Here's an airticle I wrote after a visit to the Dead Sea area in 2006 - although a little 'dated' now, I hope it contains some useful info for anyone planning a trip to the area.
Enjoy!
The Dead Sea is a 40-minute car journey from the Airport. Taking seemingly scant regard for the potholes and dangerously over-laden lorries en route, my taxi driver got me there in quick time.
Nestled quietly on the shores of the fabled Dead Sea, the Marriott Jordan Valley Dead Sea Resort and Spa is currently one of only a handful of hotels in the area. Not your usual holiday location I thought – no surrounding collective bustle of shops, bars or restaurants. This, of course, has its advantages – it’s very quiet. The vista over the Dead Sea to the West Bank is un-obscured from any of the three swimming pools that cascade through the well-manicured gardens that stretch down the hillside to the shoreline.
The Marriott offers all the facilities and services synonymous with a 200-room five star resort hotel. The big attraction is The Spa. Calm, serene, and humming of exotic incense, oils and soothing music. Hotel residents can take advantage of several free-of-charge facilities that include a mud pool and a Dead Sea water pool for those who don’t want to rough-it down on the beach – although, for me, stumbling uncomfortably over rocks and stones into the sea is all part of the experience. If you do nothing else though, have an Aromatherapy Salt and Oil Scrub – 25 minutes of deep cleansing and relaxation.
The most incredible thing about this location, however, is the place itself. At more than 400 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea (separated from the Mediterranean Sea millions of years ago) has to be one of the most unique places you will ever visit and lies in a volatile land – tectonically, geographically, and politically. The scenery is of Biblical proportions. Religious undertones almost seem to be part of the very fabric of the region – a place where, within 10 minutes drive, you can visit the very place where John the Baptist is believed to have baptised Jesus Christ. It’s mystical.
Compelling reminders are everywhere – the lights of Jericho across the water, Mount Nebu, Petra – not to mention the historical and biblical accounts of lost cities such as Sodom and Gomorrah. Even the sea itself, rich in minerals seeping from the very earth itself over millions of years, is believed to be imbued with curative properties. For sure, a dip in the bath water temperature of the Dead Sea is a unique experience. You can actually feel the high concentrations of magnesium, calcium, bromide and potassium working their magic – healing – nourishing – revitalising.
My pre-departure holiday research told me that the Dead Sea contains 21 minerals – 12 of which are not found in any other sea or ocean and that it contains 32% salts compared to the normal volume of c3%. Even the air, having the lowest barometric pressure of any terrestrial location on Earth, also contains 8% more oxygen than anywhere else. All this while floating with book in hand – it’s like a full workout without any of the associated effort. I made sure I had my recommended 20 minutes a day of it. Sun bathing is even easy here as the sun is naturally filtered through additional layers of atmosphere than at sea level making the pursuit of that healthy glow a safer pastime than on the beaches of the Costa Del Whatever.
The big ‘must see/do’ in Jordan is a visit to Petra. The UNESCO world heritage site is a two to three hour car journey from away and is well worth the day-trip. I hired a car and a driver to go with it for less than 100JD (c£80) … for c6 hours worth of driving, coupled with the freedom to go/return when it suits me, seemed like great value to me.
There are two routes to Petra from the Dead Sea – take both – one will take you via the capital city of Amman. The other route (which you should take on your return) will take you down from the surrounding sea level to the Dead Sea through Jordan’s own ‘Grand Canyon’. With its breath-taking scenery reminiscent of a Star Wars film set – remarkable.
A coastal drive of 40 minutes will take you past hot springs and deliver you, full of unforgettable memories, back to the comforts of the Marriott. You will be tired and dusty from your Petra experience but, if you set out early enough you should be back at your hotel in time to watch the sun set over the Holy Land across the sea from either the infinity pool or whilst resting your weary limbs floating in the weightlessness of the magical Dead Sea – cocktail or beer in hand of course!
Top tips:
1) Get a poolside room – slightly more expensive but worth it.
2) Lie by a different pool each day – one is ‘adults only’.
3) Avoid the weekends (Fridays and Saturdays in Jordan) – the hotel gets very busy with local guests.
4) Take a daily dip in the magical Dead Sea.
5) See sunrise on the West Bank and, at the end of the day, watch the sun go down over the distant Holy Land.
6) The flies are a nuisance but there are no mosquitoes.
7) Don’t get any water from The Dead Sea in your mouth – it tastes vile.
8) Don’t wax your bikini-line or shave your chiselled face before you go in the Sea – it stings big time.
9) Cover yourself in mineral rich Dead Sea mud but, be warned, there are limits to its powers and don’t come home disappointed if you don’t look ten years younger!
More information:
www.ba.com
www.marriott.com/QMDJV
www.see-jordan.com
www.fco.gov.uk