Views from The Citadel in Amman, Jordan

Posted on February 21, 2023 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Asia + Attraction + City Visit + Jordan + Jordan, Israel and France via Icelandair, Turkish and Royal Jordanian Business Class + Trip Report

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The city of Amman, Jordan offers a great start to any holiday through the Kingdom of Jordan. With sloping views across The Citadel, exploring the Roman Theatre, and a complex series of markets throughout the city, you’ll find lots to explore within the city limits of Jordan.

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.

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Views from The Citadel in Amman, Jordan

The city of Amman, Jordan is likely the first city you’ll visit if you travel to Jordan. With a population of over four million people, it is the cultural, economic and government hub of the Kingdom of Jordan. Most arrivals and departures to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan arrive through the Queen Alia International Airport located just south of the city of Jordan, making Amman a likely visit on your travels through the region.

Why Visit Amman, Jordan ?

In addition to containing a number of important archaeological sights, the city of Amman, Jordan also contains a number of interesting attractions that are worth a day or two of your travelling time.

Getting to Amman, Jordan:

We were fortunate to have access to a rental car during our time in Jordan. As a result, we self drove ourselves into Amman; specifically to The St Regis Amman hotel from where we had stayed the night earlier at the Memories Aicha Luxury Camp Wadi Rum.

If you don’t have access to a private car, it is also possible to take a taxi from the Queen Alia International Airport Amman to your local accommodation in Amman. From there, you can set out for local sightseeing within Amman City Limits.

We opted not to drive our rental car within Amman itself, leaving it comfortably with the valet at The St Regis Amman. We arranged a taxi through the hotel, which was a higher than likely normal 10 JOD.

The Citadel:

We started off our sightseeing day at The Citadel. The Citadel is located in a central location on top of Jebel Al Qala’a within Amman, Jordan. In order to avoid a long climb up the hill, we arranged for our taxi driver to drop us off at the top of the hill.

The Citadel has been occupied since the Bronze Age and has been walled by a 1,700 meter wall that has been rebuilt many times over the ensuring years. The remains of The Citadel show that it was a fortress and an agora for politics and commerce over the years.

The admissions to the Citadel was covered through purchase of the Jordan Pass. After presenting our Jordan Pass, we were given access to The Citadel.

The hilltop initial reception area involved a period display of the times and evolution of The Citadel.

Views from The Citadel:

The Citadel commands a terrific view across many of the sloping hills of Amman, Jordan. Among some of the most famous city views in the world, the sloping hills of Amman are pretty engaging to look at and marvel in it’s density.

From various points, you can spot various attractions across Amman. It was pretty easy to pick out the Roman Theatre from The Citadel.

The Temple of Hercules:

The Temple of Hercules is among Amman’s most memorable monuments. It is located within the grounds of The Citadel among one of the first attractions you come to after entering. The Temple of Hercules was built during the reign of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161 – 180 CE)

Being a distinct landmark, it adds a nice historic feel to the place. Being a ruin site, it served a reminder of why the city of Amman was such an important cross road during the dates of the Roman Empire.

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The Umayyad Palace:

The Umayyad Palace is among the few ruins left at the top of The Citadel that are still standing. The Umayaad Palace was built by Arabs dating from 720 CE. The palace was once an elaborate complex of buildings and gardens.

The domed audience hall is among the few remaining buildings remaining on the site. The audience hall was designed to impress visitors arriving to the Umayyad Palace.

There were quite a few ruins left behind the domed audience hall. We had a good time exploring through the valley ways and the various ruins around the top the of The Citadel.

We also locate the Umayyad Cistern. The Umayadd Cistern once supplied water to the whole Citadel complex. While there were steps leading down to the bottom, we didn’t actually climb down into the cistern itself.

As we departed The Citadel, we took a last look at the Temple of Hercules. It’s pretty spectacular to see Roman Columns like this set across a sloping background.

The Citadel is most certainly going to be the highlight of your visit to Amman, Jordan. Make sure that you time your visit right to get the best light to take in all the views.

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Calling on the Roman Theatre:

After the Citadel, we headed down on foot towards the Roman Theatre. We navigated through a labyrinth of stairs as we descended down into the city of Amman. I was pretty happy that we didn’t have to climb up these steps, and getting dropped off at the top with a taxi was the right move.

We were able to capture some photographs of the Roman Theatre, which looked ever so elegant against the skyline of Amman, Jordan. The views looked even better the closer that we approached.

The Roman Theatre:

The Roman Theatre was calling us at the bottom of the stairs from The Citadel. The restored Roman Theatre has a capacity of seating one thousand people. The theatre was believed to have been built in the second century during the reign of Antonius Pius (138 – 161 CE).

The Roman Theatre was built on three different tiers with the rulers seated closest to the action. The military often occupied the second tier, followed by the general public in the top third tier.

It was a steep climb up the steps of the Roman Theatre. The spot ended up being a great resting and people watching space, as the sun allowed for some shade to develop across the seats of the Roman Theatre; allowing for a cooler place to hang out.

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Calling on the Fruit and Vegetable Souq Markets:

During our walking tour through downtown Amman, Jordan, we located the food markets within the shopping district. The fruit and vegetable souq was located a short walk from the Roman Theatre.

I always appreciate taking a look at the local markets as you can develop a feel of the community and personality of any city. The Amman Fruit and Vegetable Souq was no different. We captured it as it was just getting going for the day. There were some terrific looking produce through the market.

Much like the markets of Vietnam, I would have loved to have spent a lot of time shopping for food within the markets. Today’s market consisted of mostly men setting up their stores, with mostly male customers unlike other markets that we’ve seen throughout the world.

Local Hummus at Hashem Restaurant:

After a full day of walking around, we started to get a little hungry. We headed to the locally famous Hashem Restaurant restaurant.

We located the Hashem Restaurant. It was conveniently located just off Al Malek Faisal St and Al Malek Al Hussein St. There is a bit of competition for tables here, and we ended up outside on the outdoor covered patio.

The Hashem Restaurant has been running for over fifty years and was previously visited by the King of Jordan. It is open twenty four hours a day and is a great place for a quick snack.

We had a simple order of hummus, falafel and naan. It was a great tasty light meal paired with non alcoholic sprites and bottled water.

Another highlight of our day was that I was also able to locate some original Iraqi Dinars. The Iraqi Dinars had an original photograph of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein. It made for a neat souvenir for the currency folder back home.

It’s not every day you get Saddam Hussein photographed in a St Regis Suite

We enjoyed a nice snack before heading back to The St Regis Amman for a comfortable evening. We used Uber as hailed from the nearby Starbucks Wifi a short walk away from the Hashem Restaurant. The ride cost us a more reasonable 3 JOD ($4.25 USD) with tip.

My Thoughts on Visiting Amman:

The city of Amman, Jordan contained a fair amount of sights and definitely worth a day or two on your way in and out of the country of Jordan.

The Citadel marked the most interesting part of the day’s sightseeing. However there were additional things worth seeing in the city, which included the markets, some great hummus restaurants and some interesting souvenirs. If you find yourselves in Amman, make sure you also make time to visit the Hashem Restaurant for a taste of the local hummus.

If you have visited Amman, Jordan, what sights do you take in on your visit to the city ?

Tags: UNESCO

Review: The St Regis Amman, Jordan

Posted on February 19, 2023 By World Traveller 73 in Hotels + Jordan, Israel and France via Icelandair, Turkish and Royal Jordanian Business Class + St Regis + Trip Report

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The St Regis Amman offers a brand new luxury hotel experience in Amman, Jordan. With a selection of Marriott Bonvoy hotels on offer in Amman, we would end up staying at the St Regis Amman for a two day stay when our travels took us through the area. How would the St Regis Amman fare for a new property in the region?

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Review: The St Regis Amman, Jordan

“An Luxurious New St Regis Property in Amman, Jordan that meet every expectation of a world class stay”

Booking The St Regis Amman:

Our travels had us arriving and departing from Amman, Jordan through the Queen Alia International Airport. We needed a place to stay in Amman, Jordan toward the end of our trip to ease our departure and to base ourselves for some local sightseeing around Amman, Jordan.

Marriott has really expanded it’s foot print lately in Jordan and contains a large number of hotels within the fifth circle precinct area. Within near walking distance of the St Regis Amman, these include the Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel and the Ritz Carlton Amman.

When booking at the St Regis Amman, I was able to get a regular Marriott Bonvoy Members rate of 224 JOD ($315 USD) for this property, which booked either into the basic 1 King Bed, Deluxe Guest Room, or the 1 King Bed, City View, Deluxe Guest Room. Of these two, the City View is definitely the one to pick. The City View rooms on a high floor have a terrific view of the sloping hills of Amman, Jordan.

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.

Pricing Out a Stay at the St Regis Amman

I did find that the hotel contained a lot of business travellers and consultants, often travelling with their wives. This had the potential to put price pressure on the average daily rate for mid week travel. Similar to my past advice on other Jordan hotels, if you’re coming here during the popular tourist seasons of March – June and Sept – October, make sure you book well in advance.

Marriott Bonvoy Reward Opportunities:

The St Regis Amman prices on the expensive side in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program. The property generally prices between 48,000 to 62,000 Marriott Bonvoy reward points, for a standard level room.

If you value Marriott Bonvoy Points at 0.005 cents, you’ll come out ahead by redeeming points against a room at the property if you rate is above 170 JOD ($240 USD) based on a 48,000 point low level redemption. You’ll possibly find some outsized value in the event the cash rate is exceptionally high, with often seems to be the case in high tourist season between March – June and Sept – October.

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. At the time of our visit, the Suite Night Award pool inventory was limited to actual suites in the St Regis Suite and the Governors Suite category.

Marriott Suite Night Award Inventory, The St Regis Amman, Jordan

We didn’t apply Suite Night Awards to this particular reservation, and would just end up asking for the best available upgrade on arrival. This turned out to be the right move, as we’d get upgraded courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status anyway.

Getting to the St Regis Amman:

We self drove into Amman, Jordan from our stay at the Memories Aicha Luxury Camp in Wadi Rum and the Al Manara, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba on the Kings’ Highway. It was a pretty uninspiring drive with not much but endless flat desert landscape to see. After hitting some of the infamous rush hour traffic in Amman, Jordan, we were happy to arrive to the St Regis Amman.

The St Regis Amman is located in the western part of the city near the fifth circle. In this sense, it is near the newest hotel construction in Amman. It is also reasonably conveniently located for those that are driving, since it’s on the correct side of the city for accessing the King’s Highway that would take you down to Aqaba, or over to the Red Sea Resorts in Western Jordan.

The St Regis Amman, is not located near any public transportation that would take you into the tourist attractions of Amman. Instead of fighting with traffic, we would end up taking a local taxi arranged through the hotel to get into Amman. We would end up using Uber to get back to the hotel. As a result, we parked the rental car at the hotel for our time in Amman.

Checking into The St Regis Amman:

As we arrived to the hotel in our rental car, it was easy to locate the property. The property takes up a towering complex just south of the fifth traffic circle. The St Regis Amman combines a hotel and St Regis Residence Serviced Apartments in an adjacent tower attached to the property.

Arriving to the hotel, we had a full security check of the car near the front gates. Pulling up to the arrival area, there were at least five to six valet staff waiting at the top of the circle to assist with arrival. There was a pleasant waterfall area surrounding the complex. With assistance from the valet team, we unloaded our car and were escorted inside after a security check of our hand luggage. We left the vehicle with the valet team. Similar to other properties in Jordan, valet parking was complimentary.

We had a bit of a disorganized arrival process as a result of what appeared to be a high volume of arrivals at 5 PM. We were led into the lobby reception rotunda which was tastefully decorated.

Arriving to the Lobby of the St Regis Amman, Jordan

We were asked to wait on chairs in the rotunda. After about 15 minutes, we were asked to be seated at a seated check in reception. The seated check in takes place at a semi private office area off the rotunda. Then the computer terminal at our assigned reception chose not to work, so we were asked to move to a different reception terminal. It took about twenty minutes to complete the check in process; not exactly the quickest check in experience.

Being Checked in at Lobby Desks, St Regis Amman, Jordan

As a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level member, we’d be entitled to the best available room at check in, including select suites. My usual upgrade strategy is to pro-actively “ask” at the front desk after my identification is presented, in order to see if any upgrades available when it matters on leisure stays. While some try using the “chat” feature on the Marriott Bonvoy app, I usually just ask at the property when I arrive. Time permitting, I typically check in advance to see if there are any suites for sale, prior to arriving at the hotel.

In this case, we had booked a 1 King Bed, City View, Deluxe Guest Room. We had been pro-actively upgraded by the hotel to a Grand Deluxe, Guest room, 1 King, High Floor. Noticing that Suites were available for sale on the website at check in, I asked if it was possible if we could be upgraded into a suite. The front desk person went to check with a manager. I believe our delayed and lengthy check in may have somewhat influenced this decision as the hotel did (and perhaps somewhat reluctantly) agree to making a St Regis Suite available to us. It was presented by the front desk that we could check out both rooms as the current room offered a great view. We were encouraged to check out the assigned room first, then the St Regis Suite afterwards.

We were passed off to the head butler. Unfortunately, these instructions weren’t passed onto the butler so she was a little confused when I mentioned the arrangement. As we were escorted up to the room, we passed the corridor that held some St Regis brand artifacts and told stories about the history of the brand, the story behind champagne sabering and the concept behind their regional bloody mary’s.

Lobby Hallways, The St Regis Amman, Jordan

The St Regis Amman lobby is an impressive space. It features comfortable resting areas, along with. agrand staircase that winds up to the first floor. It makes a great first impression when you arrive to the property.

Lobby Spaces, The St Regis Amman, Jordan

The lobby spaces were really impressive and made for a great first impression for The St Regis Amman.

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The Room: Grand Deluxe, Guest Room, 1 King, High Floor

With the guidance of our butler, we headed up to the hotel’s tenth top floor. We were presented to room #1005 a Grand Deluxe Guest Room. The room was nicely appointed with pleasant light colours. As a St Regis property, the room was larger than expected for a standard hotel room at 52sqm/560sqft.

The Bedroom:

The room featured a King Size Bed along with a patterned headboard. Table occasional lamps were featured on each size of the hotel bed.

A Grand Deluxe Guest Room – St Regis Amman, Jordan

The room featured a large 55 inch flat screen television, which was easily controlled from the St Regis bed.

The room featured a single occasional chair, next to a welcome table that contained a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level a welcome amenity.

The Bathroom:

The Grand Deluxe Room featured a nicely appointed bathroom with a double vanity sink.

Bathroom – A Grand Deluxe Guest Room – St Regis Amman, Jordan

The best part of the room was the view from the top floor. The hotel featured an almost endless view of the sloping Amman skyline. The Amman skyline is wonderfully unique on it’s own, so it’s worth trying to get a city view if you have the opportunity.

A Room with a View – A Grand Deluxe Guest Room – St Regis Amman, Jordan

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The Room: 1 King Bed, City View – A St Regis Suite

Since it is pretty impossible to turn down the opportunity to stay in a St Regis Suite, I took the hotel up on their offer to look at the second room; the St Regis Suite. It would end up being the room we ended up staying in, and a terrific upgrade value getting a room valued at 402 JOD ($567 USD), courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Elite benefits.

Our butler led us through the corridors of the St Regis Amman to the St Regis Suite on the sixth floor, which were almost labyrinth in nature.

The Living Area:

We arrived to St Regis Suite room #612. Our butler proudly showcased the features of the suite. The St Regis Suite is a little bit larger than the Grand Deluxe at 62sqm/667sqft. Since the space contains two distinct rooms, the rooms are a touch smaller than the Grand Deluxe which featured one large room.

After entering the St Regis Suite, we immediately found ourselves in the living area. The living space was well appointed, with a comfortable couch with two footstools, and an occasional table.

Living Room – A St Regis Suite – St Regis Amman, Jordan

The room also featured a working desk with two chairs. Although it was compact for a room of this size, it was perfect for charging electronics and setting up computers.

Our Marriott Bonvoy Welcome Amenity was brought up from the other room. At the Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level, it consisted of an etagière of chocolates, baclava and other tasty goodies. There were also some local fruits presented in a box with fruit fly mesh covering (although we didn’t see any fruit flies at all during our visit).

Marriott Titanium Level Welcome Amenity – St Regis Amman, Jordan

We were also provided a welcome letter signed by the manager, highlighting the current Titanium Elite appreciation benefits. This included a 20% discount on food and beverage consumption at all hotel outlets.

Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Welcome Letter – St Regis Amman, Jordan

The Bedroom:

Behind the living room was the St Regis Suite bedroom. The bedroom was slightly more compact than the Grand Deluxe Room. It still featured two occasional lamps on either side of the bed, along with a wall unit that contained ample storage.

The colours of the St Regis Amman are really pleasant to experience. I found that they led to a really soothing stay and balanced the elements of luxury versus contemporary.

Off the bedroom, there was a small balcony. The balcony offered two tables and a table with views overlooking the Sheraton, Fairmont and Ritz Carlton hotels in the fifth circle. Since we were located on the sixth floor, the room did not have the spectacular views of the Grand Deluxe suite located on the tenth floor. The balcony also featured a bit of street noise, since the room faced the major street.

A Room with a View – A St Regis Suite – St Regis Amman, Jordan

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The Bathroom:

The St Regis Suite bathroom was located off the bedroom. There was a small make up table in the bedroom; a feature which MrsWT73 appreciated.

The St Regis Suite bathroom was an impressive fully marble bathroom. It featured a double vanity sink, a compact bathtub, and a separate stand up shower and WC room.

The bathroom was fully featured with all amenties you might expect from a five star property. There were loofah’s available. The toiletries that were Trinitae featured infused with Dead Sea Minerals, something that added a nice local touch instead of. a plain corporate brand with no regional connection to the area.

The St Regis Suite #612 was located right at the end of the property floor. The property had a bit of a maze to get too and from the elevators.

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In Room Amenities:

The St Regis Suite also offered a number of amenities that added to the comfort of the room. The coffee makers were Nespresso, and the room offered a variety of capsules for enjoyment in the morning. We ended up not using the St Regis Butler Service for tea and coffee in the morning as a result of the convenience of having reasonable coffee immediately available.

The room also featured an in room mini bar for purchases available at cost. Perhaps most interesting was that the mini bar featured alcohol in the form of spirits, but the usual wines and champagnes were absent from the mini bar.

In Room Amenities Mini Bar – A St Regis Suite – St Regis Amman, Jordan

The stay in the St Regis Suite was exceptionally comfortable. We really appreciated the extra room offered by the living space, as it gave us an opportunity to property re-pack our luggage, prior to heading onto our next destination. The room itself was very comfortable, although there was a little traffic noise from the streets outside the windoe. I would recommend asking for a high floor to mitigate this somewhat.

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Food and Beverage:

St Regis Bar:

After that long drive up from Wadi Rum, shortly after arrival, we ended up heading town to the St Regis Bar for a cocktail and bar food for dinner. The St Regis Bar was located on the ground floor off the lobby and was easy to find.

The St Regis Bar – St Regis Amman, Jordan

The St Regis Bar was an elegant space. It featured multiple smaller rooms in a dark setting, which led for an intimate feel to the bar.

During our visit, on Monday night, there happened to be “all you can drink cocktail promotion” running for 20 JOD ($28 USD). MrsWT73, who is a fan of all inclusive’s, bit on this offer immediately, for an indulgent after travel decompression period. Indeed, there were reasonable cocktails on the list a touch above your standard well drinks.

The St Regis Bar Promotional Cocktail Menu – St Regis Amman, Jordan

We also enjoyed dinner in the St Regis Bar on both nights of our stay. The menu offered mostly familiar favourites, with an exceptional variety on the spirits and wine side.

I enjoyed grilled chicken with a side of hummus and sumac for dinner.

Whereas MrsWT73 went old school with a simple margerita pizza.

We were really happy with the St Regis Bar, and would end up dining there on both of our evenings while staying at The St Regis Amman.

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Mercado Restaurant

Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Breakfast

Our Marriott Bonvoy Platinum / Titanium / Ambassador breakfast was located in Mercado Restaurant. The Mercado Restaurant was located on the first floor above ground from the lobby. We navigated through the upscale looking lobby and the grand staircase, in order to access the Mercado Restaurant.

Elegant Lobby Spaces – St Regis Amman, Jordan

Entry to the Mercado Restaurant – St Regis Amman, Jordan

We were always seated immediately at the Mercado Restaurant, and we did not have to wait for tables. The Mercado Restaurant was nicely appointed and struck that blend of being fashionable and trendy at the same time.

The Mercado Restaurant – St Regis Amman, Jordan

Breakfast Buffet at Mercado Restaurant – St Regis Amman, Jordan

The Mercado restaurant offered a really impressive breakfast buffet. I would almost describe it as “over the top”. There were a variety of bread stations that offered french breads, baked croissants with middle eastern spices like Zaatar, and other middle eastern variations on baked goods.

There were also continental items such as smoked salmon, cold cuts, a cheese selection and their own avocado guacamole station.

There was also an ample hot zone section. There was an egg station offering fresh eggs, along with a variety of hot items. There were also a wide selection of flat breads featuring regional tastes.

The Mercado Restaurant also featured a “dry” Bloody Mary station. Much like other breakfasts in Jordan, the St Regis breakfast was dry and was not inclusive. of sparkling or champagne.

Bloody Mary Station – The Mercado Restaurant – St Regis Amman, Jordan

I was also able to enjoy an Eggs Benedict during my stay. This was a nice change from the buffet breakfasts we’d had over the past several days.

Eggs Benedict at The Mercado Restaurant – St Regis Amman, Jordan

We would end up enjoying breakfast at the restaurant on both mornings of our stay.

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Around the Hotel Property:

Hotel Library:

The hotel featured a hotel library, which is consistent with other St Regis properties. The Library was in a bit of a darker interior space, so I am not sure how much reading you’d actually do in this space.

The library led to some event space under an interior courtyard canopy that didn’t appear to be in use during our visit.

Outdoor Pool:

The St Regis Amman offered a pleasant outdoor pool. This pool appeared to be shared with the serviced apartment building, which was on the property compound, and shared an entrance with the pool zone.

The pool offered both sun and partial sun exposures. I spent some time down by the pool on our last day and it was a peaceful and relaxing area to be under the heat of the sunny Jordan skies.

The pool was as nice as you could expect inner city hotels to be, and was a much better than expected place to relax and spend some time while on the St Regis Amman property.

Local Convenience Store:

The hotel is located immediately across the street from a local liquor store “Abdoun Supermarket” and inside there is a Liquor Store,. There is a great selection of hard spirits and Jordanian and French Wine available for take away purchase. Unlike other hotels in Jordan, we didn’t have any issues bringing back wine to the hotel, or at least no concerns were raised when passed through the metal detector.

Local Sightseeing

We managed our own local self guided sight seeing while in Amman, Jordan. We took a taxi into The Citadel in Amman and did our own sightseeing while we were here.

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Checking Out of the St Regis Amman:

Our check out was without incident. We asked for a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level late check out. We were offered all the way up to 4 PM without any haggling (even in a suite) but only needed until 2 PM which was extended “…with pleasure”. We didn’t have any surprises on the bill and our car was packed up professionally by the valet staff.

Bottom Line: The St Regis Amman

The St Regis Amman is a fantastic new build property offering world class luxury accommodations in Amman, Jordan. Aside from a bit of a log jam at our check in, we had a really smooth stay. I was appreciative that the property honoured the terms and conditions of the Marriott Bonvoy program, by making available a suite when asked. The suite was comfortable, and along with the full features of the property made for an exceptionally comfortable luxury stay. The food and beverage outlets were on point and offered quality products, making the need to leave the property for anything almost non existent.

I would easily return to this location the next time my travels took me through Amman, Jordan.

If you have stayed at the St Regis Amman, Jordan, did you find the hotel surpassed your expectations ?

Tags: Hotel Review, Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott Platinum

Getting Sandy in Wadi Rum, Jordan

Posted on February 17, 2023 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Asia + Attraction + Jordan + Jordan, Israel and France via Icelandair, Turkish and Royal Jordanian Business Class + Region Visit + Trip Report

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The desert of Wadi Rum, Jordan is a vast place full of secrets, views and inspiring places. While you could explore this region on your own, you’ll do much better hiring yourself a Bedouin Guide and 4 X 4 Truck in order to maximize your time and achieve the full potential out of your visit. Our visit gave us the highlights of the area, and provided some great Wadi Rum travel memories. Take a look at these highlights:

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Getting Sandy in Wadi Rum, Jordan

The Wadi Rum desert is one of the pinnacle tourist attractions throughout the Middle East. The Wadi Rum desert is world renowned for its views, its glass domes that allow for a terrific desert experience, and it’s wonderful desert experiences that can include tours, camel rides and desert exploration.

Luxury Sleeping at Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

Why Visit Wadi Rum?

The Wadi Rum Desert is the most famous desert landscape in Jordan and perhaps even the whole Middle East. It is surrounded by red mountains which makes for striking landscapes. The Wadi Rum Desert has been featured in many movies and remains a premier tourist attraction for those that are interested in spending some time outdoors in the desert under the warmth of Jordan’s sun.

Getting to Wadi Rum, Jordan:

Wadi Rum is located approximately one hour’s drive outside of Aqaba, Jordan in the other part of the country. We were staying at the Memories Aicha Luxury Camp which was located inside the gates of the Wadi Rum. We self drove using a rental car, which was the most convenient option. Public tourist transportation is pretty limited through this area so your best bet is to share transportation or rent a vehicle privately.

Arranging a Wadi Rum Tour:

While it is possible to self drive through the desert, the majority of travellers take a bedouin driver in a converted pick up truck. These vehicles range in quality and durability, so if scheduling and timeliness is important to you, you may wish to spend a little extra for a vehicle that isn’t likely to break down and leave and your driver stranded in the desert.

If you find yourself in Wadi Rum village without an overnight stay at a camp in Wadi Rum, it is possible to arrange tours on arrival at the Wadi Rum Village through the tour centre. Similar to a taxi rank, there are usually drivers available to take you on a day or evening sunset tour.

Our Luggage Ready to Go for Our Wadi Rum Bedouin Tour

In our case, we booked a three hour entry level tour through the Memories Aicha Luxury Camp. In our case, our three hour 4WD tour was priced at 60 JOD ($85 USD) for private car booked through Memories Aicha Luxury Camp.

If we were staying longer, we might have considered the longer five hour tour, which was priced at 100 JOD ($140 USD). We had a four and a half hour drive in the afternoon planned up to the St Regis Amman up in Amman Jordan up the King’s Highway. As a result, we opted for the shorter tour.

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Setting Out into Wadi Rum:

Our tour ended up taking us from Memories Aicha Luxury Camp in a clockwise circle through Wadi Rum around to the Wadi Rum Village.

Our tour started on request at 10 AM. We returned from breakfast and our dome at Memories Aicha Luxury Camp was already covered with silver foil. There wasn’t going to be any relaxing in bed watching the morning / mid day light colour the local mountains. Most of the other guests seemed to have already departed, and we were among the only remaining parties on the property.

We loaded up into a white Mitsubishi Pickup Truck with an open air back and no licence plates.. Our driver Mohammed didn’t speak much english, but I was able to ask him some questions using Google Translate from Arabic to English. With no particular itinerary announced, we set off northward from the hotel. The sandy roads and bluffs of Wadi Rum are simply spectacular to look at; no matter what your angle is.

The Memories Aicha Luxury Camp slowly disappeared into the distance under the mountain horizon landscape. We quickly found ourselves into the desert on the existing desert roadways. As we were in a desert pan, the roadways weren’t all that smooth, and occasionally it was a little bit of a bumpy ride.

Inspecting the Carvings:

Immediately, north of Memories Aicha Luxury Tented Camp, we found orselves inspecting the carvings. While our guide didn’t give us much on this, these inscriptions on the canyon walls have reportedly been at this location since.

The inscriptions reflect camel caravans across the Wadi Rum desert. They are intended to reflect a trading area and time from years past.

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Calling on the Lawrence House:

Our next stop on the tour was a visit to the nearby Lawrence House. The Lawrence House.

The Lawrence House is located in a wide Wadi Rum valley with some towering mountains on either side of the valley. The eastern ridge is particularly impressive and contained the highest mountains on view for this area.

Today, the Lawrence House is mostly a clambering attraction which offers some great views across the Wadi Rum valley floor. We stopped for a fifteen minute visit to get out and stretch our legs. The Lawrence House is replicated along the edge of the bluff in square bricks.

After a short climb up between rocks and a small ravine, you are able to take a walk along an elevated ridge marked with rock piles and miniature cairns. The views (looking southward below) are impressive and stretch on for miles.

Looking north, we also had some majestic views of the eastern mountain horizon and ridge from the Lawrence House

Under the Mushroom Rock:

Our next destination on the tour was approximately fifteen minutes drive away. Our driver took us to The Mushroom Rock.

The Mushroom Rock was a popular meeting spot as there were a number of tour guides here. There were also some camel tours that were present, which would have been a long trek from Wadi Rum Village.

The Mushroom Rock has some interesting and photogenic angles that tease curiosity and whimsy. It’s a unique looking geological feature and unlike anything I have ever seen with respect to rock formations anywhere in the world.

The Mushroom Rock was truly one of the more interesting rock ruin formations I had seen in my travels. It’s unique shape was really memorable and made for an entertaining visit.

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Scrambling Up Little Bridge:

Our forth stop after The Mushroom Rock was over to Little Bridge; about a fifteen minute drive way. Little Bridge is a popular Wadi Rum attraction. Due to it’s central location at the main intersection near the Wadi intersection south of Lawrence’s Spring.

The whole region is quite stunning and from Little Bridge, you’ll have the opportunity to take a few creative travel memory worthy photographs.

Standing on Little Bridge, Wadi Rum, Jordan

Climbing the Dunes near Jerko’s Rock:

A short drive off from the Little Bridge were the sand dunes near Jerko’s Rock. After. a short and hot climb, we had another spectacular vista across the red sands of Wadi Rum.

As our last stop, we didn’t stay too long. The views were inspiring, aspirational and motivating.

Departing Wadi Rum:

Our tour drew to a close, we departed Wadi Rum heading towards the Wadi Rum Village. We had another last view of the towering mountains on either side of us. They were especially spectacular against the blue backdrop of the desert skies.

Spotting a Tiny 4X4 Truck Against Towering Mountains of Wadi Rum

These last views were a great way to leave Wadi Rum, Jordan. We returned to our rental car and loaded up for a four hour drive up to The St Regis Amman, Jordan for a two night stay.

My Thoughts on Wadi Rum, Jordan:

A visit to Wadi Rum in Jordan was a really inspiring and spectacular experience. I was really happy to have gotten a taste of what Wadi Rum had to offer. I also felt content with the shorter three hour tour experience within our one day visit. Although we could have entertained a longer five hour tour, I probably would have split a longer Wadi Rum visit up into a two day visit; strictly for comfort reasons. At the very least, we left something behind to look forward to for our next visit.

If you been to Wadi Rum – Jordan, where there any specific desert features you found interesting ?

Tags: Hiking, UNESCO

Review: Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan.

Posted on February 15, 2023 By World Traveller 73 in Hotels + Independent + Jordan, Israel and France via Icelandair, Turkish and Royal Jordanian Business Class + Trip Report

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Our trip to Wadi Rum had us wanting to take in a luxurious glass domed tent while exploring the desert mountains of Wadi Rum. With a vast number of different camps to choose from, we had our work cut out for us in selecting a camp. After extensive research, we ended up at Memories Aicha Luxury Tented Camp. Our experience was outstanding for a glass domed tented camp. Read on to see how our visit experience fared…

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Review: Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

“The Memories Aicha Luxury Tented Camp offered a convenient glass domed camp near the entrance to Wadi Rum. The camp was exceptionally clean, well located, and offered memorizing under stars viewing.”

Booking Memories Aicha Luxury Camp:

One of the goals of our trip to Jordan was a visit to the desert of Wadi Rum, Jordan. While there are a multitude of luxury tended camps, we ended up a the top rated Memories Aicha Luxury Camp.

We ended up at the Memories Aicha Luxury Tented camp based on it’s favourable reviews, its proximity to the Wadi Rum village (which meant a shorter commute time into the camp), and it’s access to activities and tours of Wadi Rum.

We had also initially considered the Wadi Rum UFO Camp. However, we had a change of heart when we discovered that the Wadi Rum UFO Camp was actually located outside of the Wadi Rum park. As the corresponding tours from Wadi Rum UFO Camp would likely take place outside of Wadi Rum proper, we ended up switching to the Memories Aicha Luxury Tended Camp.

There are three room categories at the Memories Aicha Luxury Camp.

Junior Luxury Tent
Executive Luxury Tent
Panoramic Luxury Tent
Panoramic Luxury Suite

The rooms had flat rate pricing, meaning that the prices were set and did not fluctuate according to supply and demand.

The Junior Luxury Tent sold for 140 JOD ($197 USD), the Executive Luxury Tent for 200 JOD ($282 USD), the Panoramic Luxury Tent sold for 250 JOD ($352 USD) and the Panoramic Luxury Suite for 320 JOD ($451 USD).

Rates were inclusive of a truck transfer to / from the Wadi Rum Village to / from Memories Aicha, and half board consisting of a full dinner and hot breakfast the next day.

Which Room Should I Book?

The rooms to get at Memories Aicha Luxury Camp are the glass domes of the Panoramic Luxury Tent and the Panoramic Luxury Suite categories. Each of these room categories offer its residents to sleep under a beautiful glass dome that allows for star gazing. It is for these reasons that you come to Wadi Rum; that and the beautiful surroundings that aren’t as easily captured in a Junior Luxury Tent and an Executive Luxury Tent.

Availability of the Panoramic Luxury Tents and Panoramic Luxury Suites glass domes went awfully quickly. Most of the rooms were sold out three months in advance, and we had to do a little schedule shuffling in order to get in here.

At the time of booking, we were given instructions on the location to park in the Wadi Rum village. We were also given information on the available tours operating from the camp so we could plan a little bit in advance.

Getting to Memories Aicha Luxury Camp:

We departed Al Manara – A Luxury Collection, Saraya Aqaba. We drove up from Aqaba, Jordan to Wadi Rum Village. It was about one hour drive through several military check points (2) and one military / customs checkpoint leaving the special Aqaba Special Economic Zone.

The scenery on the drive up was absolutely beautiful. The views of the mountains near Aqaba, Jordan were amazingly beautiful and desert like in appearance.

The turn off to Wadi Rum was very easy to find, and clearly marked. After another twenty minutes or so, we were finding ourselves near the scenery of Wadi Rum.

Approaching the Intersection of Wadi Rum from the King’s Highway

Our First Sights of the Mountains of Wadi Rum

We arrived to the reception area of the Wadi Rum visitor’s Centre. We had our Jordan Pass stamped at the Wadi Rum Visitor’s Center. We were given directions up the road. With the assistance of our google offline maps gps, we easily located the Memories Aicha camp parking lot. The parking lot was a secure and fully fenced parking area.

Arriving to Memories Aicha Luxury Camp Parking Lot

We checked in at the parking lot office at our assigned 2 pm check in time. While our transportation “to camp” was being arranged, we had a brief sales pitch to book excursions departing from the camp. While we arranged a three hour 4×4 Wadi Rum day time tour for the day of our departure (at a time of our choosing), we decided against the camel or 4 x 4 sunset tours. We ended up going for a Wadi Rum walk from the camp for sunset.

Travelling light, I packed an overnight bag for the camp, leaving my larger checked bag locked in the trunk of the rental. There were many car rentals in the parking lot. spot.

After our transfer was arranged, we headed out to a bedouin pick up truck. We loaded ourselves into the back of the bedouin pickup truck.

We hopped in to the back of a Toyota Diesel pickup truck and were led 10 minutes into the Wadi Rum. It was a 15 km/h journey, although our driver took a lot of care so that we weren’t tossed around in the back of the open air pick up truck.

Entering Wadi Rum: Transferring From Wadi Rum Center to the Camp

After a short fifteen minutes drive, we found ourselves in the middle of the Wadi Rum desert immediately underneath towering mountains. As a result of it’s great location, we found ourselves arriving to Memories Aicha Luxury Camp located quite close to the Wadi Rum entrance.

Our First Look at the Mountains of Wadi Rum

Spotting Memories Aicha Luxury Camp Against the Mountains

Checking into Memories Aicha Luxury Camp:

Our Bedouin Truck transfer pulled into the Memories Aicha Luxury Camp. The camp is located in the nook of a canyon mountain and looks impressive with it’s glass domes and Executive Luxury Tents.

Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

After a quick check in at the main camp office simply to collect the room key, we were assigned Panoramic Luxury Tent Number 1. In the Special Requests section of the reservation, I had requested an unobstructed view, but we ended up in the centre ring surrounded by other units a short distance away. I didn’t bother to change given the one night stay. Despite the placement, MrsWT73 was super happy with the set up and I didn’t bother further pursing a better room assignment.

Heading to Our Dome – Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

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The Tent: A Panoramic Luxury Tent

Getting assistance with our bags, we entered the Panoramic Luxury Tent. Our initial impressions were excellent. On arrival, we were completely taken with the view of the geodesic dome, with an impressive outward view of the Wadi Rum mountains.

A Panoramic Luxury Tent – Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

We were really impressed with the room. It was a quaint room that was very clean and not at all hot despite the sun being out all day. On arrival, the room was air conditioned to twenty degrees Celcius.

The room featured two occasional chairs under the dome. While it was nice to have somewhere to sit in the room, the chairs ended up being mostly storage space. Despite their unique look, they weren’t all that comfortable to sit on.

Glass Domed Panoramic Luxury Tent Views – Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

While there was a camping feel to the room, it still felt clean and comfortable. Mostly, the view of the mountains and area were super aspirational and set a great back drop and view from our glass dome.

In terms of room amenities, the room also featured an in room espresso coffee maker. Two bottles of Aquafina water were also provided.

Room Amenities – Panoramic Luxury Tent – Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

The room also featured an attached bathroom. The bathroom included a stand up shower. While the bath room was a little dated, it was exceptionally clean. The bathroom features were much more advanced than our experience in Morocco at the Erg Chigaga Luxury Tented Camp with Memories Aicha Luxury Camp featuring a full running water hook up and a full shower with hot running water.

A Panoramic Luxury Tent In Room Bathroom – Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

A Panoramic Luxury Tent in Room Shower – Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

A Panoramic Luxury Tent in Room WC- Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

It’s worth noting that there is no television or wifi internet access in the room. This is a welcomed absence since this leaves you only the midnight stars to entertain you during your stay.

The room was quiet and comfortable. There wasn’t a lot of noise from the resort and we had a very strong and deep sleep during our time on the resort property.

The room also featured an outside deck. While our deck wasn’t very private, it was a great spot to watch the stars from at night. I spent quite a bit of time out there after the sun went down.

Sun Deck Panoramic Luxury Tent – Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

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Around the Hotel Property:

Resort Area:

After settling in, I took a walk around the resort. With most guests out on excursions, it was pretty deserted at the camp in the early afternoon at 3 PM. The mixture of Panoramic Luxury Tents and Suites blue domes had a great contrast against the Wadi Rum mountains.

Walking the Grounds – Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

The rooms were generally quite well spaced out between each other. As a result, you had a decent amount of personal space between each room. There was enough space that you didn’t run into your neighbouring domed guests.

Unbelievable Views – Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

Contrasting Views – Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

Despite the beauty of the Wadi Rum desert, its worth also mentioning that there isn’t any pool or other recreational facility at the Memories Aicha Luxury Camp. In this sense, it was much more like a camp than a resort with a lot of attractions. If you find yourself here throughout the afternoon, you should bring a book or a sturdy set of walking shoes to entertain yourself with a desert walk from the camp.

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Food and Beverage:

The Memories Aicha Luxury Camp operates on a half board basis with breakfast and dinner included. Additional meals and beverages are also available throughout the property in an additional cost basis.

Makki Cafe Shop:

The Memories Aicha Luxury Camp operates a small coffee shop for all day dining when the main Aicha Restaurant is not open. The Makki Cafe Shop features a small shady deck area, which is perfect for lounging away the time.

The Makki Cafe Shop features a unique cave like atmosphere, with tables set right into the mountain rock. With colourful cushions, the long room had a bright and vibrant feel.

The Makki Cafe Shop menus were pretty simple. Although I wasn’t expecting a deluxe lunch space in the middle of the Wadi Rum desert, it was nice that the resort had something available for those like us who happened to find ourselves here before supper hour.

Makki Cafe Shop Menu at Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

The Makki Cafe Shop operated on an additional cost basis.

Aicha Restaurant:

Both of the included half board meals are served at the Aicha Restaurant. The Aicha Restaurant was located at the rear of the property along with the Makki Cafe Shop restaurant. The Aicha Restaurant is located in a giant oval dome with a buffet servery located in the middle.

The meal hours during our visit were 6:30 PM – 10 PM for dinner and the same 6:30 AM – 10 AM breakfast hours.

Aicha Restaurant at Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

The space actually has a nice elegant look to it with chandeliers and ornate seating. Like many other locations, there was a photo of the king of Jordan in the middle of the room.

Picturing the King of Jordan at Aicha Restaurant

During supper hour, we had a solid camp meal. While the meal was focused on quantity, it was pretty tasty overall with enough food to keep everyone satisfied. The dinner time meal had a large mix of salads and the usual tomatoes and hummus that could be expected within dining in Jordan.

There was also a massive serving of roast lamb and chicken with some tasty rice pilaf. The meat dish was self service, so I was able to help myself several times.

Impressive Roast Lamb and Chicken for Dinner

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Walking into Wadi Rum for Sunset:

We didn’t book any evening activities, despite the earlier push for sunset bookings at check in. Instead of an organized evening activity, we walked into the Wadi Rum desert. We set out for a fifteen minute walk within the first valley immediately from the camp.

During our sunset walk, we were fortunate to be able to see some wild camels circulating around the Wadi Rum desert transiting their way across the canyon.

We Located Wild Camels on our Sunset Walk from the Camp

These camels took an interest in some local guides.

It was a pretty neat special experience seeing a dad and family camel convoy as they wandered through the Wadi.

As the sun set for the day, we had some pretty spectacular sunsets. The clouds were just right tonight across the mountain ranges. It was pretty special being able to take in the sunsets all on our own and at your own pace.

The sand dunes allowed us to get some great photographs across the ridges as the sun closed down for another day.

We took advantage of these sunsets for some unique portraits.

As the sun dipped down, we wandered back to the camp. We watched the convoy of sunset 4 X 4 tour caravans headed back to various tented camps. The sights of dozens of pick up trucks made us happy we didn’t take a sunset excursion and were able to enjoy the peacefulness of the desert on our own.

Chances Are Your Experience Won’t be Too Private on a Sunset Tour

The caravan of truck convoys may have been a less special experience than heading out on the walk. I would probably go for a camel ride at sunset next time as the amount of people going for camel rides seemed far less and a lot more special by the looks of it.

Watching the Stars:

After dinner, we got back to the Panoramic Luxury Tent room. While the sun reclined behind the mountains, we settled in for the evening.

The resort glowed to dark.

Relaxing in our warm bed, we were able to enjoy watching the starts through our glass dome. Eventually, the resort turned off all the generator lights at around 10 PM. When they did, the resort was plunged into complete and utter darkness.

Spotting the Stars from Memories Aicha Luxury Camp

Once the resort was in full darkness, the viewing of the stars was magnificent. Without any artificial light around, the stars were glowing throughout the valley.

Star Gazing from Memories Aicha Luxury Tented Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

The full darkness and star gazing was what you likely came to Wadi Rum. Anytime you get the opportunity to see stars in complete darkness, it’a a pretty special star gazing viewing experience.

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Checking Out of Memories Aicha Luxury Camp:

We woke up the next morning. We had a leisurely breakfast at the restaurant. As we returned to the dome at around 9:20 AM after breakfast, staff were covering up the glass domes with an opaque silver cover to prevent from heat and dust on the glass. If you were planning on spending the morning laying in bed looking through your glass domes, this probably isn’t the resort to do it.

We had booked ourselves a Wadi Rum 4 X 4 tour through the hotel. We departed on that tour around 10 AM; which appeared to be among the last tours of the day to depart. After the tour, we were dropped off at our car and we drove up to The St Regis Amman for a two night stay.

We headed to the front desk area and checked out of the hotel. We paid for our tour direct to the camp front desk and set out on our way.

Bottom Line: The Memories Aicha Luxury Tented Camp

The Memories Aicha Luxury Tented Camp was fantastic and wonderful experience. The fit and finishings of the Panoramic Tents were top notch. The camp itself was in really great shape and everything was very well maintained.

While ther were not many activities available at the camp itself, we were happy we took a walk into Wadi Rum at sunset and got some really great photographs. Staying up to watch the stars at night, was also a really special experience.

The only area that cold have been a little stronger was the food. I appreciate that the resort has to serve almost one hundred people. Given their location, the buffet is probably among the best methods to do it.

I can’t wait to return one day.

If you have stayed at Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, did you spend extra for the glass domed Panoramic Luxury Tent ?

Tags: Hotel Review

Restaurant Review: Al Mohandes Cafeteria, Aqaba, Jordan

Posted on February 13, 2023 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Asia + Jordan + Jordan, Israel and France via Icelandair, Turkish and Royal Jordanian Business Class + Restaurant Review + Trip Report

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There are times when you aim to see a local restaurant off the tourist trail. During our time staying in Aqaba, Jordan, we searched out and discovered the Al Mohandes Cafeteria. With the goal of testing out some great Jordanian hummus, we ended up enjoying an authentic local dinner in Aqaba. Read on to see how our experience was…

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Restaurant Review: Al Mohandes Cafeteria, Aqaba, Jordan

While I don’t normally review independent restaurant locations under the family category, I couldn’t help but review Al Mohandes Cafeteria. With the goal of trying out some authentic Jordanian hummus, we were easily attracted by Al Mohandes’ reputation for offering great hummus at a reasonable price.

About Al Mohandes Cafeteria:

The Al Mohandes Cafeteria is located in downtown Aqaba, Jordan. It is located in a neighbourhood just off the main street Al Hussein – Bin Ali Street which also serves as the main access from the Kings’ Highway into Aqaba, Jordan.

Al Mohandes is about as authentic as a local cafeteria comes. It’s entirely unpretentious and about as straight forward and utilitarian as you can imagine. You won’t find fine linens here, and you’ll be seated on plastic chairs you might expect on the patio of your first apartment.

Locating Al Mohandes Cafeteria:

The Al Mohandes Cafeteria is located near the tourist district. We were able to walk over from Al Manara, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba. It took us about a fifteen minute walk from the hotel, and we were able to easily find the cafeteria in a residential neighbourhood just steps from Al Hussein – Bin Ali Street.

The Al Mohandes Cafeteria is pretty evident to find, once you’ve identified what you happen to be looking for. It is located in the ground floor of a white brick building inset from the sidewalk.

In addition to sit down dining, there are take away order counters that are accessible from the sidewalks. English menus are available on request, and I found the staff to be quite helpful.

There does happen to be english signage in the corner, just to the left of the general entrance.

After ensuring we were in the correct place, we ended up heading inside for a self service supper time meal.

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Inside Al Mohandes:

We entered inside Al Mohandes cafeteria. It’s worth mentioning that the cafeteria only allows men to to sit and dine on the ground floor. Since I was travelling with MrsWT73, we were politely directed upstairs to the upper floor.

I didn’t really take any issues with respect to this. Although, I must admit that MrsWT73 found it a little off putting. I make the mistake of scientifically answering “This is their custom” which probably didn’t help my circumstances (laughing).

I returned down for an order taken on an old fashioned notepad from an english menu.

The Meal: Tasty Bowls of Hummus & Falafel

Al Mohandes offers tasty bowls of hummus. There are several variations available. We were able to order some spiced with sumac. I ordered some with chicken overtop.

We were also able to order some exceptionally tasty falafel to go along with tonight’s dinner. Pita breads were also served to accompany on the side.

The check for two was 10 JOD ($14 USD), which was exceptionally reasonable for a dinner in the middle of touristy Aqaba, Jordan. I paid cash to the cashier who was manning a separate cash table near the exit. Given the cafeteria orientation, it didn’t have a credit card option.

The Al Mohandes Cafeteria was a terrific local option for a tasty bowl of hummus. Thanks to it’s convenient location near many hotels in Aqaba, Jordan, you might find yourself in this neighbourhood if you’re looking for some tasty hummus when you pass through Jordan.

My Thoughts on Al Mohandes Cafeteria:

I always try to make an effort to visit a local restaurant when I travel overseas.

The Al Mohandes Cafeteria was the break from the usual tourist trail restaurants. Our visit was authentic enough that we were able to enjoy a local experience, along with the segregated dining that sometimes comes from eating in this particular part of the world.

If you have visited Aqaba, Jordan, do you have any special restaurant finds that are worth sharing ?

Tags: Hummus, Restaurant Review

Review: Al Manara Hotel, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

Posted on February 11, 2023 By World Traveller 73 in Hotels + Jordan, Israel and France via Icelandair, Turkish and Royal Jordanian Business Class + Luxury Collection + Trip Report

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The southern resort town of Aqaba, Jordan is home to the Kingdom of Jordan’s water shoreline access. In addition to the country’s port, the city of Aqaba contains a large number of resort developments designed for Arabian tourists. We’d visit the Al Manara Hotel – A Luxury Collection Resort in the new Saraya Aqaba development for our stay in the region. How did Jordan’s only Luxury Collection hotel perform during our stay?

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Review: Al Manara, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

“The Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Resort Saraya Aqaba provides a Modern Beach Resort experience that is an Excellent Value on Marriott Bonvoy Certificates that varies in Exclusivity Dependent on how Busy the Resort is”

Booking The Al Manara Hotel:

While I was looking for something fun to do in Jordan, I came across the Al Manara Hotel by Luxury Collection. The hotel was a brand new build property in the upscale Saraya Aqaba complex; a brand new full development of the harbour in the southern town of Aqaba, Jordan.

As I was researching this property, I was especially astounded to find that it was the equivalent of a Marriott Bonvoy Category 5 property, meaning that free nights started at 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. This meant that we could use the Marriott Bonvoy Free Night Award certificates that came with Marriott Bonvoy American Express Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card.

While cash rates were approximately 246 JOD ($347 USD) for a base level Classic King Guest Room – Balcony, we would end up redeeming two free Marriott Bonvoy Free Night Award certificates.

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.

Pricing out a Stay at the Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Resort

The Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Resort is a seasonal resort property. As a result, I found that there was some price variability at the property. I found rates as low as 129 JOD ($1,810 USD) in the off season, with rates as high as well above 500 JOD ($ 700 USD) in the peak tourist travel seasons of April and May. If you’re coming here during a seasonal peak time, make sure you book well in advance.

We were able to get a reasonable price just under the pricing pressure by booking at three months in advance with redemption rooms easily available.

Marriott Bonvoy Reward Opportunities:

The Al Manara – a Luxury Collection Resort prices very competitively in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program. The property generally prices between 30,000 to 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy reward points, for a standard level room.

The lower reward price point near 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 will likely find lots of value redeeming them here.

If you value Marriott Bonvoy Points at 0.005 cents, you’ll come out ahead by redeeming points against a room at the property if you rate is above 106 JOD ($150 USD). You’ll possibly find some outsized value in the event the cash rate is exceptionally high, with often seems to be the case in high tourist Jordan season between April – June and Sept – October.

Suite Night Awards:

The property participates in the Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Award program. As a resort property where we were more likely to be spending time in and around the room, I ended up using my Suite Night Awards at this particular property.

As a newer luxury hotel, there are quite a few categories of rooms within the Suite Night Award pool inventory. The Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night awards pool consisted of about half and half upgraded regular rooms, and about half of actual suites.

Marriott Suite Night Award Inventory, Al Manara – a Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

Consistent with my usual practice of only redeeming Suite Night Awards against actual suites, I only redeemed Suite Night Awards against actual suites as I have typically had good success getting upgrades to the non suite upgraded room categories as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level member.

At five days before our stay, we got the usual email that “We’re Working on your Upgrade Request”, meaning that our upgrade under the Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Award program hadn’t cleared.

Fortunately, at 2 days before our arrival, we got notice that our upgrade had been confirmed into a Superior Suite, 1 Bedroom Larger Suite, 1 King, Sea view, Balcony.

Upgraded to a Terrific Superior Suite, Al Manara – a Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

This upgrade confirmation was excellent news as the room was retailing for 510 JOD ($720 USD) a night; what an excellent use of Marriott Suite Night Awards and an even better use leveraging a free night certificate, into a room of this calibre.

Getting to the Al Manara:

The Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba is located in the brand new development complex at the west end of the Aqaba waterfront. As the area is brand new, there are several areas that remain under construction and not fully finished. Despite being a new property, it remains within a reasonable walking distance of several Aqaba sites.

In terms of getting to the hotel, we self drove down from the Marriott Petra Hotel, which took about two hours time to drive. We had some spectacular highway drive views as we descended into Aqaba, Jordan which was located at sea level.

Descending into Aqaba on Jordan’s Highways

As we arrived to Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba the property was guarded like many others in Jordan. We had a full vehicle security check at the front gate. There was also a first for me, there was a full explosives swab check of the steering wheel and vehicle itself near the bottom of driver window.

Arriving to Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

Like many resort properties in the Middle East, the property is really impressive to arrive to. Landscaped areas along with a sleek Middle Eastern feel to the architecture make the place feel contemporary and exciting to stay.

Checking into the Al Manara Hotel:

We arrived to the porte cochère and unloaded at the front. Like many others hotels in Jordan, the property offers complimentary valet parking. We had a hand bag search at the front desk security with some questions on MrsWT73’s wine and the half bottle given to us at the Marriott Petra Hotel as our welcome amenity. I got the sense that the property seemed reluctant to allow it in, but we were eventually waved up.

The lobby was pretty impressive. It consisted of a high ceiling lobby with traditional Middle Eastern furniture and lighting. It was frequently a place where people would gather, and there were typically people all over the lobby during our stay.

Lobby Spaces at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

We had a smooth and crisp check in. We received no further offer of upgrade on our alaready Marriott Suite Night Award upgraded room. As a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium benefit, were were offered 2,000 Marriott Bonvoy points or buffet breakfast in the Taybeh Al Manara Restaurant. As holiday makers, we took the full buffet breakfast.

As a funny note, we were also encouraged to smoke outdoor on the deck, as opposed to indoors in the suite.

There was a description of the layout of the property which was provided verbally although I get to didn’t pair it with a property map. The “L” Shaped layout was a little confusing at the start, given that it is a resort property that is situated on the curve of an inlet.

Resort Map at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

During the check in process, I also asked for Marriott Bonvoy Titanium late checkout for 2 PM as we were headed off to Memories Aicha Luxury Tended Camp in Wadi Rum on the day after departure. I was told to come back day before departure to confirm. This is probably among the last things that you want to do while on a holiday, but it is technically within the terms and conditions of the Marriott Bonvoy program. The property certainly wasn’t all to generous in this regard, and when we returned on the day before departure, after substantial discussion, we were eventually allowed a 1 PM check out.

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The Room: Superior Suite, 1 Bedroom Larger Suite, 1 King, Sea view, Balcony

We self guided ourselves up to Room # 1341. Our baggage were brought up to room separately. Much with the Arabian reds, the contrast of the hallways was black, white and red as we located our room just off the elevator bank.

Arriving to a Superior Suite at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

The Living Room:

Immediately upon entering the Superior Suite, we found ourselves in a long hallway that led past the main bathroom. Entering into the suite, we found ourselves in a fair sized living room that was contemporary in design, but also had roots that were traditional in nature.

Living Room in a Superior Suite at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

The living space had Arabian themed pictures and offered a comfortable sitting area inside the room. The living room offered two small tables, along with a smaller flat screen television anchored by a reasonably comfortable couch.

In Room Amenities:

The hallway leading from the main door into the room served as the entertainment and room amenities hallway. It contained a full series of glassware, a coffee maker, along with a mini fridge which was completely empty except for some bottled water.

Room Amenities in a Superior Suite at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

The Bedroom:

The Super Suite Bedroom was a large sized bedroom. Decorated in white, black and some dark greys, the bedroom was a pleasant looking space and a comfortable spot for sleeping.

The bedroom was on a slight angle, but it didn’t detract from the over all experience.

Just off the bedroom was a short corridor that served as a storage area. This contained a table for sitting, along with a whole variety of storage. There also appeared to be an owner’s storage feature as well, baed on a keyed lock off cupboard.

Bedroom Storage Space, A Superior Suite at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

Aside from the storage area, the only other odd thing about the room was that it actually offered no luggage racks. As a result, we ended up with our luggage opened on the floor and over the occassional chair in the bedroom.

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The Bathroom:

The bathroom of the Superior Suite was a spacious room. It offered space for two, although there was only a single vanity sink.

The bathroom offered a spacious shower room, along with a separate bathroom. The shower offered both a rain shower and a shower wand variety. Both were appreciated and it’s was nice to have the option between the two.

Much like the Dead Sea Marriott Resort, the toiletries were the upscale Trinita toiletries – enhanced with Dead Sea Minerals.

Trinitae Toiletries, A Superior Suite at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

Overall, we were pretty satisfied with the bathroom. The Trinitae toiletries added an upscale feel to the experience. The fit and fixtures were great. Although it was a little compact only having a single sink for such a large room.

Room with a View:

The Living Room offered a small balcony. There were two chairs outside on the balcony and it became a spot to enjoy coffee in the morning.

Although we were assigned a Sea View Room, we ended up with an “almost there” Lagoon View room. The Lagoon View was over the Saraya Aqaba development. Much of the development hadn’t fully completed, so much of the views were over buildings that were partially completed.

The hotel room also had a peek a boo view back towards the regular coast line and the mountains surrounding Aqaba, Jordan.

The Superior Suite was a nice but not spectacular space. It perhaps could be best described as having a level of under stated luxury that was expressed through additional space, a comfortable place to relax, and quiet surroundings.

Overall, it was a nice suite. It was a great redemption on certificates with Marriott Suite Night Awards leveraged into an even better upgrade. I’m not sure of the value of the room being at a 510 – 608 JOD price point, dependent on room variation.

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Around the Hotel Property:

Resort Area:

The Al Manara Hotel offered a resort styled area that stretched the length of the lagoon and all the way out to the sea. It offered a concourse styled walkway within the confined of the resort property. The walkway was nicely styled and landscaped.

Resort Grounds at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

Outdoor Pool:

Along with a great short walking promenade, The Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel Saraya Aqaba offered a set of tiered outdoor pools. There was only one set of outdoor pools, in that there was no separate adult only pool area. During our weekend stay, the main pool area was mostly invaded by families and children.

There was a primary infiniti pool that had views over the lagoon, along with distant views out over the Red Sea.

Outdoor Pool at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

There was also a shaded small wading pool for families with kids. It was surrounded by a tiered sun tanning area.

Wading Pool at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

Hotel Beach:

The hotel had two separate beaches. The beach areas were not the strongest feature of this particular property as they both seemed man made.

The beach immediately underneath the pool area faced the inner lagoon. It didn’t have that great a view. Since it faced the lagoon, it offered a light tide with very gentle waters; great for families with toddlers.

Hotel Beach at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

Pets Beach:

Just down the way was “Pets Beach”. I’m not sure about the origin of the “Pets’ Beach” name, since it didn’t actually have any animals at the beach. Instead, it offered an actual shoreline beach front with views over to The Red Sea. We would end up setting up here for both our days.

Pets Hotel Beach at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

The Pet’s Beach itself was pretty stony. It wasn’t like what you might find as the worlds best resort beaches. Despite this, the views from Pet’s Beach were pretty spectacular.

The views from this southern tip of Jordan encompassed the mountains outside of Aqaba, Jordan. The views stretched all the way over to Israel and northern Egypt on the western side. It was truly a fascinating spot to spend a day sun tanning and gazing.

Great Jordan Mountain Views at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

Great Mountain Views at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

While not the greatest hotel beach in the world, the views were certainly among the best resort views to be had.

Hotel Gym:

The property did feature a small gym. The gym was located just off the main lobby. The gym was oriented inwards towards the rest of the hotel, so it didn’t have any aspirational views or other views over the sea or lagoon.

The gym was empty the entire time I was on the resort and I never happened to see anyone using it.

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Food and Beverage:

Kubba Levantin Restaurant:

On the date of our arrival, we enjoyed dinner on the property at Kubba Levantin Restaurant. Kubba Levantin featured Middle East cuisine. We didn’t require a reservation, although it was a short wait to get seated outside.

The access to the restaurant was just off the main floor and a short walk from the lobby. After being granted access to a table, we had a long walk down a gorgeously decorated stairwell accented by a ceiling sculpture.

With everyone seated outside, the dining room was completely empty. As a Middle Eastern restaurant, we had a great menu full of dishes that we were keen to try. There was also a reasonable wine and cocktail list.

Kubba Levantin Restaurant Menu at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

Kubba Levantin Restaurant Drink List at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

We started off with some naan bread, along with olive oil and sumac

Pita and Olive Oil at Kubba Levantin Restaurant at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

MrsWT73 enjoyed the house made hummus with olive oil, sesame paste and lemon juice. The hummus was tasty and it was easy to taste the chick pea in it.

Hummus and Olive Oil – Kubba Levantin Restaurant at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

I enjoyed the Kebab Bil Laban consisting of meat kebab, yogurt sauce, mint leaves, pine nuts. The meat kebak had a quality cut of meat to it- exceptionally good with a light yoghurt. It was pretty tasty and an upscale version of middle eastern food that I was keen to try on our holiday.

Meat Kebab and Yoghurt at Kubba Levantin Restaurant at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

Taybeh Al Manara Restaurant

Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Breakfast

Our Marriott Bonvoy Elite breakfast was at the Taybeh Al Manara Restaurant. There was a combination of indoor and outdoor terrace seating.

Taybeh al Manara Restaurant at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

The breakfast buffet offered almost everything you could have asked for in a breakfast. There was also an egg station, which was available by ordering through your waiter / waitress.

Breakfast Buffet at Taybeh al Manara Restaurant at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

On the Saturday morning, the resort was at full occupancy. This translated into a bit of mayhem with kids at the breakfast bar. Many of them seemed unsupervised, running around putting fingers in dishes and putting used water bottles up to spigots. Admittedly, there isn’t much that the resort can do about this. It wasn’t a super relaxing or refined experience at breakfast, but shows the amount of families at the resort

The breakfast was billed by taking our room number at the reception when we arrived. We didn’t need to further sign a bill or process any other paperwork after dining, which was convenient.

Amwaj Terrace:

The Al Manara – a Luxury Collection Hotel Saraya Aqaba also offered the Amwaj Terrace. The outdoor terrace space was only open for dinner time. The best part about the terrace was the outstanding world class view that it had over the Red Sea.

The Amwaj Terrace was accessed by passing the pool area and was situated on the pinnicle of the resort just about the “Pets Beach”.

Sunset views at Amwaj Terrace at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

Sunset views at the Outdoor Pool at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

Sunset views at Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

This view overlooking the Red Sea and the mountains of Israel and Egypt looks pretty outstanding for a dinner, or even a sunset cocktail.

The menu at Amwaj was a set menu of several courses and was inclusive of starters, a main and a dessert course. The price point started at 33 JOD ($46 USD) up to 40 JOD ($56 USD).

We didn’t dine here on our visit but this would have been next on my list after Kubba Levantin Restaurant for an upscale dining experience set against an amazing back drop.

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Checking Out of the Al Manara:

I ended up negotiating a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium 1 PM check out to accomodate a late departure. The hotel wasn’t really keen on this request. Fortunately, housekeeping was not knocking down the door around that time, so we managed to get the car loaded up at about 1:30 PM.

We didn’t have any surprises on the bill and our car was packed up professionally by the valet staff.

We headed from the Al Manara – A Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba over to Memories Aicha Luxury Tented Camp Wadi Rum for another great stay.

Bottom Line: The Al Manara Luxury Collection Saraya Aqaba

This property represented the best of several things. It was modern and chic as a contemporary hotel. It was a terrific deal on certificates and we were able to get a great room for benefits that were included as a result of loyalty to the Marriott Bonvoy hotel program.

Having said that, the hotel was a little rigid with some of the elite benefits (late check out), and the hotel beach itself wasn’t all that spectacular. At times the property seemed over run with families; something that is admittedly not the resorts fault, but may impact your stay experience.

I would easily be a returning guest, but mostly as a side attraction if I was visiting the Aqaba, Jordan area for another reason.

If you have stayed at the Al Manara in Aqaba, how did you find your stay experience ?

Tags: Hotel Review, Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott Platinum

Is it Worth Seeing Petra By Night, Jordan?

Posted on February 9, 2023 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Asia + Attraction + Jordan + Jordan, Israel and France via Icelandair, Turkish and Royal Jordanian Business Class + Region Visit + Trip Report

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Jordan’s Kingdom is home to some amazing natural wonders. During our two day stay in Petra, Jordan, we took in the Petra by Night attraction. The Petra by Night attraction has visitors wandering through select ruins of Petra, taking in the sights by candle light. Read on to see whether taking the time and effort to see this evening attraction be worth your time and energy?

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Is It Worth Seeing Petra by Night, Jordan?

We were always astounded by Jordan’s abundance of attractions throughout our entire trip. After spending a day visiting the main sights of Petra, we set out in the evening for the attraction “Petra by Night”.

What is Petra by Night?

Petra by Night is marketed as a night show and a magical way to see part of the rock city by candlelight and explore the old city. It is also advertised as having the area lit with over 1,500 candles to bring the major attraction due to the spectacular view.

The Petra by Night attraction gets a lot of word of mouth advertising as a result of all of the photographs that exist on the internet and social media that feature The Treasury bathed in the light of hundreds of candles.

When is Petra By Night?

Petra by Night runs three times a week. Currently, Petra by Night runs every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday of each week. It starts at 8:30 PM from Petra Visitor Centre and ends at the Visitor Centre by 10:30 PM.

Purchasing Tickets to Petra by Night:

Tickets for Petra by Night can be purchased at the Petra Visitors’ Centre.

Our tickets during our visit were 17 JOD ($24 USD) per person.

You don’t need an advance reservation.
There are unlimited tickets not currently limited by capacity
A valid day time ticket is required (Jordan Pass or at the Door)
You can buy tickets in advance between 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Children under 4 PM are Free

If you have your heart set on Petra by Night, there can be a bit of strategy timing your visit surrounding Petra by Night. Keeping in mind that it’s approximately 1.5 kilometres from the Petra Visitor Centre to the Treasury, if you have a single day Petra visit, you’ll be doing another five thousand steps on top of a sixteen thousand step day. If you happen to be visiting Petra for Two days, you may want to consider doing Petra by Night on your second day when you’re not tired out from all the walking.

In our case, we actually picked up our tickets at about 3 PM after our day visit to Petra.

Getting to Petra by Night, Jordan:

We were staying at the Petra Marriott Hotel just a short ways out of the Wasi Musa, Jordan city centre. The hotel did not offer a complimentary night time shuttle to Petra by Night. As a result, we took our rental car down and parked it at the adjacent free parking lot across from the bus and coach parking lot. We had no challenges finding a parking stall at this event, and the lot was only about half full. We also didn’t have to worry about payment for parking.

Entering Petra by Night:

Much like our morning visit, we queued at the Petra Visitor Centre up at 8 PM. When it came time to enter, we started the walk down from the Petra Visitor Centre down through The Siq to the Treasury.

It was a neat, exciting and dark experience to be walking down towards The Siq along these walkways. The pathway was indeed as advertised, lined with 1,500 candle lanterns that lined the pathway.

We passed by the landmarks visible on the first walkway, including Bab al Siq. Most of the upper walkways attractions were nicely lit with flood lights, and the full moon and stars made the walkway a pretty neat experience.

As we got into The Siq walkway, the grounds got a little cobblestoned in certain sections. If you’ve got some mobility issues, or like to stable yourself on someone while you walk, you might consider bringing a partner or some really sturdy walking shoes so you don’t inadvertently roll your ankle.

While I did see some adventurous travellers bringing along their own head lamps, I found that this took away from the whole experience a little.

The walk itself through The Siq was pretty neat at night. It was a little bumpy on the road way down, so make sure you bring sturdy foot wear.

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Arriving to The Treasury and Petra by Night:

Eventually, after passing through The Siq, we arrived to the location of the main event at The Treasury.

We were corralled over and into the fifth row on the left side. However, this seemed to be loosely enforced, with many of the crowds sneaking around for general photographs of The Treasury by candlelight.

We ended up sneaking over to the front row on the far right hand side where were able to get a front row pop out chair seat in the darkness.

Initially, I got some great photos at the start, but then over time, more and more tour groups came in filling the area. The seating area surrounding the front of the Treasury got completely full of visitors. The guests in the seated area tended to block the candle light views. If you are aiming for great photos, make sure you arrive very early.

The mood was also different than what I might have expected. You are visiting a historic attraction with probably six hundred of your new best friends. In our case, this involved a lot of chatting and the sounds of Italian tour groups yelling across the Treasury area looking for misplaced tour members. There would then be the sounds of crowds “hushing” harshly, followed by some not really listening at all. This yelling didn’t make for a peaceful experience.

Since it’s not enough just to sell tickets for night time photographs of The Treasury, there was an entertainment portion of the evening. I should state that the entrainment part was Middle Eastern style; this is a relative term.

Once everyone was seated on pop out chairs or mats on the ground, we had a few announcements and a welcome message. We had an Arabic musical instrument playing styled like a wind recorder you might have played in elementary school, followed by a small guitar.

Given the light notes of the flute recorder style wind instrument, and the strings of the guitar, most of the sounds got completely drowned out by people talking. Not surprisingly, MrsWT73 checked out of this musical presentation after about five minutes of the music and started on work email.

After the musical presentation, there was a brief accented speed on general Petra history. The scripted sounded a bit government or government tourism board oriented and was pretty structured in presentation instead of a master of ceremonies that was exceptionally personable.

After about seventy five minutes, we walked back the way we came back up The Siq, back to the Petra Visitor’s Centre. It was still pretty interesting to see some of the ruin sights against the night time sky dotted with lit candles along the pathway.

We eventually made it back to the Petra Visitor Centre and self transferred ourselves back to the Petra Marriott Hotel before heading off to The Al Manara, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba the next day.

What Petra by Night Worth it?

The question of “whether Petra by Night is worth it?” is a great question.

On the favourable side, you get to experience walking down The Siq at night. You’ll get to see dozens of stars, and the whole place has a magical feel to it as a result of the layout of the rocks. Seeing The Treasury at Night dotted with thousands of actual candles is a pretty cool experience that is worth a photograph or two.

On the negative side, you’ll be there with hundreds of your new best friends. Your best friends are loud, they wear bright night headlamps that kill your night vision, and generally are chatty and don’t necessarily interact with you. They will talk over any ambiance that you might have from being in candle light surrounding a magical place.

The entertainment itself is pretty elementary in nature. With all due respect to the performers and musicians, you certainly won’t leave remembering much of the music or entertainment aspect to the evening.

Ultimately, I think this is a “pass” for me, the next time that I am through town. I’d probably save your money and put it towards a nicer dinner, an excursion in Wadi Rum, or a day or sunset out on the water in Aqaba instead.

My Thoughts on Petra by Night:

Petra by Night falls into one of those tourist attractions that likely capitalizes on many people who have the fear of missing out. While the walkway down to The Siq was pretty neat, and our initial photographs of the candlelight area of The Treasury were pretty inspiring, the entertainment portion of the event was plain dull. I’d recommend saving your money for a different excursion in Jordan; either. inWadi Rum or perhaps out on the water in Aqaba, Jordan.

If you been to Petra by Night Jordan, did you find the evening worth your time?

Tags: Hiking, UNESCO

How to Tackle the Ruins of Petra, Jordan

Posted on February 7, 2023 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Asia + Attraction + Jordan + Jordan, Israel and France via Icelandair, Turkish and Royal Jordanian Business Class + Region Visit + Trip Report

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The ruins of Petra are Jordan’s main event. The ruins encompass an Ancient City once found at this intersection of trading. Unlike other cites, the ruins of Petra are quite spread out and require a lot of walking in order to get a full experience at Petra. Read on to see how we tackled this wonderful Ancient City, and how we best used our time at the site.

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How to Tackle the Ruins of Petra, Jordan

During our visit throughout Jordan, we were continually amazed at the number of attractions that the country had to offer. One of the star attractions are the Ruins of Petra. The Ruins of Petra were voted to be one of the New Wonders of the World by popular vote.

Why Visit Petra?

The Ruins of Petra are the primary tourist attraction in Jordan. This is the “main event” and likely the tourist attraction that you are going to travel to Jordan to see.

The sights of Petra are quite spread out. Although there are other entrances designed to give you closer access to other sites, your day will generally start from the Wadi Musa Entrance by the Petra Visitor Centre, taking you through canyon ways of The Siq over to the Treasury.

Getting to Petra, Jordan:

We were anchored in Petra, Jordan at the Petra Marriott Hotel. We had made efforts to get in an early start to our visit to Petra. After getting up at 6:10 AM, we went for an early breakfast at 6:30 AM. We were finished breakfast and back up into the room for 7:10 AM.

The Petra Marriott Hotel ran a complimentary shuttle three times a day. We were out on the 7:45 AM shuttle that ran from the Petra Marriott Hotel to the Wadi Musa Petra Entrance.

We debated self driving our rental car down to the Ruins of Petra. However, the parking lot at Petra is limited to about 150 cars. It wasn’t clear whether that lot would be full early in the morning. In the end, we would leave the car at the hotel, but later self drive down to Petra by Night.

Entering Petra:

We found ourselves at the Entrance of Petra at about 8 AM. We had to show our Jordan Pass for Petra as our ticket at the ticket office. After we had received our ticket, we queued up for the entrance gate where our passport photo ID was physically checked. This sequence held up the line of a little bit.

After being granted admission, we had a one Hour Walk downhill to the Treasury. It was natural to want to get around the many tour groups that were starting out for the day. In reality, they all found a spot to stop to talk somewhere along the way. We bypass the offers of the horse rides down to the entrance way of The Siq.

We eventually came to our first ruin; the Bab Al Siq.

Throughout our walk down, we navigated through several tour groups stopping along the way to give general talks about the history behind Petra. While we were initially trying to “beat the crowds”, it became pretty evident after a while that tour groups would take care of themselves. Walking as a brisk pace, you’ll likely make it there before all the tour groups anyway.

Wandering Down The Siq:

On arrival to The Siq, this was the start of where the magic happened. The Siq is the canyon at the entrance of the ruins at Petra. The Siq is the downhill canyon leading into the ruins of Petra. The Siq is approximately 1.2 kilometres walk and the canyon walls are about two hundred meters high on each side.

It was an absolutely gorgeous walk through The Siq. It was beautiful in the day and with the sun peeking through the high canyon walls. The contrast between the walls and the sky and the canyon walls was naturally beautiful and picturesque.

At certain spots along The Siq, you could see the remains of the water ways that were used to carry water down to Petra. These waterways were embedded in the walls of the canyons and were carved to allow for water to flow.

Seeing the Treasury:

There is nothing like seeing the Treasury for the first time. Seeing The Treasury peeking through the corners of the passageways of The Siq is a really special travel experience.

Rounding the corner into the main walkway, the sights of the Treasury come into focus. The Hellenic building is more impressive in person and it is made even cooler with camels parked out front.

The Treasury was carved out of sandstone to serve as a tomb for the Nabataean King Aretas III between 100 BCE – 200 CE. The name of the Treasury was derived from the an Egyptian Pharaoh who hid their treasure while the Egyptian’s pursued the Israelites. It is a truly impressive structure and an easy place to fall in love with.

Our first arrival to the Treasury was right before sun. It was busy but not packed. It was a good view and nice to just take in the scene. The crossroads of the Treasury led to it being a great people watching place.

Climbing the Royal Tombs:

After the Treasury, we took a hard right and started climbing the stairs and trails that led to the Royal Tombs. The Royal Tombs were left over by the Romans and offered a variety of facades that were in varying condition.

The assorted Royal Tombs offered many places to explore. With each one had a different personality and feature, you could spend a whole morning exploring through each one. Another added bonus were that the Royal Tombs were in shade throughout the morning, making this a cooler place to spend the time during the morning.

There were quite a few local vendors selling all sorts of souvenirs that seemed appropriate for the area.

It was pretty neat to clamber all over this region. You were pretty much unfettered and had free access to all of the features of the Royal Tombs.

Then wandered down through street of facades and over ot the royal tombs trail. Inspected tombs. Took high road. Nice to get up close to them plus in the shade for the morning.

From the Royal Tombs, we had a great view over to the street of facades. The sun was peeking through the skies, which made for a terrific view over to these archeological sites.

We also had a view of the Roman Theatre. It was impressively set against a back drop of rocks.

Walking the Colonnaded Street:

We left the Royal Tombs by climbing down the steps. We headed down towards the colonnaded street. The colonnaded street consists of the sole remainder of the roman columns of Petra.

The Colonnaded Street was the centre of the Ancient City of Petra and was built around 106 CE. It follows the standard Roman pattern of east – west decumanus without the normal cardo maximus (north south) axis.

The Great Temple:

We stopped through the Great Temple. It was one of the largest roman ruins of Petra aside from the magnificent theatre.

The Great Temple was a major Nabatean temple of the first century BCE. It’s a really impressive ruin, and you’ll get the opportunity to explore it throughly as it’s mostly deserted.

Qasar al Bint:

We came to the last attraction of the day at Qasar al Bint. Qasar al Bint is one of the last standing free structures in the Ancient City of Petra. It was one of the most important structures in Petra. It was surely looking impressive in the full sun.

After taking in the sights, we enjoyed lunch at the nearby Nabeen Restaurant,. We enjoyed a chicken shawrma sandwich and replenished with a Gatorade.

We had a slow walk back with a good look at the great temple and the church. It was a very warm walk back now that sun in full steam at the peak of the day.

Treasury Climb:

Now that the initial crowds had disappeared from the Treasury, we took a closer look at this magnificent ruin. We paid a local guide 10 JOD for 2 of us to climb to the first lookout. While it’s not mandatory to pay a guide, the locals are pretty insistent on guarding the stairs.

However, we did get a mixed blessing in that the guide took lots of photos of us with all the right angles that would have taken us minutes to figure out on our own. It was actually among my favourite views of the day; especially after having come all this way.

The Treasury is such a magical sight. It’s pretty special to visit and you’ll leave with its Hellenic columns seared into your mind forever more.

Departing Back through the Siq:

After our climb through the Treasury view points, we wandered back up towards Wadi Musa entrance. The sun’s angled had changed from the morning, and we had a beautiful walk back. The hill is slightly sloping upwards, so it was a little slower on the walk out.

We ended up killing off a little time with a celebratory drink at the Movenpick Petra bar, before our 4 PM shuttle ride back to the Petra Marriott Hotel.

My Thoughts on Petra:

The ruins of Petra are in that category of world class tourist attractions that blow your mind. The sheer number of ruins concentrated within this site rival the worlds finest tourist attractions. Unlike Machu Picchu – Peru, the ruins at Petra, Jordan were pretty spread out and needed time and effort to explore. Fortunately, those on a tight schedule can get through many of them within a day, with lots left over for any future trip.

If you been to Petra – Jordan, did you find the journey extra special ?

Tags: Hiking, UNESCO

Review: Petra Marriott Hotel, Jordan.

Posted on February 5, 2023 By World Traveller 73 in Hotels + Jordan, Israel and France via Icelandair, Turkish and Royal Jordanian Business Class + Marriott + Trip Report

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A visit to the ruins of Petra often requires several days in order to take it all in. The neighbouring town of Wadi Musa offers many hotels, including the Petra Marriott Hotel located a short distance from town. We would end up using this hotel as our base of operations for our visit to Petra. Read on to see how the hotel fit into our visit to Petra.

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Review: Petra Marriott Hotel, Wadi Mousa, Jordan

“An Old School Marriott in Every Way, that Happens to Be Graced with Stunning Petra Mountain Views and good Marriott Bonvoy Elite Recognition”

Booking The Petra Marriott Hotel:

Our travels to Jordan took us to one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World”; the Ruins of the City of Petra. While the tourist town of contains a number of hotels, we ended up staying loyal to Marriott Bonvoy for the sake of earning our Titanium needed elite nights for the year. As a result, instead of booking at the conveniently located Mövenpick Petra, we ended up at the slightly out of town Petra Marriott Hotel.

When booking at the Petra Marriott Hotel, I was able to get a regular Marriott Bonvoy Members rate of 146 JOD ($213 USD) for this property which booked into the basic 1 King Bed, Guest Room. 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.

Pricing out a Stay to the Marriott Petra Hotel

I did find that the price variability at this hotel was extreme and verging on Las Vegas casino pricing. I found rates as low as 99 JOD ($139 USD) in the off season, with rates as high as 635 JOD (895 USD) in the peak tourist travel seasons of April and May. If you’re coming here, make sure you book well in advance. We were able to get a reasonable price just under the pricing pressure by booking at three months in advance.

Marriott Bonvoy Reward Opportunities:

The Marriott Petra Hotel prices pretty well in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program. The property generally prices between 23,000 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.

If you value Marriott Bonvoy Points at 0.005 cents, you’ll come out ahead by redeeming points against a room at the property if you rate is above 106 JOD ($150 USD). You’ll possibly find some outsized value in the event the cash rate is exceptionally high, with often seems to be the case in high tourist season between April – June and Sept – October.

Suite Night Awards:

The property participates in the Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Award program. However, there is only limited suite inventory in the hotel. Since we were expected to be off the property for almost all of the day, I ended up saving our Suite Night Awards to use at Al Aqaba by Luxury Collection.

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 Petra Marriott Hotel:

We were driving in from the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa and an afternoon of River Canyoning at Wadi Mujib. It was a twisty county and highway 3 hour drive down from river canyoning, so it was fully dark by the time our GPS Google Maps led us to the front doors of the Marriott Petra Hotel.

The Petra Marriott Hotel is located a little ways out of town from Wadi Musa; the tourist town that serves as a base of operations to and from Petra’s Ruins. It’s located on the southern highway out of town, and almost on the edge of the southern city limits.

You certainly won’t be walking to and from anything in Wadi Musa from this particular hotel property. Although the hotel offers a shuttle to and from Petra, it will be very helpful to have a private vehicle (as we did), if you plan on staying at this hotel.

Checking into the Petra Marriott Hotel:

As we arrived to the hotel in our rental car, we easily found the property. The hotel doesn’t have a whole lot of street appeal. It is an older property that faces a secondary highway with most of the great views on the opposite side of the property that faces the mountain range.

Arriving to the Petra Marriott Hotel, Jordan

Like at other Marriott Bonvoy properties in Jordan, we had a security check at the nearby front gate. After our reservation was confirmed on a master list, we were asked to drive right up to. the porte cochère to unload our vehicle.

As our bags were unloaded, they were placed through a full X Ray security check. We also had a security wand of our purses and passed through an airport styled security check point.

We arrived into a high ceiling lobby that was a little dated in appearance, but was still very clean and well kept. The lobby had views into the smaller conference facilities on the second floor.

We were offered a small tea as a nice welcome drink. I always appreciate this as its something you never get when you’re on the work circuit back in North America. We were also informed that we had been given a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium soft upgrade to a nicer room from the base deluxe that we had booked, particularly a Premium Guest Room, 1 King, Petra Valley and Mountain View. While it wasn’t a suite upgrade, I’ll take any upgrade available over nothing at all. I appreciated the hotel’s efforts at recognition.

We were given the breakfast hours of an early 6 AM to a leisurely 11 AM. We were also explained that there were three options for dinner on the property, a buffet in the Hala Hala Arabic Restaurant, a BBQ in the outdoors Al Matal Bedouin Tent or the Aretas Bar and Lounge. All the dining options ended at 10 PM.

We were also explained that the pool was open daily between 7 AM to 7 PM.

Throughout out check in process, as Marriott Titanium members, we were also offered a number of complimentary amenities.

We were offered a welcome amenity of layered sand bottle with our name etched into it. While these were all over Jordan as a souvenir to purchase, I hadn’t ever been presented one as a welcome amenity. It was a pretty neat souvenir and one I actually brought home with me. It was so appealing, MrsWT73 wanted one of her own. It was selling for about 15 JOD ($21 USD) in the lobby bottle shop.

We didn’t seek out a late check out, as we were headed off to The Al Manara, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba after our stay. The hotel valet parked our car for us during the check in process, which made arriving very convenient.

lt is also worth mentioning that the Marriott Petra Hotel does not offer an Executive Lounge or M Club Lounge typically found in a Marriott hotel. You won’t miss it on your particular stay, but its worth mentioning that there isn’t one at this location.

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The Room: A Premium Guest Room – 1 King, Petra Valley View Mountain View

With porter assistance, we were guided ourselves up to Room #708 which was our upgraded Premium Guest Room. The hotel lobby is on the fourth floor, meaning that there are rooms above and below the lobby level.

The hotel has a nice atrium or central courtyard that adds a bit of flair to the stay. In terms of ambience, it’s certainly nicer to look at a courtyard than a hallway with no natural light.

Checking Out a Gorgeous Atrium – Petra Marriott Hotel, Jordan

The hallways are decorated in the traditional marriott reds with black doors. With a traditional feel, they certainly look the part.

Heading to the Room – Marriott Petra Hotel, Jordan

We entered into the Premium Guest Room. The room had recently undergone a full renovation and upgrade, as everything was shiny and new. The room also presented much better than on recent reviews, which had described the fixtures and fittings as dated. I’m happy to report that the rooms are looking sparkling new and recently upgraded.

The Bedroom:

Immediately on entering the room, we found ourselves in the short hallway leading to the bedroom area.

A Premium Guest Room – Marriott Petra Hotel, Jordan

There was a giant Marriott King Size Bed in the middle of the room. There were small mats on either size of the bed, which was appreciated instead of just stepping onto hardwood flooring.

A Comfortable King Size Bed in a Premium Guest Room – Marriott Petra Hotel, Jordan

Given that the room had limited space, there was a pair of occasional chairs and small cocktail table that rounded out the relax space for this room.

Occasional Chairs – A Premium Guest Room – Marriott Petra Hotel, Jordan

There was a single luggage rack and a small wall desk that allowed for some storage of our baggage. As a couple travelling together, and thanks to the compact foot print of this older Marriott property, we did run out of room to store our bags on the provided shelving. We ended up spreading out on the floor adjacent to the bed.

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In Room Amenities:

The room also was reasonably well appointed with the usual comfort amenities. There was a tea and coffee maker although the coffee offered is of the instant Nescafe variety.

Tea and Coffee Was Available in the Room – Premium Guest Room – Marriott Petra Hotel, Jordan

There was also a small (at charge) mini bar with sodas and beer available in the room. I also appreciated that they offered proper glass ware and complimentary bottled water.

A Simple Mini Bar – Premium Guest Room – Marriott Petra Hotel, Jordan

The hotel also brought up our Marriott Titanium Welcome Amenity of a half bottle of Jordan River red wine, potato chips and dip. It’s pictured next to the compacted sand bottle with my name removed.

A Marriott Titanium Welcome Amenity Gift(s) – Marriott Petra Hotel, Jordan

The Bathroom:

The bathroom of the Premium Guest Room was a standard variety compact bathroom. It offered space for only one person with a single vanity sink. a toilet and a bidet. There was also a very compact shower, which in our case was a little leaky on the floor.

A Small Bathroom – A Premium Guest Room – Marriott Petra Hotel, Jordan

A Small Bathroom – Premium Guest Room – Marriott Petra Hotel, Jordan

Overall, the room was nicely upgraded. The only down side to the room was its slightly compact foot print that was consistent for a hotel of this particular generation.

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Food and Beverage:

Aretas Bar & Lounge:

On the date of our arrival, we snuck down to the Aretas Bar and Lounge for Dinner. After having driven all day, along with a Canyoning Adventure, it was a dark but comfortable way to get some dinner.

Walking to the Aretas Bar and Lounge – Petra Marriott Hotel, Jordan

The Aretas Lounge was located just off the lobby in a slightly dark room. It was a straightforward steak sandwich avec frites for me and a Margerita pizza in the lounge accompanied with a beer and a red wine for 34 JOD ($47 USD). While it wasn’t over the top luxurious, it sure hit the spot.

Although the lounge offered the opportunity to eat outside, we weren’t at the hotel during meal hours when it was warm enough to do so as the temperatures often cooled off considerably in the evening to single digit temperatures. The space also wasn’t set up with winter heaters and appeared mostly to be used for a smoking area.

Outdoor Dining Possibilities when the Temperature is Right – Petra Marriott Hotel

Dushara Restaurant

Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Breakfast

Our included with our room rate breakfast was located in the Dushara Restaurant. The Dushara Restaurant was located on the 3rd floor of the hotel below the lobby. The room itself was a standard variety and didn’t have an open air feel to it. The views out the windows were towards the mountain valley.

Dushara Restaurant – Petra Marriott Hotel, Jordan

The buffet itself was extensive, although perhaps not as elaborate as the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa. The buffet at the Petra Marriott Hotel offered everything that you’d imagine including continental items, a bread station and an Arabic station offering foul medames.

Breakfast Buffet at Dushara Restaurant – Petra Marriott Hotel, Jordan

I didn’t know of this at check in, but the hotel also offered box lunches to take away for those heading on day trips to Petra. We ended up not taking advantage of this and just dining at the restaurants in Petra themselves. However, this a great alternative for those that are a little squeamish about eating local food.

Take Away Lunch Boxes Menu at Dushara Restaurant – Petra Marriott Hotel, Jordan

We would end up enjoying breakfast at the restaurant on both mornings of our stay.

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Around the Hotel Property:

Petra Shuttle

The hotel offered a three times a day shuttle to Petra. Instead of driving our own car down and worrying about trying to find limited parking at the Petra site, we would end up using the free shuttle.

We didn’t need a reservation and the shuttle ran both ways on time. The shuttle dropped us off at the bus coach parking lot at Wadi Musa adjacent to the main entrance. There were only two other passengers travelling with us during our day journey, so it wasn’t as busy as I might have expected during our high season October visit.

It’s worth noting that the complimentary shuttle doesn’t run for Petra by Night. As a result, you’ll need to have your own transportation if you’re visiting this attraction. We ended up self driving and locating parking with out any issues.

There was so much to see at Petra itself, I’ve authored a separate post on how we tackled the Ruins of Petra and during Petra by Night.

Sand Bottle Station:

The hotel offers a neat sand bottle station. The local vendor will etch your name with black sand into a compressed sand bottle. A hit with kids (and MrsWT73), this station allows you to watch your sand bottle being made before your eyes.

Sand Bottle Vendor Station – Petra Marriott Hotel, Jordan

The small sand bottles were priced at 15 JOD with an additional 5 JOD (totalling 20 JOD or $28 USD) for your name to be personalized into it. It wasn’t exactly the cheapest souvenir, but certainly one of the most memorable ones I’ve gotten. It also set off every airport security screening alarm on every flight after this. Credit Cards were conveniently accepted.

Outdoor Pool:

The Petra Marriott Hotel offers an outdoor pool and terrace. The terrace had a spectacular view over the mountains, along with some artificial grass.

The pool itself was seasonal in nature and only open during the summer months of March – October. The pool was mostly a hit with children staying at the resort. With the hotel being on a windy mountain bluff next to a desert, there was a little bit of sand that would tend to accumulate in the pool. The pool still hits a beautiful view when the sun is shining.

The pool was also deserted throughout most of the day, while many visitors are taking in the sights of Petra. Assuming you were looking for some rest and relaxation for the summer months, this spot might suit you nicely.

The Outdoor Pool is Seasonal in Nature – Petra Marriott Hotel, Jordan

There was also a spa at the resort. However, the spa seemed to have limited hours and be occupying a darker corner of the property. As a result, we didn’t further explore any of the features of the spa.

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Sunset from the Petra Marriott:

It goes without staying that the property has some pretty inspiring views. As a result of its out of town location, the views over the mountains of Petra are second to none. We found ourselves at this property having dinner prior to going to see Petra by Night.

We were blown away by these gorgeous sunsets from the property. The views are very inspiring and pretty. It’s always special to enjoy a sunset when travelling internationally, but it’s super special to enjoy them over mountains in a far away land.

While the Petra Marriott Hotel isn’t a full resort property, there is almost enough at the property to keep you entertained during your off time.

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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 Petra Marriott Hotel down to Aqaba for our stay at Al Manara, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba.

Bottom Line: The Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa

Overall, I was satisfied with the Petra Marriott Hotel. While it didn’t blow me away with any one feature, the sunsets were great, the room was upgraded and comfortable, and the elite recognition was really good. It sounds silly but I’ll treasure that welcome amenity sand bottle for quite some time as it was wholly unexpected. I’d easily return to this property if I was coming back to the area.

If you have stayed at the Marriott Petra, how did it meet your needs?

Tags: Hotel Review, Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott Platinum

Top 5 Tips for a Day of Canyoning – The Siq Trail Hike at Wadi Mujib, Jordan

Posted on February 3, 2023 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Asia + Attraction + Jordan + Jordan, Israel and France via Icelandair, Turkish and Royal Jordanian Business Class + Region Visit + Trip Report

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The Kingdom of Jordan has some wonderful natural attractions. Our visit to the Wadi Mujib Adventure Centre was one of our highlights of our trip to Jordan. The Wadi Mujib canyon involved a water canyon hike through deep canyons in a shaded water trail. Read on to see how the experience of water canyoning was in Jordan.

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Top 5 Tips for a Day of Canyoning – The Siq Trail Hike at Wadi Mujib, Mujib Biosphere Reserve, Jordan

During our visit throughout Jordan, we were amazed at the number of attractions that the country had to offer. One of the attractions we found pretty amazing was The Siq trial located at the Wadi Mujib Adventure Centre.

Why Visit Waji Mujib?

The Kingdom of Jordan is full of interesting geographic features and attractions. While I was looking for neat things to do, MrsWT73 and I are always into eco-adventure attractions.

The Mujib Biosphere Reserve had a number of hiking trials that are closely situated to the Dead Sea Resort areas of Jordan. After a little research, I located the Siq Trail, which was an easy level half day hike from the trailhead.

At 410 meters below sea level, the Mujib Biosphere Reserve is the lowest nature reserve on Earth. The breathtaking scenery and the challenge of negotiating Mujib’s fast-flowing rivers make the Reserve one of Jordan’s most popular natural attractions. The canyons contain over three hundred species of plants, and ten species of carnivores.

The views promised to be quite spectacular. With the trail running through the depth of the canyon, it was also an adventure that could also be done in the middle of the day with the shade offering some protection from the hot sun.

Getting to Wadi Mujib:

The Mujib Biosphere Reserve was located about thirty minutes away from the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa. Having arrived into the country the night before, we were self driving to the Mujib Biosphere Reserve. It’s about a thirty minute drive from the Dead Sea Resorts.

While there are tour groups that offer excursions to the Siq Trail at Wadi Mujib, the easiest way is likely to self drive there on your own. Public transit options remain limited in the area,

We arrived to the Welcome Centre and parked in the gravel parking lot. By way of schedule, we ended up doing an afternoon hike at Wadi Mujib. The Siq Trail at the Mujib Biosphere Reserve is only open in the summer months between March – October due to canyon water levels. In the winter months, the water levels rise which makes the passageway impassible.

Getting back to the hike, it’s also worth noting that the Wadi Mujib Adventure Centre closes at 3 PM, with all day visitors expected to be out at (soft) 5 PM. If you’re a sleeping in type, or someone doing this destination on the way to Petra, don’t arrive to late otherwise you’ll end up being disappointed.

We did not need a reservation to hike the Siq Trail. We turned up at the Mujib Rental Centre. As a late afternoon arrival, we had no issues locating parking. After parking the car, we paid our trail entrance fee of 21 JOD ($30 USD) per person. The entry fee is not included in the Jordan Pass.

The trail entrance fee included a mandatory life jacket. We were also required to sign a waiver; something that I hadn’t experienced much in Arab countries.

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What to Pack:

The Siq Trail at the Mujib Biosphere is a wet hiking trail. An important, but sometimes overlooked fact, is that the trail runs through a river bed. The depth of the river bed, is up to neck deep at points. With both hands being used to scale ropes, ladders and lines, unless you have a dry bag, you’ll likely get your electronics wet.

If you’re bringing any type of camera or smart phone, make sure you bring a waterproof bag or full dry bag. Dry bags’ are available to rent at the Mujib Adventure Centre. We packed and brought a wet bag with us, and put a Digital Single Lens Reflex Nikon Camera in it. We used the wet bag’s attached shoulder strap, which is an essential addition to any trip into the Wadi.

I would also recommend packing (and wearing) a bathing suit and upper body rash wear for warmth. While I hiked the trail using Teva Sandals, the current often tried to blow them off. Make sure you have good sturdy footwear that can get completely soaked.

Hiking the Siq Trail at Wadi Mujib:

We set out along the Siq Trail. This required moving along the Siq Trail waterway through some fairly stony shallow waters.

The waterway through the Siq Canyon started off pretty shallow. The water ways were ankle deep, making the views upwards towards. Despite being in the shade, the canyon had pretty inspiring views.

The water started to get a little deeper as we moved through the canyon. Our walk was about two kilometres up the Siq river bed. The depth of the river was very shallow at the start, but then it got substantially deeper. It was up to my neck for a 6ft 2 inch person and it was completely underwater for MrsWT73 as a 5ft 3 inches female.

During our journey up, it was a fairly physical experience. We had ropes to pull ourselves along or a swim if there was no rope available. We also had several steel ladders of about 10 – 12 meters to climb, some with rushing water. There were a few mandatory “on rock” slides on the way down that have the potential to have you completely submerged on landing.

We eventually made it to the end of the trail at the Siq waterfall. We were treated to a pretty good waterfall that cascaded around the canyon. Being that we set out towards the end of the day, we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

After wrestling a few ropes and ladders, we were pretty knackered at the end of the climb. The great news is that you can just flop out in the lazy river and cool off.

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With the highlight of the end of trail waterfall complete, we wandered back down towards the trail head. Being the end of the day, the trail was pretty deserted.

Eventually, we made our way back to the canyon trail head. With dusk settling, it made for some peaceful views along the last hours of daylight. With all the posted lifeguards gone, we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves.

We would end up departing the Wadi Mujib trail for the Petra Marriott Hotel by car. The Siq trail was a rewarding and fulfilling experience.

Top 5 Tips for Hiking the Siq Trail:

Completing the trail, this brings me to my top 5 tips for completing the Siq trail:

–Bring Solid Footwear: As a result of fast moving current, my Teva Sandles frequently started floating off. This was a bit distracting so make sure you bring solid footwear.

–Pack Water in a Packable Container. I easily lost my bottle of water which was stuffed into a pocket within the first twenty minutes of hiking. Pack a bottle of water away in your dry bag as the current will take away much of anything not tied down.

–Don’t forget to look up: One of the greatest parts of the Wadi Mujib is the canyon itself. There is something to be said for floating down the canyon looking up at the canyon walls.

–Be Prepared for a Physical Day: The canyon hike involves pulling your body weight and at times supporting yourself as you dangle on steel ladders. There are a few mandatory “on rock” slides on the way down, so you’ll need some athletic ability of attempting the trail.

–Be Prepared for some Minor Bumps and Scrapes: The water had a pretty strong pressure in portions. This led to some flailing limbs as we were battered around the canyon. At the end of the day, I had a few knee scrapes and a few sore muscles. It would have been helpful to have a first aid kit or other bandages available for the drive onwards.

After our trail hike, we headed on downward to The Petra Marriott Hotel for the next chapter of our adventure.

My Thoughts on Canyoning the Siq Trail:

Canyoning through the Siq Trail was a pretty worthwhile experience. The canyon walls were pretty special along with the eco nature of this journey made our trip to Wadi Mujib all the more interesting. The trail is highly recommended and I’d love to return one day.

If you been canyoning through the Siq Trail, do you have any tips to share?

Tags: Canyon Hiking, Hiking

Relief! Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Counters Finally Post The Correct Number of Years

Posted on February 2, 2023 By World Traveller 73 in Hotels + News + Trip Report

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The Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty program offers a lifetime benefit program. While I had been chasing this status in the background for several years, the Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Program had shown incorrect lifetime years in my account almost since the inception of the Marriott Bonvoy program. Despite writing in for resolution, the matter did not resolve completely until I checked my account this week. Fortunately, I am happy to report I’ve received a resolution in this area.

Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Counters Finally Post Correct Number of Years.

The Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty program offers a lifetime program. As a member of the Marriott Bonvoy program with over 17 years of elite status, a lifetime program remains of great interest to me.

After a lengthy and complicated merger between Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Rewards, a turbulent pandemic travel season, we’ve seen a little relief under the Lifetime Years section of this program.

The Marriott Bonvoy Elite Program:

While this might be a re-cap for many, it’s worth just reviewing the levels of the Marriott Bonvoy Elite program.

The Marriott Bonvoy Elite Program is broken down into five tiers:

Silver Elite – 10 nights
Gold Elite – 25 nights
Platinum Elite – 50 nights
Titanium Elite – 75 nights
Ambassador Elite – 100 nights + $23,000 USD spend per year

From my perspective, the value in the program starts at the Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite level, or higher. The Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Level offers:

50% Bonus on Marriott Bonvoy Points Earning
4 PM Check out
In Hotel Welcome Gift: Points, Breakfast Offering or Amenity
Enhanced Room Upgrade, Based on Availability, Including Select Suites
Lounge Access
An Annual Choice Benefit after staying 50 and 75 nights

Enjoy a Spectacular St Regis Suite, Courtesy of Elite Upgrades with Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Status or Higher

While I have usually qualified for Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status, this has simply been gravy on top of already great benefits at the Marriott Bonvoy Platinum level.

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The Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Program:

The Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Program has three separate levels. Each are achieved after a substantial amount of travel.

Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Silver Elite

250 qualifying nights & 5 years as a Silver Elite or Higher

Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Gold Elite

400 qualifying nights & 7 years as a Gold Elite or Higher

Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum Elite

500 qualifying nights & 10 year as a Platinum Elite or Higher

Marriott Bonvoy designed the program so that members had to achieve both qualifying nights and elite years over a period of time in order to qualify for lifetime elite years.

There was also previously a Lifetime Titanium Elite level for members that had stayed in excess of 750 Lifetime Qualifying Nights after combination of your Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Rewards accounts. However, this level is no longer publicly available, with Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum being the highest published available level.

Tracking Elite Years:

Along with many road warriors, it became a hobby at the end of every calendar year to track your elite status. For me, it started with the Starwood Preferred Guest program.

Eventually, when Starwood Preferred Guest merged into Marriott Rewards to become Marriott Bonvoy, the tiles looked a little different. However, the lifetime counter purpose remained the same.

I slowly watched my lifetime years and lifetime nights climb upwards with every year.

I slowly watched my Lifetime Years climb upwards, and I eventually passed Starwood Preferred Guest Lifetime Gold after getting 250 Lifetime Nights under the legacy Starwood Preferred Guest Program.

While it’s not too hard to earn elite status if your employer is paying for your travel, it’s a substantially greater investment if you are paying for your travel yourself as a self funded traveller.

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Dealing with Incorrect Lifetime Years:

Shortly after the Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Reward mergers, I was checking my account and noticed that the Lifetime Year count appeared to be one year short.

I wrote into the Marriott Bonvoy Customer Service account in mid 2019 and received a number of different answers:

Answer #1:

Thank you very much for getting back to us.

Following up on your query, I have attempted to adjust the credit posted for your recent stay; However, we’re experiencing a technical issue.

WT73, kindly allow us some time and we will resolve your query and confirm through this email channel.

We value your loyalty as a Member to Marriott Bonvoy.
Best Regards.

I waited around for action, but none was forthcoming.

After 4 months with no resolution, I wrote in seeking an update. I received a reply that a ticket would be opened, and that I would get a second response within 28 days.

Answer #2:

I eventually got an answer back. It was pretty neutral and unhelpful; pushing my resolution forward almost 1.5 years:

Dear WT73,

Thank you for contacting Marriott Bonvoy in Customer Care, we will be delighted to assist.

Members who earned Elite Status in 2019 received an extension of their Elite Status to February 1, 2022. This should change for you by February 1, 2022

WT73, we appreciate your loyalty and we look forward to hosting you in the near future.

Safe travels,

Unfortunately, the date of February 2022 rolled around with no change in the annual years. While the pandemic was occurring, there were also a number of complimentary status rollovers. These goodwill rollovers were occurring, despite me earning the status the old fashioned way; through staying in hotels throughout the pandemic.

Missing Elite Year(s) Finally Posting to theMarriott Bonvoy Lifetime Counter:

As the year 2022 drew to a close, according to Marriott, I ended the year on 7 Lifetime Platinum status years and 660 Lifetime Nights Stayed. I re-qualified for Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level status in 2022.

As expected, on January 1, 2023, my counter turned to 8 Lifetime Years and 675 Lifetime Nights stayed. I also received the addition of 15 Elite Qualifying Nights from holding the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card.

However, I signed into my account on January 30, 2023, and happened to note that I was finally credited the missing year that I had been chasing since 2021. My years were finally updated to reflect the accurate number of earned Platinum and Above years; currently showing as “9”.

It seems that this is not an isolated case, as many other Marriott Bonvoy customers have finally reported relief in this area as well.

With this resolution, my account is finally showing the right number of years approximately three and a half years after the problem was initially identified.

How I feel about this:

I can’t even begin to describe what a relief this was. Spending up to 75 nights a year on the road for work and personal travel is tiring enough. However, this means I just have this year to earn Marriott Bonvoy Platinum or higher, in order to achieve that coveted Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status.

With the current Marriott Bonvoy Spring 2023 Promotion “Earn Twice Each Night”, it should be fairly easy to earn Marriott Bonvoy Elite status for this year, even if you don’t use a credit card that offers fifteen qualifying nights.

I am super happy I don’t have to be tracking my accounts as much anymore.

I’m Looking Forward to Putting these Away in the Drawer for Good

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In Closing: Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Counters Showing the Correct Number of Lifetime Years

I was pleasantly surprised when I signed into my account this week and happened to note that my Marriott Bonvoy counters correctly showed the correct number of lifetime years.

After previously writing several times throughout the year 2021, and being promised a remedy that was several years away, I had pretty much written off getting any real resolution from Marriott Bonvoy.

Fortunately, it appears that they have fixed this glitch which showed an incorrect number of years. I am happy to report that my Lifetime Years accurately reflect my records of lifetime loyalty with Marriott Bonvoy. I only wish it didn’t take three and a half years.

Have Your Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Years Accurately Balanced for the First Time ?

Tags: Marriott Bonvoy

Review: Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan.

Posted on February 1, 2023 By World Traveller 73 in Hotels + Jordan, Israel and France via Icelandair, Turkish and Royal Jordanian Business Class + Marriott + Trip Report

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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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✈️ Read more from this trip:

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

“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.

Pricing Out the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa

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.

Suite Night Awards:

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.

Arriving to the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa

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.

Lobby – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Welcome Amenity – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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

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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.

Heading to the Room – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

An Executive Suite – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

Illy Coffee Service – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

An In Room Mini Bar – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

An In Room Mini Bar Suite Menu – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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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.

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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.

A Spacious Bedroom – An Executive Suite – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

A Comfortable Bathroom – An Executive Suite – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

Bloom Toiletries – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

Floor Plan – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

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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.

Mosaico Restaurant Arrival – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

Mosaico Restaurant – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

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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.

Hanging Out at -388 meters Below Sea Level – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

Outdoor Pools – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

Outdoor Second Level Pools – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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

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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.

Heading to the Adult Pool Zone – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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!

The Adult Pool Zone – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

Descending to the Dead Sea Beach – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

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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 – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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

Floating Our Cares Away – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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 Intersection to Local Destinations – Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa, Jordan

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.

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Checking Out of the Dead Sea Marriott Resort an Spa:

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.

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

Tags: Hotel Review, Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott Platinum

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Views from The Citadel in Amman, Jordan

Why Visit Amman, Jordan ?

Getting to Amman, Jordan:

The Citadel:

Views from The Citadel:

The Temple of Hercules:

The Umayyad Palace:

Calling on the Roman Theatre:

The Roman Theatre:

Calling on the Fruit and Vegetable Souq Markets:

Local Hummus at Hashem Restaurant:

My Thoughts on Visiting Amman:

If you have visited Amman, Jordan, what sights do you take in on your visit to the city ?

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Review: The St Regis Amman, Jordan

Booking The St Regis Amman:

Marriott Bonvoy Reward Opportunities:

Suite Night Awards:

Getting to the St Regis Amman:

Checking into The St Regis Amman:

The Room: Grand Deluxe, Guest Room, 1 King, High Floor

The Bedroom:

The Bathroom:

The Room: 1 King Bed, City View – A St Regis Suite

The Living Area:

The Bedroom:

The Bathroom:

In Room Amenities:

Food and Beverage:

St Regis Bar:

Mercado Restaurant

Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Breakfast

Around the Hotel Property:

Hotel Library:

Outdoor Pool:

Local Convenience Store:

Local Sightseeing

Checking Out of the St Regis Amman:

Bottom Line: The St Regis Amman

If you have stayed at the St Regis Amman, Jordan, did you find the hotel surpassed your expectations ?

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Getting Sandy in Wadi Rum, Jordan

Why Visit Wadi Rum?

Getting to Wadi Rum, Jordan:

Arranging a Wadi Rum Tour:

Setting Out into Wadi Rum:

Inspecting the Carvings:

Calling on the Lawrence House:

Under the Mushroom Rock:

Scrambling Up Little Bridge:

Climbing the Dunes near Jerko’s Rock:

Departing Wadi Rum:

My Thoughts on Wadi Rum, Jordan:

If you been to Wadi Rum – Jordan, where there any specific desert features you found interesting ?

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Review: Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan

Booking Memories Aicha Luxury Camp:

Which Room Should I Book?

Getting to Memories Aicha Luxury Camp:

Checking into Memories Aicha Luxury Camp:

The Tent: A Panoramic Luxury Tent

Around the Hotel Property:

Resort Area:

Food and Beverage:

Makki Cafe Shop:

Aicha Restaurant:

Walking into Wadi Rum for Sunset:

Watching the Stars:

Checking Out of Memories Aicha Luxury Camp:

Bottom Line: The Memories Aicha Luxury Tented Camp

If you have stayed at Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, did you spend extra for the glass domed Panoramic Luxury Tent ?

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Restaurant Review: Al Mohandes Cafeteria, Aqaba, Jordan

About Al Mohandes Cafeteria:

Locating Al Mohandes Cafeteria:

Inside Al Mohandes:

The Meal: Tasty Bowls of Hummus & Falafel

My Thoughts on Al Mohandes Cafeteria:

If you have visited Aqaba, Jordan, do you have any special restaurant finds that are worth sharing ?

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