The hotel, expressly designed to appeal to family groups and business conferences alike, is a welcoming presence with its sculptural contemporary architecture and a cool color palate of pale green and turquoise hues. The color story flows into large, well-equipped rooms with balconies that overlook the Dead Sea as well as an attractive outdoor swimming pool and its private beach. Public areas include a kids’ club game room, fitness room and a simple but elegant spa for adults offering a nice variety of home grown (or should we say “mined”) treatments and products that take full advantage of the area’s natural attributes. The facility is flanked with an indoor sulphur pool, Jacuzzis, sauna and steam bath.

Like other hotels in the 4- to 5-star class, there is a fine dining/steakhouse restaurant along with an all-day restaurant, Zer Hazahav, which features a buffet that can be worked into a half- or full-board stay. While buffets often get a bad rap, many of Zer Hazahav’s breakfast and dinner offerings — particularly the Israeli and Mediterranean dishes — are surprisingly fresh and nicely presented.

While crowded Eilat had traditionally been the prime destination for Israeli resort vacations over the decades, hotels such as Isrotel Dead Sea Hotel and Spa helped shift that paradigm, thanks to fewer crowds and a modern rethinking of the area’s attributes. Beyond the real-life oasis of the private beach leading to the Dead Sea, there is easy access to the Ahava flagship factory store (noted for its high-quality beauty products), as well as unforgettable outdoor and cultural activities including visits to the historic Masada or Qumran Caves and hikes in Ein Gedi or Nahal Arugot. All of this, meanwhile, led to the staging of numerous festivals and mass concerts (such as the Israeli Opera Festival) in venues in The Dead Sea area and in Masada. The hotel offers packages encompassing these special cultural events as well as family packages and others integrating spa treatments.

by Elyse Glickman