Jordan: Travel Guide | Itineraries and Highlights

During Spring break, or rather the previous Thursday.. the journey begins.

Noémy, my daughter-in-law, says she is lucky because she will miss all of her Friday classes as well as the ones on Monday following spring break.

Checking in with Royal Jordanian is very quick and we are through security in no time. A stop at lounge Banque Nationale in the cross-border zone is a must, as it is on every trip abroad.

It’s a great advantage to have the National Bank World Elite Mastercard^®, especially when you’re with a teenager with a stomach approaching a bottomless pit. We’ll come back to that stomach later.

I had rented a car for the whole trip and we soon arrived at the Amman Marriott Hotel, where we would be staying for the next five nights.

Why five nights? Because the fifth night is free when you redeem Marriott Bonvoy points for four nights!

I was also surprised to learn that we had been upgraded to a larger room and had access to the executive lounge, all because I hold Gold Elite status.

The lounge was visited twice a day, for breakfast and dinner. Didn’t I already tell you that I was traveling with a glutton?

I think Noémy was eating an average of 4 plates every visit. We loved lounge and the room too. The hotel is ultra-secure, with a police patrol car in the parking lot at all times and a basic search of the vehicle at each entrance.

We spent our first few days touring the north of the country, visiting the huge archaeological site of Jerash, the site of Umm Qeis, the town of As-Salt and Ajloun Castle.

We also took the opportunity to see the town of Madaba further south, Mount Nebo from where Moses saw the Promised Land, and the site of Christ’s baptism. And what can we say about Amman’s Roman theater or citadel, other than that it’s magnificent and grandiose!

The only negative point I could mention is the way Jordanians drive in Amman. Forget about driving as fast as you can and quickly take your place in that jumble of traffic circles and learn to honk like the locals do! I found it a little stressful to tell you the truth.

We headed to Petra for the rest of the trip. We spent two nights in a youth hostel in Petra, and Noémy had to adjust to a different level of comfort. The Marriott in Petra looked very good, but I would have missed out on some points.

How can I describe the site of Petra other than by saying that it’s grandiose! There is so much more to see than the canyon and the treasury that everyone recognizes. I recommend a 2-day visit, as there’s a lot to see. Don’t miss Petra by night, i.e. the visit of the treasury after dark by candlelight!

Arriving in the village of Wadi Rum, we left the car at the Wadi Rum Rest House and were promptly greeted by a tour company guide. We were treated to a private tour, Noémy and me in a Jeep in the desert.

Whether visiting the canyons or having tea with the Bedouins, we were charmed by the hospitality of the Jordanians and the beauty of the place!

The buffet dinner is cooked underground in the traditional way and was most succulent. Our night in a tent in the middle of the desert delighted us greatly! The next day, it was back to the village, but this time by camel to get back in the car and head for the Dead Sea.

We had intended to spend just one night at the Marriott Dead Sea and Spa, but with all that the site had to offer (and, I must admit, the accumulated fatigue helping too) we changed our booking at the last minute to spend two nights there, and we haven’t regretted our decision!

Two nice surprises awaited us, the first one an upgrade to a room with a balcony with a partial view of the Dead Sea. I’d call it a full view of the dead sea! From the very first moments after arriving in the room we were very excited about how our stay there would be.

I am almost forgetting the second surprise: the hotel offered us the buffet breakfast for the next two days. All because of my Gold Elite status.

The site includes a spa offering massages, an indoor pool, three outdoor pools, one of which is heated, as well as a private, supervised beach overlooking the Dead Sea, several restaurants, a beautiful souvenir store and much more!

Let me summarize the hours that followed our arrival in one word: relaxation. After all these days on the road and all these visits, we had to spoil ourselves!

And unfortunately this wonderful site concluded our beautiful adventure in Jordan.