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Hi will be spending a week in jordon in October and I’m looking for tips on hotels and places we want to stay at wadi rum and petra and help would be great
Hi Gee,
We (2 adults and 1 toddler) went to Jordan in Feb 2025 and had an excellent time out there.
In Amman, we stayed at the Hilton; we wanted something familiar given we arrived just after midnight. It was in a lively, albeit slightly sanitised area. It’s not too far from the main ‘old town’, and uber was pretty cheap to get get around the City. We hired a driver there who took us to the main sites.
For Wadi rum, we stayed in a Martian Bubble tent – there are plenty available and, having spent a decent amount of time researching, they are largely much of a muchness. You’re not going to be spending a lot of time in there, and they all have the same sort of offerings (good ac/heated rooms, running showers, buffet dinner, shisha, music etc.). Probably worth noting that the deeper you get into the rum, the facilities reduce.
With Petra, the main town to stay is Wadi Musa. Again, the hotels in this area were all fairly similar (and not of a great quality tbh). Only thing I would say is to get a hotel with a pool as, after a few days hiking/walking around Petra, it’s nice to relax in a pool. Additionally, once you’re back to your hotel, there isn’t a great deal to do in the town.
If you want top quality hotels, Aqaba down in the south is the place to go. We stayed at the Westin which has recently opened. Service was outstanding, the pool and beach were excellent and breakfast was a real highlight.
Happy to share my itinerary – it’s a truly wonderful country with friendly welcoming people.
I stayed at the Movenpick in Wadi Musa last time I was there, seems to still have good reviews and it’s the closest hotel to the Petra entrance (or it was unless something has been built closer). And then there’s Movenpick ice cream when you’ve slogged your way back up that hill.
We are going there this autumn as well – sorry for tagging into the thread!
Any good options for Accor Hotels? They seemed to me to be off the city centre of Amman
Thank you some great advice there ,we was looking at Jerusalem day trip not sure yet ?
Just bumping this thread. Has anyone had any recent experience of hiring a car in Jordan? The added flexibility is tempting as I’m planning a loop to see all the sites starting and finishing in Amman. Any recent recommendations would be appreciated.
Any recent recommendations would be appreciated.
my not very recent advice would be do not drive in the dark! -— otherwise I found Hertz trouble free despite the sort of vehicle damage which other car hire companies would have taken me to the cleaners for
Don’t marry a footballer
Amman to Petra is quite a drive, with lots of speed ramps. Being driven was much better for me.
I also did it by taxi with no regrets.
If you are at all interested in the Romans tack Jerash on the end. It’s not on your typical loop, but it’s less than an hour out of Amman- very easy to visit and a very impressive site.
I’m headed there in Feb. Last time (2007) I was driven around on a private tour which worked well apart from a nightmare morning when my driver turned up 2 hours later than arranged and I had no way to contact him and vice/versa. So this time I’ll drive myself. Looking at Sixt because th reviews of other majors are poor but I’ve not made a final decision yet.
As for Jerash, I’m going to give it a miss this time because I’ve been to so many Roman sites recently but on a first visit to Jordan it’s really a must see.
Heading straight out from Amman airport to Petra stopping along the way, a few days there, then half a day at Wadi Rum (don’t fancy the overnight bedouin experience) then Dana Biosphere Reserve, Madaba, dropping the car back at the airport and a taxi into the hotel in the centre so I don’t have to deal with Amman traffic in rush hour.
I’d be interested to hear how you get on with Sixt (if you finalise with them) as my trip will be in late March.
This is actually my second attempt to visit Jordan…the last time was in October 2023 a few days after Hamas attacked Israel.
At the time, I had a car reserved with a local company called AutoNation. Since then I’ve seen some poor reviews about the state of their cars so will definitely stick to one of the international companies this time around if I hire a car.
Just returned from Jordan don’t spend to much on hotels in Petra lots of restaurants, we stayed at the Petra plaza short walk to the the site, wadi rum is amazing again you don’t need to spend much on accommodation and one night is enough , so advice hire a car don’t drive at night be aware of the speed bumps that said driving was a dream, lovely people and country, we stayed in the Hilton dead sea for the last two night which was amazing Aman is great but hectic lol
I also did it by taxi with no regrets.
If you are at all interested in the Romans tack Jerash on the end. It’s not on your typical loop, but it’s less than an hour out of Amman- very easy to visit and a very impressive site.
I also did it by taxi with no regrets.
If you are at all interested in the Romans tack Jerash on the end. It’s not on your typical loop, but it’s less than an hour out of Amman- very easy to visit and a very impressive site.
+1 for Jerash. We thought it very impressive too. We visited at beginning of our trip before heading south as we flew back from Aqaba via Amman to London.
@Gee So which car hire company did you go with?
My trip was pre Covid and I hired a car from Hertz at the airport. I also had a local sim and used Waze. I spent 5 nights in the Hilton Dead Sea resort and drove extensively around the area including into Amman and Rainbow street.
I loved everything about that area all accessible from the hotel.
Also visited Madaba before heading to Petra for 2 nights. I didn’t do Wadi Musa but sadly went to Aqaba which was simply the worst place I have been to in some time. We had lunch at the Intercontinental and were treated like dirt. Too many Americans on cruise ships.
I found driving straightforward but Waze was essential.
Thinking of a long put-off trip to Jordan myself since reports say many people are being put off by regional conflict but Jordan remains safe enough.
Has anyone thoughts on travelling at the end of Ramadan? Will we have a positive experience of Eid or will we be Billy No Mates with nothing to do?
@masaccio No idea but I’m there right in the middle of Ramadan, Dubai when it begins, then Oman. So will be interesting to compare the various countries.
I’ve booked the flights anyway since I have a couple of Barclays vouchers I’m not going to use otherwise. And oddly I was able to pick row 1 outbound despite being a lowly Silver for a few weeks more. Off to hunt hotels and dig out my previously abandoned itinerary.
Would anyone care to offer thoughts on doing this:
Amman – 3 nts
Wadi Rum – 1 nt
Petra – 3 nts
Dana – 1 nt
Dead Sea – 2 nts
Madaba – 2 ntsAmman we arrive very late (0055) so it’ll be a day in the city and a day trip to Jerash and area. And then for Madaba, I know it’s not worth 2 nights, but I wanted somewhere close-ish to the airport and we can drive from there first thing and drop the car at Avis before the 0645 return flight.
OH has countered my itinerary with “We could stay 2 nights in the Waitrose place” by which she means Discovery Bedu in Wadi Rum. I’m happy with one night there but 2 flexes my cost allergies just too much. All other places in Wadi Rum have been compared to various budget supermarkets.
@masaccio I would reverse the Wadi Run and Petra, Otherwise you’re driving 4.5+ hours at a stretch.
Mine is:
Arrive Amman at lunchtime, head for Petra and see a couple of castles etc on the way.
Petra 3 nights
Wadi rum half day tour (I didn’t fancy the bedouin night)
Dana 1 night
Madaba on thw way back to Amman
Drop car at airport
Amman 3 nightsBear in mind I’ve been before so this is about more time in Petra, doing the back route to the Monastery, visiting Wadi Run and Dana, and more time in Amman as I only got a couple of hours last time.
Have you looked at the Jordan Pass in lieu of the visa? It’s a great deal. Visa paperwork comes attached to the pass.
Yes definitely doing the Jordan Pass. I’ll take a look at ordering of the trip, but I think availability of where we want to stay in Wadi Rum might have driven it.
Quick update/tips for Jordan.
Sixt over Avis, just no hassle. Driving in Jordan is wonderful, just don’t do it in Amman, particularly rush hour. The rules are akin to Cairo – Never give way, never follow any traffic signals, police directions, white lines, pull out in front of everything and drive like a lunatic straight at pedestrians on a zebra crossing.
The only ATM that is fee free is Jordan Kuwait bank (or so I’m told)
If you like your alcohol then buy it at the duty free as you arrive or from the liqour stores in Amman before heading south. There’s nowhere to buy in Wadi Musa etc unless you drink in the 5* hotels or a couple of bars. Note: Liqour stores in Amman are closed during Ramadan but bars still serve. Go figure.
Uber is cash only – There is an option to register a card but I tried 3 and all returned invalid card. There seems to be a 15 JOD surcharge from the airport into town, the fare came up as 35 in to town and 20 out but that only shows when you’re actually at the airport so it’s geo fenced. Otherwise Uber fares are dirt cheap. 2-5 JOD.
I made the mistake of catching the airport bus. Was supposed to be 3.3 JOD and 1 stop to the end of the line at north bus station. Well the driver took very weird turns, kept picking up and dropping off people for cash all over the place. We were over half an hour late, and he stopped very near the Marriott to let someone else off, I tried to get off and was prevented from doing so. He shouted at me about the police and I couldn’t leave the bus there. Obviously some kind of scam going on.
Only time I was actually asked for a tip (not even in Egypt) was at the archeological museum in Maddaba. The guy in the ticket office decided unprompted to give me a tour which mostly consisted of the words greek, roman, 6th century, byzantine. I think those were the only words of Engligh he knew – Then asked for his tip. Funniest thing was he just couldn’t stop yawning – Ramadan causes that apparently.
Great tips, thanks @davefl. Did you try Careem for taxis at all? I downloaded it just now and a trial booking from the airport suggested Apple Pay would work.
Had a great trip to Jordan over the New Year. Can recommend Signia by Hilton in Amman, Wadi Rum Desert Adventures (https://www.wadirumdesertadventures.com) and Al Manara, a Luxury Collection Hotel (Marriott) in Aqaba.
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