HI - Massada Hostel

Great hostel, great location, thin walls. We were pleasantly surprised having never stayed at an HI hostel before. Check in was easy, the room was simple but perfect. We loved that the shower, toilet, and sink were all separate so our family bathroom time was more efficient. There was a basketball court, large pool, and outdoor green space available - great for kids. They allow you to use the shared spaces after check out as well. Pool towels were provided. The only negative was that the walls were very thin and people were outside playing with kids and yelling until well past 11pm. We put our kids to sleep at 8 and it was loud for a while.

We are a family of 4, stayed at this place in August 2023. The place is clean and cozy, mattresses are pretty hard. The food was good. They have a faucet to fill up bottles with drinking water. It's right at the foot of the Massada National park..

Lots of kids running around till 01:00 in the morning.

This felt more like a hotel but without an extortionate price tag. The building, while not beautiful from the outside, is well built and maintained. The bus dropped us off a few metres away and it was HOT in that bit of desert. The location was great - a very short walk to the base of Masada, which we and many others climbed at 5:00 am to watch the sunrise. Good bus services connected us to Ein Bokek (best Dead Sea beach and resort), Ein Gedi and onwards to Jerusalem, Beersheba, etc. We had a large room with a double bed and two bunk beds, and our children had the same, configured as two singles and two bunks. There was a well-designed wash room with twin basins, a shower and toilet cubicles, loads of storage, TV and fridge. There was efficient air conditioning, wifi and a general feeling of comfort and space. There was a supervised outdoor swimming pool, partly in the shade, which was a lovely way to cool off. Various other facilities such as a children's playground, synagogue and various conference halls and private dining spaces. We opted for half board, which was a buffet breakfast and buffet dinner. There was a wide range of fresh and delicious food, and, all-in-all this was great value. Were I to have any criticisms it was the excessive use of disposable cups, air conditioning which stayed on all the time and doors which were left open, wasting further energy. No hesitation in recommending this as a great place to stay or even just for breakfast after the 5:00 am climb.