"In the beginning" -- Beresheet Hotel in the Negev desert

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A few days ago you saw the Visitors Center of Makhtesh Ramon.
Let's walk a few minutes along the rim of the "crater" and see what those buildings are on the left of the top photo.

Believe it or not, it's a luxury hotel!
Beresheet is named after the first word in the Book of Genesis; it means "In the beginning."

Here are some of the 111 "cabins."
Each one has a view of the makhtesh ("crater") and some have their own little pools.

I have never been inside (because weekday rates start at $322 per couple per night!).
But this article  says there is no grand entrance to the deluxe hotel,  just this gate, and you enter and park and wait for your golf cart ride to the lobby.
There are indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a sauna and hamam, and the full spa treatment.
 You can see indoor photos in this slideshow (under "Beresheet").

From this side the hotel seems to stick out a lot, but from the crater side it blends in more with the nature.
As their website says, "This exceptional desert hotel maintains a dialog with the surrounding desert, allowing its essence to penetrate every corner ..."    blah blah ... 

Here is the simple sign on the road.
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UPDATE Jan. 2017:  Article about the hotel and its relation to the nearby town, Mitzpe Ramon.
UPDATE July 2019: The other "crater," the smaller one, just became a nature reserve:
https://www.israel21c.org/after-30-years-israels-small-crater-is-a-nature-reserve/
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Makhtesh Ramon in the desert

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Welcome to the Mitzpe Ramon Visitor Center.
Inside you can learn about this unique area in Israel's Mount Negev region.
The new Ilan Ramon Museum is also inside, commemorating our astronaut who perished when the space shuttle Colombia burned up in 2003. 

The Visitor Center perches on the cliff  500 meters above the floor of Makhtesh Ramon.
Click on the photo twice to see the little people.

The Negev desert has three enormous craterlike makhteshim, which are unique to the region: Makhtesh Ramon, Makhtesh Gadol, and Makhtesh Katan.

The Wikipedia article on makhtesh says,

Although commonly referred to as "craters," these formations are "erosion cirques" (steephead valleys or box canyons).
Craters are formed by the impact of a meteor or volcanic eruption, whereas makhteshim are created by erosion.
The word makhtesh is the Hebrew word for a mortar grinder (מַכְתֵּשׁ‎). The geological landform was given this name because of its similarity to a grinding bowl.

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(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)
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