Is Herbert Samuel Hod Dead Sea Hotel the same as Hod Hamidbar Resort?

Yes. Herbert Samuel Hod Dead Sea Hotel is the current name of the Ein Bokek property formerly called Hod Hamidbar Resort. Herbert Samuel Hotels now runs the hotel, which recently underwent a comprehensive renovation, per the operator’s official site. Older maps and some booking platforms still use the Hod Hamidbar name, but both names point to the same seafront building in the central Ein Bokek cluster.

Does the hotel have a real Dead Sea water pool?

Yes. The operator’s official listing includes an indoor pool filled with Dead Sea water, and the current deadsea.com listing adds mineral pools and a sulfur pool. Dead Sea water is about 34.2 percent salt, roughly ten times ocean salinity, so you float in the pool exactly as you would in the sea. Keep soaks to 15 to 20 minutes and rinse with fresh water afterwards, and ask your doctor first if you have health concerns.

The current deadsea.com listing describes buffet breakfast and dinner served under rabbinical kosher supervision, and the operator advertises a chef’s restaurant on site. Whether dinner is included depends on the rate you book, so confirm half board versus breakfast-only before arrival. Independent restaurants in the Ein Bokek commercial center are about a five minute walk away if you want to eat out.

When is the best time to stay?

Seasonal weather and facility conditions vary. Check the operator and local authorities close to the travel dates.

Herbert Samuel Hod Dead Sea Hotel: Ein Bokek Profile

Herbert Samuel Hod Dead Sea Hotel (formerly Hod Hamidbar Resort)

Herbert Samuel Hod Dead Sea Hotel is the current name of the former Hod Hamidbar property. Confirm current room types, rates, facilities and availability directly with the operator before booking.

Step outside your room and you're practically on the Dead Sea beach. Ein Bokek's shops, restaurants, and Dead Sea Mall are all within a few minutes' walk. Masada National Park (that ancient clifftop fortress) is just 20 minutes north. Ein Gedi nature reserve, with its hiking trails and freshwater springs, is about 30 minutes away. You're perfectly positioned to explore regional history and nature without long drives.

Amenities

Private beach

Mineral pools

Sulfur Pools

Freshwater pool

Sauna

Hot tubs

Gymnasium

Kosher dining

Air conditioning

WIFI

PARKING

The name change, in plain terms

Herbert Samuel Hotels now runs the property, alongside further hotels in Eilat, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Herzliya. Hod Hamidbar, the name the hotel carried for decades, still shows up on older maps, booking screens, and taxi small talk.

Same building. New flag.

Herbert Samuel Hod Dead Sea Hotel is the current official name of the Ein Bokek property long known as Hod Hamidbar Resort. The operator, Herbert Samuel Hotels, states on herbertsamuel.com that the hotel recently underwent a comprehensive renovation, and it runs further properties in Eilat, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Herzliya.

If you booked under either name, you are going to the same address. Third-party sites still mix the two freely, so do not worry when the sign over the door disagrees with your voucher.

Position on the Ein Bokek seafront

Ein Bokek is the main resort cluster on the Israeli shore of the Dead Sea, roughly 430 meters below sea level. The hotel sits inside the central cluster, and the operator’s page puts the shore steps from the entrance. That shore is Ein Bokek beach, which the Tamar Regional Council describes as open to the general public with lifeguards, showers, toilets, and changing rooms.

The location does most of the work here. You can float before breakfast, walk back for coffee, and be at the restaurants of the Ein Bokek commercial center about five minutes later, per the deadsea.com listing. No shuttle needed.

The spa: Dead Sea water indoors, plus a sulfur pool

The pools are the point. The operator’s official listing gives the spa an indoor pool filled with Dead Sea water, alongside a gym and a solarium, and the current deadsea.com listing adds mineral pools, a sulfur pool, a sauna, and hot tubs. Outside there is a large central swimming pool with a toddler pool beside it.

The spa at Herbert Samuel Hod Dead Sea Hotel has an indoor pool filled with water from the Dead Sea, per the operator’s official page, and the current deadsea.com listing adds a sulfur pool. Dead Sea water carries about 34.2 percent salinity, so the standard advice is a 15 to 20 minute soak followed by a freshwater rinse.

An indoor Dead Sea water pool matters more than it sounds. In August the shore bakes and in January the wind bites, but the indoor pool floats you in the real mineral water year round at a controlled temperature. Session length guidance is in our how long to soak guide.

One caution from the current deadsea.com review, worth repeating: warm sulfur and mineral pools put real load on the body, so talk to your doctor first if you have health concerns. A hotel spa is a wellness facility. Our spa versus clinic guide explains when you want an actual clinic.

Rooms and dining

The operator’s current room pages list room types but do not publish a total room count. Confirm the current inventory and room configuration directly with the hotel.

Dining runs on two tracks. The operator advertises a chef’s restaurant, while the deadsea.com listing describes buffet breakfast and dinner under rabbinical kosher supervision. Check what your rate includes before you arrive, because half board and breakfast-only bookings sit side by side on the same booking sites. Rates across the strip are in our Dead Sea hotel prices guide.

Who the hotel suits

This comparison reflects editorial considerations only. Confirm current room types, facilities, rates, beach arrangements, and eligibility directly with the operator before booking.

Beyond the pool deck: Masada and Ein Gedi

Two of Israel’s most visited nature sites are a short drive up Route 90. Trail access at Ein Gedi shifts with weather and flood damage, and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority closes the Nahal Arugot trail to new entries three hours before the reserve shuts, so check the INPA page before you go.

Masada National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, is north of the hotel per the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, a short drive north of Herbert Samuel Hod Dead Sea Hotel, and Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, with its cascading waterfalls and resident ibex, lies 18 kilometers beyond Masada.

Masada works as a sunrise trip via the Snake Path or a midday one via cable car. Ein Gedi Nature Reserve is the counterpoint to all that salt: fresh water, shade, and the waterfalls of the Nahal David trail, per the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

Sources

Herbert Samuel Hod Dead Sea Hotel, official hotel page, Herbert Samuel Hotels: https://www.herbertsamuel.com/en/hod-dead-sea/
Masada National Park, Israel Nature and Parks Authority: https://en.parks.org.il/reserve-park/masada-national-park/
En Gedi Nature Reserve, Israel Nature and Parks Authority: https://en.parks.org.il/reserve-park/en-gedi-nature-reserve/
The Hotel Beaches, Dead Sea Official Tourism Site, Tamar Regional Council: https://www.deadsea.co.il/attractions/the-hotel-beaches/?lang=en
Herbert Samuel Hod Dead Sea Hotel profile, formerly Hod Hamidbar Resort, DeadSea.com: https://deadsea.com/hotel/herbert-samuel-hod-dead-sea-hotel/