Six Senses Shaharut offers an Israeli desert escape

Approximately three and a half hours by car from Tel Aviv, through the sweeping Arava Valley and the awe-inspiring Ramon Crater, an unobtrusive sign that reads ‘Six Senses Shaharut’ indicates a left turn, where, after another ten-minute drive, the entrance to this unassuming hotel appears as if from nowhere.

Six Senses Shaharut: an escape to desert wellness

Six Senses Shaharut opened its doors just over a year ago. Like other Six Senses locations, it offers guests the chance to reconnect with themselves amid natural beauty. The hotel places an emphasis on meaningful experiences, whilst being at the forefront of the wellness movement. This, coupled with the majesty of the surrounding Negev Desert, where the Edom mountains of Jordan glow red on the horizon, makes for an unforgettable retreat.

Ten years ago, Israeli entrepreneur Ronny Douek acquired the site, and began work on a purpose-built hotel. Considerations around the local environment, vistas, and carbon footprint meant this property had to grow slowly and quietly. The design, by Tel Aviv-based Plesner Architects – a modern interpretation of a Nomadic Nabatean building – is at one with the desert, and seems woven into the very fabric of nature itself.

The hill that occupied the site was meticulously excavated, its remaining rock carefully carved, reshaped into pathways and walls, the latter never exceeding a height that would detract from the expansive views. 

Plesner Architects designed the building to benefit from natural light and ventilation. It also minimised the use of artificial light at nighttime, to avoid distracting from the star-mottled sky. 

The LEED-certified hotel has top-notch eco credentials: residual heat from the hotel’s chillers is used to heat water; wastewater is treated on site and then used to irrigate the organic herb gardens (which in turn supply the hotel kitchens); and food waste is composted to become fertiliser and biogas. 

Such strategies underscore the hotel’s symbiotic relationship with the local environment and people. A stay here is like being offered a seat at the table of a future, where luxury, social consciousness, and relaxation are the ingredients for a continually evolving conversation on self and planetary betterment.

Six Senses Shaharut welcomes a wide array of guests – couples, families (children must be over 12 years old), friends on adventures and groups on business trips. The hotel’s guest experience manager is available to plan bespoke itineraries. One can venture into the desert in a 4x4, hike the terrain with knowledgeable guides, learn about local ecosystems, escape to Petra in nearby Jordan, or snorkel in the Red Sea. 

Guests who prefer to stay at the hotel do not lack options either. There are always sunbeds available by the stunning outdoor pool, complete with spectacular views and ever-so tame dragonflies hydrating poolside. The spa, gym, fitness and yoga classes, sauna and hammam provide additional opportunities to recharge, reconnect and re-energise.

A  selection of local, organic, traditional Israeli dishes is available at the hotel’s Midian restaurant, while the Jamillah cocktail bar offers a more casual dining experience alongside a carefully curated vinyl collection. 

Six Senses sites cover the globe, take a look at our previous coverage of Six Senses Ibiza, and the London Six Senses flagship hotel and residences.

sixsenses.com; Hevel-Eilot, Negev Desert, Israel 8886500, Shaharut, 8886500, Israel