CYNMARK24

My wife and I will be travelling to JORDAN, by way of ISRAEL, and would deeply appreciate any help you could give to respond to my questions.

Immediately before going to Amman, Jordan, we will be leaving from Jerusalem and plan on traveling thru the West Bank to the Allenby Bridge to cross into Jordan. We have read from others to take a taxi from the Damascus Gate to the border. Does anyone think that I should be concerned about our safety, going thru the West Bank? Would anyone suggest a better way of going by land from Jerusalem to Amman?

Desert Castles, Worth the time, or a waste of time, to give up a day for?

Petra. Would staying at the Movempick Hotel near the entrance to Petra be the wisest choice, money considerations aside? Are there any hotels that would be better?

I am crossing back into ISRAEL at Eilat where we are staying one night. How much time should I allow for Aqaba, and what should I do there?

Jordan, "on the road less traveled" would anyone have a suggestion as to do something different from the "usual" in starting from Amman down to Aqaba?

Thank you.

hamlet

I visited the Desert Castles and found it to be the dullest part of the trip. Depending on how much time you have and if you are doing something else, you might want to spend your time elsewhere.

Make sure you have a full day in Petra. I stayed at Movenpick the night before and after the full day, and also went back the morning after. For this reason the location was great. Otherwise, I don't think the hotel's, service, personnel, pricing, food, etc was as favorable. I also enjoyed a relaxing full day+ at the Dead Sea and seeing Jerash - you may want to consider one of these if not already part of your itinerary. I loved all these sights and experiences.

(Beware if you're thinking about Wadi Rum. You can read about my experience and others on other threads.)

CYNMARK24

Thank you for the advice. We are trying to change our hotel to the Movenpick for the reason you gave. We are with a Jordanian Tour company that provides a driver to take us to all the sites, and reserves all the hotels. Thank you for confirming our concerns about the Desert Castles. We are trying to cancel that day.

You are scaring me a bit with Wadi Rum. Tomorrow I will search out your threads on that trip.

moremiles

I agree about staying at least two nights right at the entrance to Petra and the Movenpick is supposed to be the best hotel there(though still not worth the price) and I believe the Crowne Plaza, where I stayed, is under renovation soon. Wadi Rum is spectacular but the camps get less than stellar reviews so I just took a 2 hr tour but would have loved to stay overnight there. The desert castle that I saw was also disappointing unlike Krak des Chevaliers in Syria! Have a great trip.

MyriamC

I'm with moremiles. Our time in the Wadi Rum could have lasted much longer. We took a half day tour but I would have loved to stay overnight. It's so beautiful, especially at night with the millions of stars.

Forget about Aqaba. There's really not much to see. If you'd like to spend a day at the beach, head to Tala Bay which is less than a half hour south of Aqaba.

MissGreen

Desert Castles... for me, was a bit of a waste of time. A long drive for not a huge "pay off" in my opinion.

pirouette

We just returned from a similar trip. We did a big loop starting in Amman, crossing into Israel at Eilat and returning to Amman from Tel Aviv. We crossed at the Sheik Hussein (Jordan River crossing) because we needed to get another entry visa which I understand was not available at the Allenby crossing. You may not have that problem if you have arranged your visas in advance.

I would not stay in Aqaba-we opted for Tala Bay which is a new development about 10 km away (towards the Saudi border). The beach and hotel were great (Movenpick).

We spent 5 nights using Jerusalem as a base for various day trips. We went to the West Bank and did not feel unsafe. We were in Jerusalem at the time of the first bomb blast last week, but the reality is that things can happen anywhere.

All in all we had a great trip with some very rich experiences.

alan43

We stayed at the Movenpick for 3 nights 2 yrs ago. Great location, very nice hotel though the food was all right for bkfst supper was not good. The chef was looking at a recipe card while making his part in the supper buffet. We ate in Wadi Musa instead and had some excellent meals especially the beduion specialities. Good prices and friendly people.

MyriamC

The Mövenpick hotels in Aqaba and in Tala Bay are NOT the same. I cannot comment on the one in Aqaba but the one in Tala Bay is brandnew with great pools and a private beach.

dutyfree

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza for two nights in Petra and thought that the location and the hotel itself was great!Our family arrived the night before(got to see Little Petra as the sun was setting).The next day we spent the whole day at Petra with another night at the Crowne Plaza which was perfect.
We then did a half day trip through Wadi Rum with lunch and then headed up to the Dead Sea staying at the beautiful and unbelievable Marriott. Instead of the castle tour I would strongly suggest going up to the Roman ruins in Jerash-fabulous!

Axel2DP

CYNMARK24 wrote:
>>You are scaring me a bit with Wadi Rum. Tomorrow I will search out your threads on that trip.<<


There are a lot of outfitters for Wadi Rum. If you pick yours carefully, ie from doing research in the guide books and then the internet, then I'm sure you'll have a great time. If you simply let your tour company, if you're using one, picks one out for you then most likely you'll wish the experience was better.

MissGreen

We were at the Dead Sea Marriott too and we absolutely loved it. We had a fabulous suite. We both wish we had longer here as it was so relaxing and fun. I was a goof and went down the pool slides with the kids.. and after that quite a few adults followed my lead! lol

We were at the Marriott in Petra. Just a short car ride. It was lovely there but a bit quiet. Not a lot of atmosphere.

Kavey

We did enjoy some of the desert castles, some were less interesting, however every one of them, for us, was better than the time we wasted at Aqaba. We found it an unappealing town and with little to do. That's just us though and we're not beach people at best of times, though have enjoyed some.

Loved Petra, of course. Found Movenpick at entrance very handy but others in immediate vicinity would probably be fine.

Other highlight for us was Jerash, which was fascinating.

losaltos

We also stayed at the Movenpick in Petra and actually hired a guide for the day at Wadi Rum from the hotel. The day was delightful -- one of the best experiences we had. We loved the landscape, the camels, the hieroglyphics, etc.
At the Dead Sea we stayed at the Kempinski Ishtar which is next to the Marriott. We had a lovely time there and it is a wonderful looking hotel. Jerash is a MUST!

BeniciaChris

We stayed at Marriott in Petra-most of our hotels on our Egypt/Jordan trip were Marriotts. I found the Petra Marriott not quite up to snuff. The Marriott at Dead Sea was wonderful. The Club/Bar REstaurant & Italian REstaurant at Dead Sea Marriott were wonderful.
We really loved Petra but if you have time go to the Dead Sea-enjoy your holiday

Falafel_Bus

Regarding your first question- travelling through the west bank is not a big issue, though generally easier if you have a Palestinian driver, however i would highly recommend you don't use the Allenby Bridge border crossing as it takes forever. Much better option is the Sheik Hussein border crossing a little further up. The distance from Jerusalem is negligible compared to the time you will save at the border.
Getting a taxi is easy enough and even your hotel could probably arrange it for you.
As for the other side of the border, if you arranged a transfer with a local company you could arrange to visit Jerash on your way to Amman. I loved Jerash and thought it to be one of the most impressive ancient sites i've seen (and ive seen a few), it only needs about 2 hrs there it is definitely worth it.
Or if you take a taxi from the border maybe they can stop there and you can find a guide at the entrance.
Desert castles get mixed reveiws, depends on your interests but would only do that side trip if you had a spare day to fill.

Petra -Moevenpick Nabatean is a great option and Petra amazing.

Aqaba- is a great little town but more a base for the surrounding sites of Wadi Rum and Musa (you will have done them) or for diving and watersports. If your not planning on diving or spending time on the water then 1 night is enough. The Restaurant at Captains Hotel in the city center has an amazing seafood platter.

Also dont be scared of Wadi Rum comments. the 4WD trip there is a must do (best at sunset or sunrise) and if you have time to spend a night in a desert camp then dont miss it. The camps arent all basic either as some have 4 poster beds in the Bedouin tents.
Hope that helps.....

Falafel_Bus

But there's more..
Sorry Dead sea is a must but assume your going there and try to visit Madaba and its impressive mosaics if you have time.