Dirty Dancing's Kellerman's it isn't, but the Nahsholim Seaside Resort is indeed more community-based than a traditional hotel.
Its website bills it as the "Nahsholim Holiday Village Kibbutz Hotel," which, though long-winded, is decidedly apt. The seaside property contains 152 different units of varying sizes to accommodate parties ranging from single guests to families. Spread across the sprawling property are bungalows dating from when the Nahsholim kibbutz' first established guest houses and two new buildings that contain the 24 junior and deluxe boutique suites.
These newer suites are best suited for couples, containing one king-sized bed each, an expansive sitting area, and a full bath. Second floor suites enjoy an unparalleled view to the sea, and ground-floor suites contain access from each balcony to a private pool
For traveling triples, the resort also proposes 24 sea boutique rooms. Arranged like the sprawling bungalows, these upgraded experiences house up to three, and include their own private Japanese garden and outdoor shower—appropriately walled off, mind you.
I spent an evening in a ground-floor boutique suite with a private wading pool. The room, like the rest of the resort, was clean, airy, and welcoming. The room was generously sized, with two large sofas and several chairs. Calmly designed in teals and blues, the room indeed played off the sea views. However, the straight shot to the sea works both ways, and privacy is somewhat at a premium in the hotel.
If one were so inclined, they could enjoy a bath with the full-wall curtain opened to gaze out beyond the bed to the full-wall glass doors leading to the sea…and the beach paths. The pool itself was exciting in its exclusivity, but the lack of sufficient shrubbery means that relaxing in it is less a romantic getaway and more an opportunity to watch the adjoining guests about a meter away.
The pool itself is a less-than-ideal setup, as it is a rectangular basin of uniform height up to about an average person's waist. One cannot comfortably sit on the ground without submerging one's head, and standing, one is overly exposed, so the pool remains more appealing in theory than in practice and more inviting for a quick frolic than a place to while away a few hours.
This quibble relates to a general theme throughout the resort, which is a lack of attention to small details. Overall, this hotel is lovely and welcoming, but the more pedantic amongst us cannot help but immediately notice the mismatched bathroom glasses, the misaligned fittings, the lovely wooden desk that lacks a chair ready to take advantage of the workspace, the small areas of broken cement that were intended to be either paved properly or replaced with grass and yet are neither, the exposed (yet perfectly clean) boxspring, the missing 'do not disturb' cover to the light that indicates this on certain rooms...
Again, I quibble: If a guest is insistent on everything not only being "just so," but also being uniformly "just so," then they are more likely to be happy in an international chain that would assuredly lack the uniquely local flavor of Nahsholim. Overall, the room's impression is welcoming. The excellent coffeemaker was well stocked and a delightful greeting, especially, and the bed was soft and comfortable.
From the new structures, one has a direct view to one of the many beaches along which the resort is sprawled. That one is more crowded, though there are two others just a walk down a marked path that are considerably more secluded.
The uneven coast line makes for an excellent variety of small coves where one can just lounge on the fine sand—though apparently those who choose so to do before mid-morning are likely to be jarred from their reverie by the leaf blower, a serious case of overkill for clearing sand from wooden slats—or take part in one or many of the multitude of sea activities that the resort proposes, such as supping, windsurfing, kayaking, paddle boats and scuba-diving (with a private company offering lessons for novices).
One can decide which beach is optimal for a given task, depending on the desired wave level. "Nahsholim" means "breakers," and the different coves have varied wave levels, so one can determine which is more conducive to the chosen activity.
The bungalows and village-feel of the resort are consistent with its kibbutz-style dining hall that is clean and offers copious breakfasts. The on-site restaurant, Rosmarin, offers perfectly satisfactory fare, despite its inexplicable Comic-Sans branding.
The sea is the main draw of this holiday village kibbutz hotel. That is not to say that one inclined to day trips would be bereft of satisfaction: Nahsholim is but a short drive from various local attractions like Mei Kedem with its subterranean water walks from Roman times or the Ramat Hanadiv nature reserve. More locally, the resort organizes a Saturday walking tour of the archeological legacy in the area that stretches from King Solomon to Napoléon Bonaparte to the Six-Day War.
Nahsholim offers a pleasant getaway a short drive from the center of the country that showcases its local attributes and welcomes single persons to entire families.
The writer was a guest of the Nahsholim Seaside Resort.