Seeking peace, and a retreat from the enjoyable yet hectic rush around familiar Israeli tourist spots and meeting old friends, I broke the news to my teenage kids that we’d be going off grid during our family holiday.
I had bravely booked a boutique hotel in the Arava Desert for two days of WiFi-free family bonding, desert hiking and cooking on an open barbecue. To my surprise, they loved the idea, excited about encountering a new corner of a country they are beginning to know well.
Leaving the buzz of Tel Aviv, I couldn’t help feeling slightly anxious over this first foray into the unknown. How would we keep ourselves amused? Is it too remote for us city dwellers? Instead, I discovered that a desert stay restores the soul, the calm and contemplation of star-gazing, and chance to connect with your roots and nature.
Be prepared: you may feel the sudden urge to meditate, do yoga, or makes dramatic life changes.
Generally only a one-night stop on the way to Eilat, there’s plenty to do in the Arava Desert to tempt you to book a longer stay — not to mention plenty of time to enjoy that desert hideaway.
Car laden with delicious produce for our self-catering stay, we arrived at the Eretz Arava Desert Hotel.
A secluded collection of stone villas, nestling harmoniously on the edge of the Ashoush Nature Reserve, the ten-year labour of love by its owner Oren Toupotte-Tagel has resulted in a haven of peace and tranquillity, where flower-lined paths wind past lemon trees heavy with fruit and lead to the elegant yet rustic villas.
Beds are made with crisp, white sheets and plump pillows, plus fluffy bathrobes to relax in. Each villa has a large, perfectly heated plunge pool big enough to float in, with mosaic floor tiling and a panoramic view of the desert landscape.
Choose between a bracing ‘star shower’ outdoors or a soak in the luxurious sunken bath with its picture window looking out onto the desert hills.
If you refuse to switch off completely, there’s a giant flat screen TV but it’s hard to beat swinging in the hammock, book in hand, or watching the sun set from the terrace, swaddled in blankets against the desert evening air.
The kitchen stores basic herbs, spices and olive oil alongside appliances galore; there were even some beers in the fridge and homemade cookies in a jar. If the thought of cooking is one chore too many, the Ursula Restaurant, a five minute drive away, offers Israeli and European food.
This corner of the desert is home to several places to stay — lodging in the Arava is varied although the relaxed pace of life and tranquility remains constant.
At the Desert Days Eco Lodge, get back to basics in the well-equipped mud hut cabins or join the communal cooking on an open fire, at the ‘khan’ — a central meeting space where families can get together to chat or play games.
Great with children, the mud workshops let happy kids splosh around barefoot and learn about sustainable living in the arid desert.
The laid-back Midbara Hotel has simple, charming cabins, well spaced for privacy, each with its own plunge pool. Breakfast arrives on your doorstep in a wooden basket and the smell of freshly baked bread wafts through the air from the outdoor oven or taboon in the central communal area.
Or for more active stays, the large cabins at Nof Zuqim Hotel sleep five, plus they provide bikes for desert rides and can give information on local with hiking trails. There’s even an ice-breaking desert orientation game for families, to get your bearings.
We filled our own days easily too, taking a sweaty hike through craters and rock formations, our eyes searching for stony landmarks on the dusty horizon. Looking down on the open plains from our vantage point, we felt like characters from The Lion King surveying our kingdom.
A short drive from Eretz Arava is the surprising Antelope Ranch. Staff at this outpost of wildlife conservation prepare you for your safari-style visit, where we got closer than expected to the zebra, who decided to poke his nose through our rapidly wound-up window.
Even our grown-up kids enjoyed climbing aboard the impressive Noah’s Ark, home to exotic birds including some chatty parrots.
At the nearby artist village of Zukim, my husband and I spent a happy couple of hours browsing the crafts of the talented sculptors, ceramicists, perfumiers and natural soap makers. I left laden with beautiful bowls and some intriguing camel milk soap.
Or discover Moshav Ein Yahav, the first Moshav in the Arava: a hub for tourist activities with day and night desert safaris, star-watching experiences, a scrap-metal sculpture garden and off-road driving activities.
There’s also an ornamental fish farm and apiary on site. Close by you can discover more challenging desert walking trails and a crocodile farm.
And along the border with Jordan, the scenic Arava Peace Road runs past local communities, a kibbutz and the Vidor Centre at the mouth of the Arava, if you fancy signing up for camel and horseriding, or jeep trips through the desert.
Far from a quick pitstop between the cities and the south, this is somewhere to slow down, take your time and discover the desert’s activities and people — one retreat which now holds a special place in our hearts.
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