Located in Israel’s Negev desert, the Six Senses Shaharut will feature farm-grown food from local kibbutzim, fire pit cooking, camel stables and an outdoor cinema. Olivia Palamountain reports
Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas is set to debut the Six Senses Shaharut this summer, bringing the hospitality brand’s signature blend of luxury, wellness and sustainability to Israel’s Negev desert.
This will be the first resort in Israel for Six Senses when the hotel opens in August 2021, offering remote desert opulence at a base price point of US$750 per night based on two people sharing and including breakfast.
The 60-suite/villa property is nestled into a cliff in the small community of Shaharut, bordering Timna Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site offering panoramic desert views.
The park is home to the geological rock formations Solomon’s Pillars and the Mushroom, as well as the world’s first copper mines dug some 6,000 years ago.
Echoing the natural beauty of the landscape, the Six Senses Shaharut has been designed to integrate into this desert topography while preserving its natural terrain – the villas are built from local rocks and complemented by regional cacti and indigenous desert blooms, while exterior lighting is minimal to avoid light pollution at night, preserving the pristine clarity of the starry sky.
Interiors continue in the same vein with many furnishing sourced from a partnership with local community artisans. In respect of the environment, the resort will use only electric cars to serve guests.
A desert activity centre will incorporate Six Senses’ brand-wide “Earth Lab” to showcase its sustainability efforts. Guests will be invited to visit the Earth Lab to learn simple “life-hacks” that will allow them to lower their own carbon footprint.
There will also be working camel stables with an arena and grooming area, as well as an open-air amphitheatre created from the natural terrain contours and transformed into a “Cinema Paradiso” beneath the stars.
A tented Bedouin dining experience will also be created at the heart of the resort’s oasis, complete with a fire pit for late night feasting using centuries-old sand cooking techniques.
Fresh ingredients will be harvested from the resort’s own gardens or from local farmers at the nearby kibbutzim and showcased at the all-day restaurant where guests can expect a buffet breakfast, à la carte lunches and seasonally themed dinners.
A poolside bar and grill will open for lunch and dinner, and a juice bar and an “alchemy bar” will be located at the spa – a highlight of the property, where guests can mix their own blend of all-natural spa botanicals.
This Six Senses spa will offer hammams, steams rooms and a range of signature massages, facials and body treatments, as well as an 18-metre indoor pool, 25-metre outdoor lap pool, fully-equipped gym, yoga studio with desert views and a nail bar.
Based on the preventative principles of Eastern medicine and result-oriented Western influences, “Six Senses Integrated Wellness” is innovative approach will allow in-house experts to measure and analyse key physiological biomarkers in order to provide guests with lifestyle and nutritional advice, as well as a personalised programme of spa treatments, fitness and wellness activities.
Six Senses Shaharut will also offer a host of activities including a dedicated kids club, off-road driving, mountain climbing, mountain biking, camel safaris, craft workshops, bird watching and wine tours.
Eilat, a seaside resort on the Red Sea, is a 60-minute drive from Shaharut and features calm waters, abundant sea life and excellent snorkelling and diving. Camel camping and dune walking with local Bedouins can also be arranged, as can trips to Petra, Masada, Mount Karkom and the Dead Sea. 
Israel is enjoying a flurry of impressive new openings, including Soho House Tel Aviv, The Theodor, Deborah Brown, Nobu Hotel and Hotel Bobo.