned rooms and dormitories with satellite TV.
Rooms at the HI – Mitzpe Ramon have bright, modern furnishings and tiled floors. Rooms feature a private bathroom with shower, while dormitories have a shared bathroom. Disabled access rooms are available.
Spice Quarter Inn
Hostel | Mitzpe Ramon | $
The Spice Quarter Inn is a unique place where you relax and enjoy your stay at Mitzpe Ramon in a welcoming homey atmosphere.
Offering a variety of rooms including private rooms, each with their own bathroom, whether you are a solo traveler, a couple, a family or a big group, we can offer you private rooms by your choice, or unique dormitory accommodation with shared bathrooms and kitchen .
North Arava
Arava Land Lodge
Swimming Pool | Boutique | Luxury | Tsukim, North Arava | $$$$$
With mountain views, Arava Land is located in Zuqim and has a restaurant and a concierge service. The accommodations are air-conditioned and has a private pool, a spa bath and a hot tub.
Each unit features a balcony, a fully equipped kitchenette with a fridge, a fireplace, a seating area with a sofa, a flat-screen TV and a private bathroom with bath and free toiletries. A stovetop and toaster are also available, as well as an electric tea pot and a coffee machine.
Zman Arava Lodge
Swimming Pool | Desert Lodge | Mid-Range | Tsukim, North Arava | $$
Welcome to Zman Arava Desert Resort & Suites. You’re invited to put aside your daily routine, unwind and take on a slow, gentle and relaxing pace in the tranquil surroundings of the magical Israeli Arava Desert.
Zman Arava offers 5 desert-inspired suites which were meticulously planned and designed to provide you with accommodations of the highest quality, as you soak up the breath-taking ancient scenery and the sense of wilderness all around.
Nof Zuqim Lodge
Swimming Pool | Desert Lodge | Mid-Range | Tsukim, North Arava | $$
Offering an outdoor pool and free bikes, Nof Zuqim is located in Mahane Ẕofar. It features fully equipped accommodations with a spa bath and a patio. Facilities include a shared kitchen and free WiFi access in all areas.
Fitted with a separate bedroom, all air-conditioned apartments of Nof come with a living room with flat-screen, satellite TV. Each is equipped with a kitchenette with hobs and dining table. Some units have views of the mountain.
Midbara Lodge
Swimming Pool | Desert Lodge | Mid-Range | Tsukim, North Arava | $$
Located in the Arava Desert on the Israeli-Jordanian border, Midbara offers individually furnished suites with a BBQ, kitchenette and free Wi-Fi. The Tzofar and Paran moshavim are about 6.2 mi away.
Midbara’s air-conditioned suites have modern décor, with an iPone docking station, tea/coffee selection in the kitchenette, and a hammock. Each includes a private bathroom, while some boast a private pool. A full continental breakfast can be arranged on request and delivered directly to your accommodations. You can explore the surroundings on 1 of the property’s free bikes. Eilat and its international airport can be reached in about 1 hour by car.
Idan Lodge
Swimming Pool | Desert Lodge | Mid-Range | North Arava | $$
Located in Paran in the South District Israel region, Idan Lodge in the Arava provides accommodations with free WiFi and free private parking.
The lodge provides guests with a patio, garden views, a seating area, satellite flat-screen TV, a fully equipped kitchenette with a microwave and a fridge, and a private bathroom with shower and free toiletries. Some units feature a dining area and/or a balcony.
Desert Days – Negev Ecolodge
Swimming Pool | Desert Lodge | Hostel | Tsukim, North Arava | $
Negev Ecolodge is located in Israel’s Desert of Paran, in the Arava region. It offers eco-friendly huts built with hay bales and mud bricks, and free use of a shared kitchen.
The Ecolodge uses solar panels to provide electricity and all the water from the showers and the kitchen is drained back to the desert. Free private parking and an outdoor swimming pool are available, which is heated in winter.
Etnahta Lodge
Desert Lodge | Hostel | North Arava | $
Surrounded with a green garden, Etnahta is located in Moshav Ein Tamar near Ne’ot HaKikar. The owners offer vegetables from their homegrown farms.
All accommodations units are air-conditioned and come with a flat-screen satellite TV. A fully equipped kitchenette with a microwave and a fridge are included into each unit. Featuring a spa bath, private bathrooms also come with a shower and towels. All units have views of the garden.
Desert Routes Inn / Shvilim Bamidbar
Swimming Pool | Desert Lodge | Hostel | Tsukim, North Arava | $
Desert Routes Inn Shvilim ba Midbar is located in the Moshav Hatzeva in the heart of the Arava Desert, a 40-minute drive from the Dead Sea. Decorated in oriental style, the property offers accommodations with outdoor areas and colorful rugs. Free WiFi is available throughout the property.
Private rooms are air-conditioned and feature a private outdoor seating area. Each also consists of a private bathroom with a shower and a kitchenette with a fridge and tea/coffee maker. Guests staying in dormitory rooms have a shared bathroom at their disposal.
Rash Hasita
Tents | Hostel | North Arava | $
Just 4.8 km from Hatzeva, Rash Hasita offers rustic accommodations in tents in the middle of the Arava Desert. The Gidron Stream is about a 10-minute drive away.
This large, isolated complex is surrounded by palm trees and desert. All tent accommodations share an outdoor bathroom. The large public tent is decorated with mats, low tables, mattresses and hammocks.
South Arava
Six Senses Shaharut
Swimming Pool | Boutique | Luxury | Six Senses | South Arava | $$$$$
Fascinating, enchanting and of biblical proportions, the Negev Desert is the epitome of desert landscapes. It is on this boundless horizon that Six Senses Shaharut nestles into a dramatic cliff, at one with the almost-supernatural panorama, where sunsets meld into the orange dunes to become an inky sky scattered with stardust.
Traditional desert hospitality is expressed by generosity of spirit, evident in the resort’s 60 suites and pool villas, which have been thoughtfully designed and integrated into the desert topography to preserve the natural terrain. The villas are built from, and inspired by, local rocks and pigments, with many furnishing elements sourced from a partnership with local community artisans.
Kibbutz Lotan Desert Inn
Swimming Pool | Desert Lodge | Hostel | South Arava | $
Welcome to Kibbutz Lotan Desert Inn located in the Negev desert. Far from the buzzing crowds of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Eilat, relax in a peaceful atmosphere with beautiful landscapes.
Kibbutz Lotan is home to the Center for Creative Ecology and EcoTourism. Ideal for families, backpackers and groups, there are plenty of exciting activities at Kibbutz Lotan to choose from. Kibbutz Lotan’s EcoTourism strives to provide a clean and healthy environment for people and the planet.
Kibbutz Elifaz Country Lodging
Swimming Pool | Desert Lodge | Hostel | South Arava | $
Country-style accommodation, with 25 air-conditioned rooms (12 family rooms & 13 doubles) feature satellite TV, shower, fully equipped kitchenette, refrigerator, all surrounded by wide open spaces and glorious shaded seating areas, shaded rest spots, lawns, outdoor grills, playgrounds, and a swimming pool (April-October). For your convenience, our shop sells dates, ice cream, and original locally made items.
Be’er Sheva
La Finca Hotel
Swimming Pool | Boutique | Mid-Range | Be’er Sheva | $
Located in Beer Sheva, La Finca luxury suites hotel provides express check-in and check-out, non-smoking rooms, a garden, free WiFi and a bar. Providing a shared lounge, the property is located within 4.2 km of Ben Gurion University. The property has a shared kitchen, room service and currency exchange for guests.
At the hotel, every room includes a closet. Complete with a private bathroom equipped with a shower and a hairdryer, all guest rooms at La Finca ☆ luxury suites hotel ☆ have a flat-screen TV and air conditioning, and certain rooms will provide you with a patio. All rooms will provide guests with a desk and an electric tea pot.
Leonardo Hotel Negev
Swimming Pool | Tower | Mid-Range | Fattal | Be’er Sheva | $$
The Leonardo Hotel Negev provides comfortable and elegant guest rooms in the heart of Beer-Sheva city center, next to the central bus station and a large shopping mall.
The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool, open throughout the summer. The wellness area features a sauna and hot tub as well as a fitness room and massage service.
Arad
Inbar Hotel Arad
Swimming Pool | Tower | Mid-Range | Arad | $
The Inbar Hotel is located at the entrance to Arad, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year seeking to enjoy the kind of desert experience that simply cannot be found anywhere else.
The clear air, renowned for its medicinal properties, its proximity to the Judean Desert, the perfect combination of green forest and desert landscapes, the variety of attractions that the area has to offer as well as 17 marked hiking trails – including the Israel National Trail which passes near to the hotel – make Arad one of Israel’s most sought-after and surprising destinations.
HI Arad Hostel
Hostel | Arad | $
Arad hostel is situated in a green and rural location, but only a short walk from the central bus station.
There are 45 welcoming rooms, all with air conditioning, shower and bathroom, TV and coffee-making sets. The hostel has two halls with audio-visual equipment for study days, conventions, conferences and events. Free Wi-Fi is available. The spacious dining room seats 160, and there is a second dining room that seats 40. Additional meals (including packaged meals) can be ordered in advance. Food is Kosher.
This guide is part of our series of Best Hotel Guides in Israel. Also check out our guides for Best Hotels in Israel, Best Hotels in Jerusalem, Best Hotels in the Dead Sea, Best Hotels in Eilat; for those looking for boutique hotels we have guides for the Best Boutique Hotels in Israel and Best Boutique Hotels in Tel Aviv; and for those traveling in a budget, we have guides for the Best Hostels in Israel and Best Hostels in Tel Aviv.
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