The Makhtesh Ramon is not a crater in the volcanic sense but an erosion cirque, 40 kilometres long and up to 500 metres deep, in the heart of the Negev. Beresheet Hotel stands on its northern rim at Mitzpe Ramon, with the cliff dropping away from the lawns, and opened in 2011 as the desert resort of the Isrotel Exclusive Collection. Beresheet is the Hebrew name of the Book of Genesis, 'in the beginning', and the hotel takes the name from the geology beneath it.
History
Isrotel, the Israeli group founded by David Lewis in Eilat in 1980, planned the hotel as the flagship of its Exclusive Collection, the group's top tier. It opened in 2011 after several years of construction on a site that had been empty cliff top on the edge of the small town. The hotel changed the economy of Mitzpe Ramon, which had been a stop on the road to Eilat, and brought the first large resort to the Negev highlands.
Architecture and design
The hotel is built low, as a village of stone-clad cottages and two-storey blocks spread along the rim, so that no building rises above the skyline from the crater. The stone is the local desert limestone, the colour of the cliffs, and the roofs are flat. Paths wind between the buildings through gardens of desert plants, and the public rooms open onto a terrace at the cliff edge. Nubian ibex come up from the crater and graze the lawns in the early morning.
Rooms and suites
The 111 rooms and suites are spread through the cottages. Many have private pools in walled courtyards, and the crater-facing rooms have terraces on the edge of the drop. Interiors are in stone, wood and muted desert colours, with large bathrooms. Family rooms and suites with separate bedrooms are available, and the largest suite has its own pool and terrace over the crater.
Dining
Rosemary is the main restaurant, with a Mediterranean menu, breakfast buffets and dinner with the crater view. The lobby lounge and bar serve drinks and light food through the day, and a poolside bar operates in the warm months. The hotel is kosher.
Wellness
The outdoor infinity pool is set at the cliff edge with the crater beyond, and there is an indoor heated pool for winter, when desert nights fall below freezing. The spa has treatment rooms, a sauna, a hammam and a fitness room. The hotel organises jeep tours, rappelling and walks into the crater, and stargazing from the rim, where the sky is among the darkest in the country.
Weddings and events
Weddings take place on the lawns at the cliff edge, with the crater as the backdrop, and the hotel has a ballroom and conference rooms for company retreats, which are a large part of its business outside the summer season. The cottages with private pools are used by wedding parties, and the whole hotel can be reserved.
Location
Mitzpe Ramon lies on Route 40, about 85 kilometres south of Beersheba and 150 kilometres north of Eilat, at an altitude of about 860 metres. Ben Gurion Airport is about 190 kilometres away, a drive of two to two and a half hours; Ramon Airport near Eilat is about 130 kilometres to the south. The visitor centre of the Ramon Crater nature reserve is in the town, 2 kilometres from the hotel, and the trails down into the crater begin at the rim. For a luxury desert resort in the Negev, the hotel has the advantage of standing on the cliff rather than near it.
At a glance
What sets it apart
- 01Built on the northern rim of the Makhtesh Ramon, 40 km long and up to 500 m deep
- 02111 rooms and suites in low stone-clad cottages
- 03Many rooms with private pools in walled courtyards
- 04Outdoor infinity pool at the cliff edge and indoor heated pool
- 05Nubian ibex graze the lawns
Chronology
Dates that matter
1980
David Lewis founds Isrotel in Eilat, the group that later builds Beresheet.
2011
Beresheet Hotel opens on the rim of the Ramon Crater as the flagship of the Isrotel Exclusive Collection.
