Hi, it has been a while since I made a post on here.

I am off to Jordan in September 2011 for a week and would like some advice on what to do and what to see.

I have received some prices (Ł800 - Ł1200 per person) for a 6 escorted tours around Petra / Dead Sea / Wadi Rum etc for 6 days and I am shocked at the cost which tour guides are charging despite accomodation and transportation being very reasonable in the country. Whilst I want my first trip to Jordan to be memorable I cant justify spending that amount of money on a tour, so I am opting to tour the country myself. My proposed itinary is:

13 September - Arrival at Jordan Queen Alia Airport late evening.
13/14 September - Stay in Amman
15/16 September - Petra
17/18 September - Dead Sea Resport (I have booked the Holiday Inn Dead Sea resort as I can't get a reservation at the CP)
19 September - One night in Amman
20 September - Return flight back to London

What would people recommend for accomodation in Petra and Amman?

What is there to see in Amman? I have a list of places which look inviting...

1. Roman Theatre
2. Nymphaeum
3. Citadel (Jabal al-Qal'a)
4. Abu Darwish Mosque
5. Temple of Herakles
6. Ummayad Palace
7. Darat al-Funun
8. The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts

I appreciate your feedback and experiences!

Bonita Inn in Amman is in a great location and is a good bang-for-your buck if you're into a cheap no-frills but clean enough sort of place.

Some comments on your itinerary. Try to do an overnight in Wadi Rum, or at least get out there. It's definitely one of the most special/unique things in Jordan. Consider stopping off to see the famous Madaba map (it'll take 10 minutes); it's on the way from Amman to Petra. There's nothing particularly great about any of the sites of Amman; there are much more interesting mosques, roman ruins, etc. all over the Middle East, and it'll be no great loss if you don't see any of that stuff. Also, do you have your heart set on 2 nights at the Dead Sea? I like the Dead Sea and have been several times, but I've never spent more than 2-3 hours at a time there. I like the Dead Sea for the experience of floating and doing the whole mud thing, but my personal feeling is to not use it as a weekend retreat.

And you're right that organized tours are a rip-off. If you're looking for some "organization" and are willing to spend a little bit of money, I suggest you contact Abdul Ibrahim -- my review of him is here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/middl...l-ibrahim.html . I don't know if he'll do Jordan only or if he'll be free when you need him, but email him if you're interested.

Why not make a reservation for a nice hotel in Amman, like the Four Seasons or Intercontinental. Then ring up the concierge and ask them for recommendations that are reasonably priced. Or, just go to Amman and sort it out there.

I have booked two nights in a King bed club Intercontinental room at the Intercontinental at the flexible rate of 180JD plus taxes a night. I won't arrive until 10pm, so wont make the use of the facalities that day :-(

Hi,

We just did this trip in Dec, Jan.

Amman can be done in a day. I might suggest a day trip to Jerash to see the Roman ruins. Amazing place! Can be done in an afternoon.
Madaba is about 45 mins south of Amman and an absolutely wonderful town. Try to stay overnight and enjoy the town once the tourists leave. We stayed at the Mosaic City Hotel that is run by a family. You can park and walk to everything. I think it was about 60 bucks a night. This may be a nice alternative to Amman which I did not think was too inspiring.
We had someone pick us up at the airport and take us directly to the dead sea. From there we rented a car which I would highly suggest. Driving in Jordan is easy, roads make complete sense and the price was very reasonable. It also allowed us to hit some off the beaten path places. Umm a Rasis (sp) is an overlooked site outside of Madaba.

PM me with any questions, I still have a ton of info.

KS

In Petra all of the hotels basically suck unless you can afford the Movenpick or some of the others. We stayed at the Petra Palace at about 150 a night. Sheets were clean and it was fairly quiet. It is a grindhouse though for tourist packages. Avoid breakfast. Run up the hill and head to the sweet shop in town for tea and sweets. This hotel is within walking distance to the entrace to Petra.

Drunkmuppet is right on the money re hotels. Mosaic City Hotel in Madaba was a really good value hotel, and staying in Madaba is certainly an alternative to having two separate stints in Amman. Also, the Petra hotels seemed uniformly horrible and overpriced; just stay at the cheapest place you can find because pretty much everything gets bad reviews on tripadvisor.

And I second the recommendation for Jerash if you have the time. In fact, going to Jerash could replace seeing anything in Amman.

The CP Petra reminds me of the CP Alice Springs!

I have a alternative reservation at the Sharah Mountains Hotel in Petra just in case I change my mind!

What tourist guide books would you all recommend?

Stayed at the Grand Hyatt. Rates are high but only 8k points a night. Great deal. Really loved the location and good stuff. Jordan is a great country, not only Amman but especially Petra is worth the trip alone.

Pm if you like and I can give you some suggestions.

Paul,
If you arrive late and don't want to pay too much but need a decent place consider the hotel Misk in Amman, a good new clean 3 star place a little outside the center. We passed through Amman and didn't do any sightseeing so I can't comment on the city itself - everyone said not to bother. However, I agree with the recommendation to see Jerash. If you're interested in Roman sites it's a wonderfully preserved provincial city.

We used Abdul who's recommended above in Syria and he is a great driver and an all round good guy. In Jordan you really can drive yourself which is what we did. The King's Highway is a little hard to navigate on your own, though not too bad. I believe the desert highway route to Petra is a lot easier.

In Petra we weren't impressed with the hotels and decided to do something different by staying at Bedouin camp. We loved being out of town and got great advice from the people who ran it, a Bedouin guy and his English wife. You get a small tented room with a proper bed and share a bathroom. Basic but fun. Anyway if you're interested it's Seven Wonders
http://www.sevenwondersbedouincamp.com/

I have some posts on Petra and the Dead Sea on my blog and will be adding more to the stuff I already have on Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Hope it helps
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.com/

6 days for $1900 per person???
Holy crap!

Thats what I paid for a 5 week tour of Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt with Imaginative Traveller five years ago!!! With all hotels, transport, and sights included!!!!

I'll second that. I've got a quote of under $4000 for 6 nights, 6 days for 2 people in 2 rooms and a private guide to drive us around. The hotels websites suggest, taking into account what the hotels would cost if I booked them, the driver is costing us under $1000. Of course, the company probably gets a discount on the hotel, so booking the guide costs more money, but thats just semantics.

As far as Petra is concerned, currently the Movenpick Petra Resort (not to be confused with Movenpick Nabatean) is hands down the best hotel in the Wadi Mousa. No contest there. There is another property called Taybet Zaman set in a lovely village but it is far from the site of Petra (30 minute drive) and the service is woeful at best.

In as far as the Dead Sea is concerned, the Movenpick is wonderful (assuming one can get a reservation for that period.) Architecturally (design based on e villages of northern Jordan) is infinitely more interesting than the Holiday Inn or the mess that is the CP. The spa at the Movenpick is consistently rated by Conde Nast as one of the best in the region. If your budget allows it, I would also consider the Kempinski which has beautiful grounds, pools and spa, however, the food and beverage department remains miserable.

Amman has a wider variety of hotels and they are all good and it just boils down to your personal taste. The Four Seasons remains a clear favorite with the majority of visitors. The Sheraton and the Grand Hyatt are good alternatives. The InterContinetal is a wonderful option. Make sure to ask for the renovated rooms in block A or better yet ask for a renovated club floor room in block A and use their new club lounge (the best in town.)

If you are staying in Amman, as a priority make sure to visit Jerash as a day trip. Jerash is the ruins of an ancient Roman city that was part of the Decapolis. Also in Amman is the Citadel which comprises the Umayyad Palace (remnants of) and the ruins of a roman temple. Close by is the Roman Theatre which is in a good state of preservation and its location in the midst of the hustle and bustle of downtown Amman is interesting.

On the way to Petra perhaps you can visit Madaba and Mount Nebo. I also concur with an earlier post that you should try and visit Wadi Rum and maybe even camp in the desert for one evening.

Try and book your guides from the concierge of the hotels that you are staying in. Get in touch with them from and get some quotes.

I have tons of more info. You are more than welcome to PM me if you like.