Exploring the newly opened Six Senses Shaharut

With its secluded setting, Six Sense Shaharut sits on the edge of a dramatic cliff with panoramic views of the Negev Desert and invites guests to immerse themselves in this environment while enjoying traditional desert hospitality and rich Nabatean history.

Made up of 60 bespoke suites and villas, including one three-bedroom retreat, the resort spreads itself out across the lunar landscape. There is of course a signature Six Sense spa, offering guests a rejuvenating retreat while keeping sustainability as its core value. Fully rejuvenated, you can also choose from a range of curated experiences, from an immersive Kibbutz visit to a stargazing session, camel treks through the Negev or floating in the Dead Sea. This is a breathtakingly beautiful and truly authentic desert experience that will be sure to satisfy any pent-up wanderlust.

The design of Six Senses Shaharut has been uniquely inspired by the nomadic structures found in the Negev Desert. The suites and villas are nestled into the ground and designed to take advantage of the Negev’s natural beauty, while minimising the impact on its surroundings. Combined with the integration of sustainable processes and technologies, the structures seamlessly blend in with the desert landscape. Moving inside, the furniture and fittings have been sourced from local artisans to complement the unique weathered rock formations and use natural stone, wood, and copper. Using both local and reclaimed materials, each piece, and each suite, has its own story to tell.

The Six Senses Spa offers six (yes there is a pattern emerging) treatment rooms, a variety of wellness programs, along with the Alchemy Bar for mixing botanicals. There are Visiting Practitioners specialising in Chinese medicine, osteopathy, energy healing and more. The resort has two wonderful pools, including a freshwater infinity pool with desert views and a bar serving refreshing juices – from locally sourced ingredients of course!

While the spa is all about rejuvenating, the resort ethos is all about sustainability. On site, the Desert Activity Centre incorporates Six Senses’ Earth Lab scheme, showcasing the resort’s approach to sustainability in its efforts to reduce consumption. All sustainability work and community development happening around the property and in the region are on display here, and guests are even able to learn a few take-away life hacks that will enable them to be more eco-conscious when they get back home.

For guests looking for more than some sustainable pampering, the resort is also home to camel stables, lush gardens, and an open-air amphitheatre hewed into the natural terrain and transformed into a Six Senses ‘Cinema Paradiso’ beneath the stars.

The food on offer at the resort is a mix of Israeli and Mediterranean cuisines which embrace the Six Senses culinary philosophy – fresh, local, and seasonal food, harvested from the resort’s own organic garden or from local farmers at the nearby kibbutzim. From fresh Mediterranean fish, roasted beetroot, almonds, raw tahini, Samar date honey, and olive oil to Tabun smoked lamb ribs, freekeh and garden kale, the food on the menu at Six Senses Shaharut is an integral part of this desert experience. Guests can also request a private chef for in-villa dining or venture out on an authentic Bedouin dining experience by Chef Amir Kalfon, paired with the region’s best wines, a fire pit, and the opportunity to catch a glimpse of a Nubian ibex.

Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, which is part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts family, manages 16 hotels and resorts and 25 spas in 19 countries under the brand names Six Senses, Evason and Six Senses Spas, and has signed a further 31 properties into the development pipeline. 

Main image credit: Six Senses