Hotel: Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea
Nine pools, a sandy Dead Sea beach, the largest spa in the Middle East, oh my!
The scale of this incredible property is apparent from the moment you drive into the complex. Split across a the modern Main Building and the more Arabesque setting of The Ishtar Village, the 345 rooms and suites cascade down the hill towards the northern shore of Dead Sea.
Scattered throughout the lush grounds you’ll find nine pools ranging from large lagoon pools to a stunning circular infinity pool with views across to Israel, along with quite hidden enclaves, and a private Dead Sea beach to complete a quintessential high-end resort experience. The grounds expansive and I imagine it would be hard not to find somewhere quiet to relax, even when getting close to full occupancy.
We were upgraded on arrival to an Ishtar Terrace Room and were allocated a large, well designed room facing the Dead Sea with an expansive terrace that you entered the room from, as well as a separate balcony off the bedroom. The room could do with a slight update, but in any case it was luxurious – especially the bathroom – and completely functional.
My only issue with the room was somehow mosquitos managed get into the room whilst we were sleeping (literally felt like 1,000s), waking us up at some ungodly hour. Housekeeping was quick to respond and came with some spray for the room. To my surprise they had electronic mosquito deterrents in a drawer which he plugged in for us. If they know there is potentially an issue, why not just put these on for guests during turn down?
Of course if you’re drawn to the Dead Sea, you’ll likely be interested in enjoying some sort of spa moment. The Kempinski will not disappoint with the 10,000 m2 Ishtar Spa by Resense being the largest in the Middle East. In addition to using all the facilities and various pools (including a Dead Sea pool), we enjoyed a nice treatment during our stay called The Polish and Swathe (salt scrub, mud wrap and massage). This was great, except I got way too hot in the electric blanket they wrapped me in and my therapist had vanished for a few moments leaving me calling out for her to get it off. Kind of funny looking back to imagine what I would have looked like wrapped up like a mummy in a dark room saying “hello?” over and over, and louder and louder…
Aside from the spa complex, we mostly enjoyed the circular infinity pool. It was a really nice temperature to swim in – the weather wasn’t especially warm mid-April. The other pools were much cooler and we probably should have started in one of those to enjoy them more! We also spent some time each day down at the serviced Dead Sea beach where the hotel provides everything you need for this experience including rich Dead Sea mud in an urn to apply to your body. Travis didn’t enjoy the actual Dead Sea as much as I did.
Dining and drinking options are varied and cater to a range of tastes. We had lunch both days of our visit at the Akkad Pool Grill. Breakfast at the Obelisk Restaurant was a buffet typical of this category with all the usual suspects and more. For dinner, we had in-room dining on our terrace which was nice. Meals weren’t especially memorable, but not terrible.
Overall, service from check-in to check-out was warm, Jordanian hospitality. Not outstanding, and I probably wouldn’t expect so for a hotel of this size, but friendly enough and reasonably efficient. We felt looked after by all staff we interacted with.
I’d wanted to stay at this particular hotel for a while and I’m really glad we did. Other options along the Jordanian coast did not seem to come close in terms of standard or appeal and we had a no regrets stay.
Sojourn Summary
If you’re looking for an exclusive, opulent stay on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea, you really can’t go past the Kempinski. Incredible architecture, facilities and a winning location combine for a slick, luxury experience.
Sojourn Essentials
My sojourn rating: ★★★★★
Hotel’s own rating: ★★★★★
Hotel’s website: https://www.kempinski.com/en/dead-sea/hotel-ishtar/
Loyalty program: DISCOVERY GHA Loyalty Program (https://www.discoveryloyalty.com/ )
My room type: Ishtar Terrace Room (upgraded from Ishtar Superior Room)
My dates: 14 April 19 to 15 April 19 (one night)
How I reserved: Global Hotel Alliance (https://www.discoveryloyalty.com/ ), members receive a preferential rate including breakfast, and my Platinum status was recognised. Member benefits will apply on certain rates when you book your sojourn with me.