Life & The Dead at Sea

Surrendering my weight to the salty waters of the Dead Sea, I float aimlessly like a raft lost in the ocean.  As I turn to the right I am greeted by the landscape of Jericho, one of the world’s oldest inhabited cities, a contrast of green and brown.

Over to my left is the Holy City of Jerusalem and Mount Nebo where Moses stood and saw the Promised Land for the first time.

I can be forgiven for feeling truly humbled and a little awestruck in this moment. Though not an overly religious kind of guy, I was still overcome by the history of the area and the thought that this is where life as we know it really began. Taking it all in, I let the gentle current lead me back to shore, where I take a cold shower before strolling back to the most amazing bungalow at the world-famous Kempinski Hotel Ishtar.

Only having three days to explore this biblical region, it quickly became apparent that we could spend weeks here, engrossing ourselves in the rich history of Jordan, and still not see it all. So we devised a plan that ultimately went a little something like this …

Day One

Touching down at Aman airport was a dream, as the Royal Jordanian Airlines fight was an easy three hours travel time from Dubai. Greeted at the airport by an extremely knowledgeable limousine driver who knew every inch of Jordan like the back of his hand, we commenced our descent by road, exactly 423 metres below sea level.

Arriving at the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar at midday, we settled into our magnificent villa and enjoyed lunch by the pool overlooking the Dead Sea. Getting our bearings and planning the next two days, we gazed at the shores of Israel in the distance and knew this was one of those ‘money can’t buy’ encounters.

Day Two

We started the day bright and early at five am, for our journey to Petra and the famed Indiana Jones cave ruins. Spending the day on horseback, absorbing all the history and culture, we had a sense of knowing that we had arrived somewhere special. I couldn’t help thinking of the Jones boys searching for the Holy Grail throughout the day, which brought a smile to my face every time. We departed at sunset and within minutes of the three-hour drive back to the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar, it was lights out, followed by near unconsciousness soon after.

Day Three

After such an intense day the day before, we decided this morning would consist of mudpacks, massages, and not a lot more. This is the beauty of the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar – it has exactly what you need so you can do absolutely nothing or experience everything. We did manage to squeeze in a workout in the afternoon and the great news is that the gym here is completely fitted out with our favourite gear from Precor. Of course, all that exercise then meant we deserved a one-hour deep tissue massage.

By then it was time to freshen up for dinner with the Hotel’s General Manager, a fellow Aussie by the name of Warren Goadby, who had been living in the Middle East for a number of years. Would you believe it, Warren’s mother was a squash player and knew of our lovely Danielle during her squash heyday. We can attribute the success of the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar largely to Warren – he knows exactly what he’s doing and he really made our stay there one of our best travel experiences ever.

After dinner, we simply sat down by the pool for an hour, just gazing out across the Dead Sea in silence, processing the profound magnitude of the past few days. Israel, Palestine, Jericho, Moses, John the Baptist, Jerusalem, the Dead Sea … names and places that are so richly woven into the tapestry of our history and were now part of one of the best experiences of our lives. Just remarkable.

Our flight from Dubai on Royal Jordanian Airlines only took three hours and the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar was only a 30-minute drive from the airport. If you are heading to Europe or the UK via Dubai, I strongly urge you to consider this as a side trip. I promise, you will thank me for it.

Kempinski Hotel Ishtar

Swaimeh, Dead Sea Road, 11194 Dead Sea, Amman

+962 5 356 8888