Location
Kempinski Hotel Ishtar is on the east bank northern section of the Dead Sea in Jordan. Journey time is about 45 – 50 minutes from Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport by car (which is the only way to get there – there is no public transport) and we asked the concierge to arrange a car to meet us which cost about 80JD from airport to hotel (or 50JD from Amman City to/from hotel). The hotel complex is huge but only half of the hotel was open when we visited (July – low season in Jordan as it’s 40c or more most days) and build right on the water’s edge with private beach (not natural as there is no sand in dead sea) overlooking the West Bank (excellent sunsets views over the West Bank hills).
Room
We stayed in a lovely ground floor room which had direct access to a deck area with day bed & chair and a small pool (which was shared with surrounding 6 – 10 villas). Room was new (hotel has only been open for a year) but needed some maintenance (wardrobe door was broken as well as a couple of lights – staff didn’t seem bothered to want to fix it). There was a small lounge area with chair and sofa in the room also. Bathroom was spacious with bath and separate shower and plenty of dead sea based cleaning & cosmetic products.
Restaurants &...Location
Kempinski Hotel Ishtar is on the east bank northern section of the Dead Sea in Jordan. Journey time is about 45 – 50 minutes from Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport by car (which is the only way to get there – there is no public transport) and we asked the concierge to arrange a car to meet us which cost about 80JD from airport to hotel (or 50JD from Amman City to/from hotel). The hotel complex is huge but only half of the hotel was open when we visited (July – low season in Jordan as it’s 40c or more most days) and build right on the water’s edge with private beach (not natural as there is no sand in dead sea) overlooking the West Bank (excellent sunsets views over the West Bank hills).
Room
We stayed in a lovely ground floor room which had direct access to a deck area with day bed & chair and a small pool (which was shared with surrounding 6 – 10 villas). Room was new (hotel has only been open for a year) but needed some maintenance (wardrobe door was broken as well as a couple of lights – staff didn’t seem bothered to want to fix it). There was a small lounge area with chair and sofa in the room also. Bathroom was spacious with bath and separate shower and plenty of dead sea based cleaning & cosmetic products.
Restaurants & Bars
As it was low season, only 3 restaurants were open - Ashur Pizza & Grill a nice pizza and pasta place by the lower infinity pool & beach. It has indoor (air conditioned) and outdoor tables for lunch or dinner. Akkad Pool Grill by the main infinity pool, although this is more of a lunch place and often closed in evenings for private receptions. The Obelisk Restaurant, the main restaurant where a huge breakfast buffet is served as well as lunch and dinner. Quality and service at restaurants was generally very good, but the costs were high (50JD for 2 pizzas, 2 glasses of local wine & water at Ashur Pizza & Grill). Also beware that if you don’t specify which water you want, the staff will bring expensive imported Evian and not the local Nestle branded mineral water which tastes the same.
Facilities & Staff
There is a small shop within hotel grounds, with swimwear, souvenirs and basic snacks & cosmetics. Staff were generally friendly but the service was a little inconsistent & patchy – especially with the room servicing, with a different person coming each day and not replacing towels etc. There are many pools, of course the amazing Dead Sea (don’t get the water in your mouth! It tastes horrible!) and a spa/fitness club.
Value of money
The complex is huge and the hotel knows that you’re not likely to walk beyond the gates, the Dead Sea hotel area has nothing else (no shops other than hotel ones) to offer within walking distance & there are road blocks coming in and going out of the area as well as armed guards on hotel perimeter. While this won’t affect your enjoyment, it’s worth thinking that this hotel complex is a place to stay unwind and not for sightseeing. As such, the Baptism site is closeby (15 mins by car) but as there are no local taxis in the area you must rely on the hotels cars which come at a premium cost. We paid about 117JD per night per room (plus tax & 10% service) in July.
Summary
A lovely place to relax and chill out, decent restaurants if you accept that these are the only place to eat nearby and understand the costs involved. Dead Sea is a wonderful and unique place to float in – recommend watching the sunset while floating in the sea, simply beautiful. Personally I’d avoid weekends if possible (hotel gets busy then, with locals from Amman taking a break from City) and try a two centre holiday with a visit to Amman, Petra or Wadi Rum if you can.More
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