Just back from a one week trip to Jordan The itinerary was busy with the excursions mainly focused on the historical sites in and around Amman, Jerash and Petra, together with the scenic splendour of Wadi Rum. At the end of the holiday there was a chance to relax at the hotel in Aqaba for 2 nights.
In Amman we visited the Roman amphitheatre and the Amman Citadel which included the Temple of Hercules. The following day we visited the Roman site at Jerash, the largest and best preserved Roman complex outside of Italy, but not before having a tasty lunch in the sunshine at a restaurant overlooking the town.
The Bristol hotel in Amman was lovely with buffets at breakfast and dinner offering plenty of choice. However, for myself and others who were accommodated on the 7th floor, the stay here was spoiled by the night club immediately above playing very loud music until 02.15am. Sunday night / Monday morning was thankfully the band's night off, but for 2 out of 3 nights those of us on the 7th floor got no sleep whatsoever! We tried to get moved but only 1 lady succeeded in this as the hotel was full. Our tour leader, Paul, tried to negotiate a noise level reduction with reception but to no avail.
So onwards, via Shobek castle, to Petra the undoubted highlight of the tour and a sight that we had all been eagerly anticipating. Suffice to say it did not disappoint and everyone really enjoyed it - especially those few who managed the 800 steps up to the monastery. The evening visit to see a Bedouin show at the treasury by candlelight however was a little underwhelming.
The hotel at Petra had been changed from that originally shown in the itinerary (the lovely guest house just outside the visitor centre) to a village complex about 12km away. The rooms were quaint and the views over the surrounding hills spectacular, but most people confirmed that they would have preferred the original hotel.
After Petra, we travelled on to our final destination via Wadi Rum. At this stage we had another change to the itinerary. We had been contacted the day before we where due to travel and informed that the 4x4 trip through Wadi Rum had been cancelled due to H&S reasons. In it's place we had a tour through a small section of Wadi Rum by coach, which included a lunch in a Bedouin tent. Whilst the scenery was superb it only made us wonder what we could have seen had the original itinerary been adhered to.
The Radisson Blu hotel in Aqaba was good, a large complex with numerous swimming pools and located on the beach. Egypt and the Sinai is just across the bay.
Our group had 30 travellers and we all mixed well. Our tour manager Paul was very efficient and gave 2 very interesting, completely unscripted, talks about the crusades and the life of Lawrence of Arabia whilst we were travelling on the coach. He was clear in all he told us and our local guide Hassan was also excellent.
The weather was hot and sunny throughout with temperatures up to 30 deg C during the day.
To summarise, I would give this holiday 7 out of 10, due to the problems at the Bristol hotel (although you would be unaffected by the noise if you weren't on the 7th floor), the change to the hotel at Petra and the very late cancellation of the 4x4 trip through Wadi Rum.
Regarding money, you can change Sterling to Dinar in Jordan at a better rate than in UK. At a small supermarket about 5 mins walk from the hotel in Amman the rate was 1.05, and at the Petra visitor centre they were offering 1.14. This was compered to 0.98 in UK.
Alcohol is very expensive, up to 10 dinar for a large beer and up to 12 dinar for a glass of wine. There is a happy hour from 18.00-20.00hrs in the hotels in Amman and Aqaba when drinks are half price.
If people have any other questions regarding the holiday that I haven't covered, I will be happy to try and answer them.
Cheers
Mike
