The Israeli "Cruise" that doesn't require a passport
A pampering hotel and spa with a water park, play and extreme complexes, and an amusement park - all 15 minutes from Jerusalem. A glimpse into Casland in Mishor Adumim - the resort that offers an all-inclusive vacation in the style of Royal Caribbean, where everyone finds their experience, and everyone vacations together.
Welcome to the "Anati on the Road" column, where I personally check out accommodation, resorts, boutique hotels, spa sites, and wellness complexes in Israel and abroad to tell you where it's worth vacationing, healing, slowing down or speeding up, and pampering yourself. The series opens with a desert resort just a 15-minute drive from Jerusalem.
There are vacations that start at Ben Gurion Airport or the port of Haifa, and there are those that start on the road descending from Jerusalem to the Judean Desert. After a relatively short drive, the landscape changes: buildings disappear, replaced by desert hills, and Waze takes you off the highway to the Mishor Adumim industrial zone. And then, almost out of nowhere, an impressive structure surrounded by palm trees appears before your eyes — Casland.
What does a resort have to do with an industrial zone in the desert? But quite quickly, as I venture deeper into this huge complex, I begin to understand the idea: to take everything people look for in a family vacation — hotel, spa, swimming pools, extreme sports, water, food, and entertainment — and concentrate it all in one place. Casland defines itself as a resort and spa, and is actually part of the D-City design center, a commercial complex reminiscent of large outlets abroad. Both were initiated and established by the Cas Group.
The resort combines a hotel, a one-of-a-kind spa, and several concept complexes, all of which are covered, air-conditioned, and active all year round. Another complex — a covered amusement park called Magic Cas — is located a 4-minute drive away, with shuttles taking guests back and forth during operating hours.
The Philosophy of Comfort
The group explains that behind the choice of this unconventional location lies a business concept: instead of financing expensive land in the center and compromising on the experience, they invest the main resources into the facility itself. "We look at things through the eyes of the guests and utilize every free meter to create an experience," Tomer Mor Yosef, CEO of the Cas Group, tells me. "If I arrive with three children at the Gymboree, I want, as a parent, to have a place to wait for them in comfort and air conditioning. If I am staying at the spa, I want as many options as possible to feel I received value for my investment."
The Hotel: The Vacation Anchor
There are about 210 rooms designed and equipped with care at the Casland hotel, serving as the anchor of the experience. The offer includes classic rooms for couples, a variety of rooms for families, and especially large suites (about 90 sq.m.) to meet different family needs. Most rooms have a small balcony, and hospitality is on a half-board basis. Breakfast and dinner are served buffet-style in the "Venetian Hall" — an impressive space on the complex's promenade.
Atlantis Spa: 360-Degree Pampering
I start a hot July morning at the Atlantis Spa (about 4,000 sq.m.) dedicated to body and soul. After filling out a health declaration, I receive a robe, slippers, and a towel, and enter a parallel universe: soft lighting, relaxing background music, waterfalls, bubbles, and design elements. Guests can enjoy stream pools, a rain pool, a floating pool, a foam room, a salt room, a snow room, and various saunas.
The spa pools are heated and made of stainless steel, with water purified according to international hygiene standards. A buffet of snacks, fruits, and nuts is available throughout the stay, and the personal treatment complex features a brunch buffet with sandwiches, vegetables, fruits, pastries, and cakes. There is also a daily couple's package that includes spa facilities and a delicious lunch at "Aladino," a chef restaurant overlooking the Judean Desert landscape.
Cas Splash, D-Jump, and Magic Cas: Where the Action Starts
If the spa is for slowing down, Cas-Splash is for speeding up. The water park (about 8,000 sq.m.) is covered, air-conditioned, and includes extreme facilities, a branched slide system, and two pools. Another attraction complex is D-Jump (about 3,000 sq.m.), offering trampolines, Gymboree, climbing walls, obstacle courses, and arcade games. A few minutes' drive from Casland is Magic-Cas, an amusement park full of extreme facilities for all ages.
The central boulevard in Casland is an open promenade with specialized shops, and in the evening, it becomes a lively entertainment center with performances and a chill-out area. The entire complex is strictly kosher and accessible: there are elevators between floors, as well as the spa and water park pools. In addition, 16 tuk-tuks are at the guests' disposal for comfortable transport.
When I left, I thought about how this place is a great solution for Israeli families, especially in a period when a flight abroad can be canceled at any moment. A family can arrive for a few days, provide the kids with their dose of extreme, refresh and recharge in the spa, eat well, rest in the room, and not see their car until departure. "We want people to arrive for a few days, experience, taste, enjoy, and feel they received full value, as if they were in the 'Royal Caribbean of the desert'," summarizes Mor Yosef.
On the way back home, after the spa, the action, and the good food, the realization hits that sometimes, to feel true freedom, you don't need to stamp a passport. It is enough to drive until the desert opens — and then enter an oasis.
- The reporter was a guest of the place. Do you manage a resort, hotel, or an extraordinary wellness complex? Do you want me to arrive to experience it up close and recommend it to the readers? You are welcome to contact me by email: anati-g@yedioth.co.il
