Sherman's Travel

Expert Review

This elegant hotel boasts one of the best locations in town – just steps from the main gate to Petra itself – making it popular with visiting dignitaries and other well-heeled travelers. Given its clientele, this Mövenpick is altogether more opulent than its sister properties in the Dead Sea and Aqaba: A soaring skylit inner-courtyard, whose handmade wood-paneled ceiling is flecked with Syrian gold, is a welcome respite from the dusty heat of trekking through the site. So too are its quiet upstairs library, downstairs ice-cream bar, and fine-dining restaurant Al Iwan, considered Petra’s top table. At day’s end, the rooftop also morphs into an inviting Arabian Nights–themed lounge, where live music and barbeques carry on under a starry sky. The hotel’s 183 rooms are less dazzling than its public spaces, but most have recently been updated with a contemporary palette and high-tech gadgets like plasma TVs; some also feature balconies. 

Tags: luxury | swimming pool