Rest day at the LOT hotel on the Dead Sea
The air temperature in Israel is increasing, the number of tourists from Russia, respectively, is decreasing. . . And so it will be until mid-September until the heat subsides and hotel prices return to the average annual (in most hotels in Israeli resort areas from mid-September July to the end of August prices rise and quite significantly). The season ended and I had free time, which I decided to use for a little recovery - to relax and unwind at the Dead Sea.
The first time I went in an organized way - I chose to stay at a hotel in the resort area of Ein Bokek. The second time - on your own to Kaliya beach, located in the northern part of the Dead Sea. This story will be about staying at the hotel LOT 4*.
Departure for the "Day of rest" at the Dead Sea is early, around 7 am. The road is long, with technical stops at gas stations and gatherings of tourists along the way to the Dead Sea. We stood near the SPA complex in Ein Gedi for a long time... As a result, we arrived at the LOT hotel around 11:30.
The hotel staff quickly explained everything and our group stood in line for the keys to the lockers (boxes for storing clothes and bags).
Both the use of a locker and beach towels are included in the cost of the "Day of rest". But you have to leave a deposit for the locker. And some tourists had problems with this case - they don’t take money as a deposit in the SPA of the LOT hotel. And they take passports, driver's licenses, mobile phones... Even lipstick will do. This, of course, is not a document, but for some reason it is quoted : )
Having received the key to the locker, I went to the dressing room, located not far from the reception (there are also toilets and showers). I changed, put my documents and clothes in the locker and returned to the reception for a towel. Give and change them for free and without restrictions. Right from the reception I went up to the second floor to plunge into the pool with Dead Sea water. The water is very warm. Almost hot.
Next to the pool are a Jacuzzi, a dry sauna, treatment rooms, as well as showers and toilets. There is also a hammam in the SPA complex, but it is paid - 35 shekels. for the whole day, including a set of sponge, soap, etc. On the day of my arrival, it was not working due to repairs. But in the summer, you don’t really want to go to the hammam. Next to the hammam is a hydrogen sulfide pool. Using it costs 50 shekels per session - 20 minutes in the pool itself + 20 minutes of relaxation on a sunbed. Half an hour in the SPA hotel LOT was enough for me - 2 short dives in the pool for 10 minutes and 5 minutes in the jacuzzi. Outdoors is better in good weather, so I went back to the reception and went outside. The territory of the hotel is not big, but very comfortable. There is an outdoor swimming pool with sun loungers in a circle, a paddling pool for the little guests of the hotel, two tables for table tennis, comfortable hammocks. . .
The beach is located a minute walk from the exit of the LOT hotel. The sand is very hot, so it is extremely difficult to reach the sea without rubber slippers. Beautiful paths do not save either - the stone also heats up well.
The beach is great! There is so much salt in the sea under your feet that you understand why the Dead Sea is called “Sea of Salt” in Hebrew. So it is - the salt is actually the sea... You take the salt with your hands from the bottom with whole handfuls! And she is very nice, not big. Beach slippers are not needed to enter the sea - walking on salt and sand is a great pleasure. Salt even passed to the sand on the beach and as a result formed a salt strip that frames the sea in the form of a border. Interesting salt figures can be found at the bottom. For example, once a wet napkin floated in the water, which was overgrown with salt and turned into a salt tray.
The cost of the "Day of rest" includes lunch (from 12:30 to 14:00). Some tourists came 5 minutes before the end and they were allowed in without any problems. A buffet with a large selection of dishes will satisfy the hunger of both children and adults. Soups, salads, fish, meat, sweets. Drinks (tea, coffee, etc. ) are not included in the price of lunch, but this is not a problem - there is a carafe of cold water and a slice of lemon on the table.
If someone cannot live without wine or beer, then you can ask the waiters and they will quickly organize everything. For a fee, of course. Almost everything was delicious, some of the meat and poultry were a bit harsh. . . But since the assortment is large, it didn't bother me. Having fairly refreshed myself, I changed clothes again and rushed to the beach - there was only 2 hours left before departure. The air temperature was quite comfortable, about 38 degrees. Water is not much less. But it is not the same everywhere - in some places it is hot, and in some places it is cool... I didn’t want to go out at all, but I had to - it’s not recommended to stay for more than 15-20 minutes in a row. Two mushroom-shaped awnings are installed in the water, creating a shadow. There is no mud on the beach, because some tourists smeared each other with purchased mud from bags. In the water and on the beach, only Russian and German speech was heard. The day was a weekday, because there were very few local residents in this hotel. At the same time, everyone equally enjoys the healing Dead Sea, everyone is equally happy. One tourist said loudly (and the audibility at the Dead Sea is good): “Oh, how good it is... ” and for some reason sang “Oh, vernissage, oh, vernissage... ”. The time allotted for rest flew by quickly. Too fast. . . We left the hotel a little later than 16:00. The road home took almost 4 hours - technical stops, tourists disembarking in several places, traffic jams. . .
I believe that this dead sea vacation is suitable for those tourists who want to relax with comfort, because there is:
* direct access to the beach (no shuttle, as in some hotels in Ein Bokek and Neve Zohar, as well as in Ein Gedi Spa)
* a beautiful entrance to the sea (no stones and fancy salt structures that can hurt your feet).
The Dead Sea is a miracle of nature! It is worth seeing, it is definitely worth relaxing on it...
