With a visit to the Dead Sea, we needed a resort to stay at for our first night in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa happened to be that hotel. We ended up discovering a wonderful Marriott Resort. It was a resort we’d actually reluctantly come to leave at the end of our stay. Read on to see how our stay went at this wonderful Dead Sea Resort property.

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This post is one chapter on our trip to Jordan, Israel and France during the end of the pandemic. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards and Alaska Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.

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Review: Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Sweimeh, Jordan

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“A Surprisingly Great Resort Find, with Excellent Marriott Titanium Recognition, that Happens to be a Few Steep Steps From the Dead Sea”

Booking The Dead Sea Marriott:

Part of any trip to Jordan is a visit to the Dead Sea; a lake shared between the border of Jordan and Israel. In addition to being the lowest place on earth, one of the famed attractions of the Dead Sea is the ability to float on water.

The Dead Sea isn’t actually a sea; it’s a lake of which has no actual exit or river leading out of it.Although you can visit the Dead Sea from both the Jordan and Israel sides, it was much easier to visit on the Jordan side given the various security check points within Israel and the Palestine Territories.

While there are several competing resort properties along the Dead Sea, the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa is the only Marriott property in this area. I was able to get a AAA rate of 151 JOD ($213 USD) for this property which booked into the basic Deluxe Room, Guest Room, 1 King configuration. I booked direct on the Marriott Bonvoy website. As a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Level member, I would also be entitled to Upgrade to best available room, including select suites.

I found the price point to be pretty reasonable for a full resort property, especially during Jordan’s high visit season. It’s also worth noting that there were no “resort fee” add on’s to this price. Aside from tax, the rate was an “all in” rate.

Marriott Bonvoy Reward Opportunities:

The Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa prices pretty well in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program. The property generally prices between 20,000 to 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy reward points, for a standard level room.

The lower reward price point under that magical 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy Reward point level, it also means that this property can be redeemed against the annual free night awards that come with the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card. If you happen to have these certificates that come with this credit card, you might find value redeeming them here.

Suite Night Awards:

Marriott Suite Night Awards are for Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Titanium or Ambassador members and can be used to upgrade to a selected room in the suite (or almost suite) category, confirming it 5 days in advance of arrival.

The property participates in the Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Award program. Currently, the best available rooms are the Executive Suite – 1 Bedroom Suite with 1 King and Balcony, and the Studio Suite Studio with 2 Queens.

There are a number of other room category upgrades that translate into a room with a view, a pool access room and other room categories that are not officially in the suite category.

We were only on the property for one night, as a result, we didn’t use any Suite Night Awards for our stay. This turned out to be the right move as we’d get upgraded courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status anyway.

Getting to the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and spa:

We ended up arriving into Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan coming off of Turkish Airlines Business Class Istanbul – Amman. After collecting our rental car, we drove over to the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa.

It was approximately one hour and 65 kilometres over to the resort along route 40M. We had two military security checks along the way, and a stop for gas since our rental was only 1/3 full by the time we were well along the way.

The Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa is located in a resort enclave in Sweimeh, Jordan. The resort is located right on the upper cliffs of the Dead Sea, with immediate access to the Dead Sea from within the resort property.

Checking into the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa:

As we arrived to the resort, we had a security check of our vehicle and luggage at the gate. There was a posted sign outside the resort indicating that no outside alcoholic beverages were permitted on the property.

After the bollards were lowered, we drove up to the front reception area. Our luggage was screened through an X Ray, where hotel staff picked up on MrsWT73’s “bottle of wine”. It was actually a bottle of Sky Vodka. We must not look like the party types as we waived through this issue without any additional grief.

We entered into a very opulent looking lobby that contained a lot of space. The lobby was a mix between convention centre hotel and business resort chic.

We had a very friendly check in for our arrival at 1:30 AM. While I don’t expect too much from a check in at this early morning hour, it was quite a pleasant experience. We were proactively provided a Suite Upgrade courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status to an Executive Suite – One Bedroom Suite one king.

We were explained that our room rate included a full breakfast outside of our Marriott Bonvoy benefits. We were also provided a courtesy card to select a Marriott Bonvoy Elite Titanium welcome amenity. We were able to chose from a variety of welcome snacks or the usual 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. We ended up selecting a 1/2 bottle of Jordan’s St George red wine, along with mixed nuts. We arranged for this to be delivered the next day at 10 AM, given our late arrival.

We were also provided a Marriott Bonvoy late checkout of 2 PM, courtesy of Marriott Titanium status without any issues or opposition.

The Room: An Executive Suite – One Bedroom Suite

One King, Balcony

We self guided ourselves up to Room #437 which was our assigned upgraded Executive Suite. Despite the modern looking lobby, the hallways are a little bit older looking. Our room was paired with Room #436, which had the ability to be joined into two rooms with a single door lock off.

The Living Space:

Immediately upon entering the suite, we found ourselves in the living space of the room. The living space was a separate and detached room from the bedroom, reflecting a proper suite configuration.

The living space was nicely appointed with a couch and two occasional chairs that were actually comfortable to sit in.

There was a flat screen television in the living space. While the angle was a little awkward due to the position of the couch, the television made the room more comfortable .

The living room also featured a desk. The desk, like many other hotel room desks, was oriented towards the wall. It did contain a number of power ports. The desk became the device and computer drop zone during our stay.

Immediately adjacent to the desk was the coffee station. The coffee was provided courtesy of illy coffee pods. There was also a tea kettle for those wishing hot tea. A small amount of bottled water.

Under the television in the living room was a small in room mini bar. The mini bar was exclusively of the non alcoholic variety, and contained a small amount of snacks.

Balcony:

The living room also featured a small balcony. The balcony contained two chairs along with a sun table. The Executive Suite Room itself did not feature any water views, and it was tucked away with a side view of other resorts and commercial vehicle access.

On the night we arrived, I stepped out to take a look and happened to spot an errant cat that happened to come and pay us a 2 in the morning visit. I slid open the sliding door and a small gecko ran into the room. I wasn’t able to recover the gecko after it ran underneath the television set so we shared the suite with the gecko.

The Bedroom:

Just off the right hand side of the bedroom was the master bedroom of the suite. The master bedroom was a large room with lots of extra space around the bed. Often, the bedrooms are quite compact so I really appreciated the extra space on each side of the bed.

The room also featured another flat screen television, along with a small sitting area towards the edge of the room. This became a bit of a luggage storage area.

In terms of sleep quality, it was pretty quiet throughout the hotel and the surrounding area. We didn’t get any hallway noise from other guests and our sleep here was mighty peaceful.

The Bathroom:

Off the master bedroom as the attached bathroom. While some suites have two bathrooms, this suite only had a larger ensuite bathroom.

The ensuite bathroom contained a stand up shower along with an ornate tub. There was a single vanity and was adjacent to a bidet and a toilet.

Most of the hotels in Jordan have made an effort to partner with a local company to showcase the minerals of the Dead Sea. In our stay, the toiletries were provided by Bloom toiletries.

For those that are curious, I have attached the hotel plan layout. It’s worth noting that we were situated in the main building attached to the hotel reception. There were additional buildings throughout the property that contained more water and Dead Sea facing views.

The room was really comfortable from an old school and old world variety. I really enjoyed the extra space and the ability to stretch out after a very long trip.

Food and Beverage:

Mosaico Restaurant:

Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Breakfast

Our included breakfast was located in the Mosaico Restaurant. The Mosaico Restaurant was located just downstairs from the lobby. It was accessed through an open air staircase.

We were promptly seated by a very friendly manager and offered free access to the buffet. While we had aimed to take breakfast as part of our Marriott Bonvoy Elite benefits, we were informed that all rates included breakfast so we got a welcome amenity as well.

The buffet was a substantial offering of everything international. There was a hot egg station.

There were western and middle eastern dishes on the hot side. These included an Omelette Station featuring all sorts of Omelettes, including the unique Jordanian Omelette.

There was also a wide selection of fruits and middle eastern Mediterranean salads.

We were exceptionally happy with the breakfast. It contained absolutely everything you could want or imagine. It also had some variety to it, with the fact that you would likely stay at the property for several days and not get tired of seating the same materials over and over again.

Around the Hotel Property:

After breakfast, we wet out to enjoy some of the resorts facilities. One of the first things that we came to, was this fascinating sign. The sign offered the realities of the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and the amazing fact that the resort is several hundred meters below sea level.

The resort offers three series of tiered pools set against sloping natural terrain that works its way down towards the Dead Sea.

The first set of pools was near the hotel’s main building. The pool had great sun exposure. Although the upper pool areas were family oriented, the space was absolutely deserted on our Wednesday morning visit.

Continuing downwards towards the Dead Sea, we found ourselves near the second tiered pool area. This area contained more family oriented features, such as splash fountains, a shallow wading pool and a few fountains that added to some more engaging decor.

Much like the upper pool zones, this area was also totally deserted on our mid afternoon visit.

Continuing onwards, we started descending further in altitude as the slope of the resort led us closer and closer to the Dead Sea. After a break, we came to the hotel’s last pool area. The last pool are was the hotel’s dedicated Adult Pool Zone.

The adult pool zone was much more popular and appeared to contain the majority of the resort’s guest visitors. Instead of silence, the area’s mood was uplifted as a result of up beat rock and electronica music.

The Adult pool zone was much more popular as a place to hang out. Although we didn’t spent as much time here as we should have. Instead, the main event of the Dea Sea awaited!

Getting onto the main event, and the main reason why visitors visit the Dead Sea. We eventually headed down to the Dead Sea Beach at the Marriott Dead Sea Resort and Spa. The Dead Sea itself is a spectacular view and pretty unique to have a resort set against this backdrop.

Continuing to descend the walkways down towards the water, I passed by special events area that didn’t appear to have too many customers.

It was quite a walk down to the Dead Sea Marriott Resort Beach. At least the view was pretty spectacular and engaging. It’s not often you get these lake type views.

The Dead Sea Beach – Dead Sea Marriott and Spa

After finally walking all the way down to the Dead Sea, we found ourselves on the Dead Sea Beach at the Marriott Dead Sea Resort. The word beach is a little illusive on a shore line that does not have any waves.

Instead, the area has a sloping stoney shore line with loungers set up against a sand bagged shore line. At least it does the trick and offers a way to get in and out of the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea Beach at Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa consisted of a roped off swimming area. The venue was lifeguarded and attended throughout the day.

The views overlooking Israel were pretty interesting. Notwithstanding that the lake ran the length of an international border between Jordan and Isreal that was actually fairly heavily guarded along certain parts of it.

Swimming in the Dead Sea:

The Dead Sea Beach area itself was not so nice. However, it was not really what you had come all this way for. We were offered plastic shoes that were freshly sanitized. We put them on and clambered into the water.

I clambered into the Dead Sea. While I was in the water, I was bobbing like a cork. It was actually difficult to keep up straight. I even rolled onto my back like a bottle stopper

It was literally impossible to sink under these circumstances. It was a pretty fun experience overall.

Another point of interest at the Dead Sea Resort and Spa, was the Dead Sea “mud”. The Dead Sea “mud” was something that was available through spas, but also available in a tub near the beach. Many of the beach goers were applying the mud to their faces and bodies as part of their overall Dead Sea resort experiences.

It was a pretty neat experience to be in the intersection of the Dead Sea. It was a little hard to imagine but nice to have visited.

The Dead Sea beach experience was a bit of a novelty but I was happy to say that Id done it. We used the showers at the beach to throughly clean off the salt from our bodies before it caked all over us.

Checking Out of the Dead Sea Marriott Resort an Spa:

Our check out the next day, our check out was without incident. We were thanked for our loyalty. We didn’t have any surprises on the bill and our car was packed up professionally by the valet staff.

We headed from the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa up to an afternoon of Canyoning at Wadi Mujib for an afternoon of water hiking, before heading down to the Petra Marriott Hotel.

I was really impressed with the value of the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, and would enjoy returning here some time in the future.

Bottom Line: The Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa

I was really impressed with the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa. I came into the property just thinking that we’d have a short experience in the Dead Sea prior to heading further down into Jordan for other adventures.

Instead, we got a terrific Executive Suite upgrade courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status, a great inclusive and filling breakfast, along with fabulous resort area with no resort fees. Topping off this experience was time in the Dead Sea; a unique experience by any stretch.

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If you have stayed the Dead Sea Resorts, did you find that the Dead Sea experience was worth the trip?

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