Hotels

Visitors, national and international, who come to "take the waters" and enjoy the serene desert scenery, heavily use the lodgings in the Dead Sea region. On the northern shore, facilities range from youth hostels to kibbutz inns. Although they might conjure up visions of spartan plainness, the kibbutz inns are surprisingly comfortable. They also give you a chance to see life on the communal settlements firsthand.

Along the southern shore, hotels in sunny Ein Bokek run from family-style simplicity to huge resorts, many of which were once hailed as the country's finest but have in recent years been subject to some neglect. Shuttle buses link hotels with each other and the center of town. A beautiful and luxurious spa with a wide range of facilities is an important feature of each large hotel and many smaller hotels as well. The high seasons are mid-March to mid-June, and mid-September to the end of November.

Since visitors typically explore the area west of Jerusalem on a day trip, lodgings are few and far between. The exceptions are some fine bed-and-breakfast–style guesthouses known as zimmers.