Lewis, As an Israeli I can give you a few tips. The first tip is you don't want to spend two nights in Masada. There is only one Kibbutz in the general vicinity of Masada and it is Ein Gedi. They have a very nice Guest house. The other option is to stay at the dead sea resorts, many of them very nice. The Mt. Zion hotel is a nice hotel with a great view of the Old City. It is one of the nicer 4* hotels. Check prices at http://www.travelbyclick.net/hotels/index.cfm, they have some good deals. In many cases you are better going through a local travel agent who can get you local price, which are usually cheaper. Try www.ziontours.co.il . Jerusalem Gold leaves a lot to be desired. An additional option for Jerusalem are some of the Church hospices. Some are truly beautiful like the Scottish hospices and the Swedish institute. In Tel Aviv almost all the hotels on Hayarkon st. (along the beach) are the same except for the Hilton which is one level up. If you really want to stay on a Kibbutz spend a week end up north at one of the many Kibbutzim with guest houses, or stay at Ramat Rachel or Maaleh Hachamisha both just outside of Jerusalem. Joel
