Inquiries:

You can visit the hotel's website at: Days Inn for the best rate on this hotel, located in Aqaba, Jordan.

Location:

The hotel is centrally located in Aqaba, Jordan. The public beach in Aqaba is only about 10 minutes by walk, while shops and other local attractions are also within about 10 minutes of the hotel by walk. There is an Aqaba tourist center nearby that can provide maps and other useful information on things to do in this area. Western fast food eateries, such as Burger King, etc. are down the street from the hotel. To get to the nicer beaches or the tourist beach outside of Aqaba, we needed a car as they were about 20 to 30 minutes (by car) away, south of the hotel near the border of Saudi Arabia. We liked the location because it is close to walk to the local shops and eateries in the evenings, while we spent our day at south beach.

Room Comfort:

We booked a standard room and were quite pleased with it. It was very spacious and had a large double bed, sofa, coffee table, in-room safe, large closet, full-length mirrors, small TV, mini-bar, paid wireless internet and much more. The room also had a self-controlled central A/C that we could not figure out how to use, but since it wasn't required during our stay in March, we didn't bother asking the staff for assistance. Most rooms have a balcony, but ours didn't which is why our room was bigger than the ones with the balcony. On the negative side, one of the may lamps inside the room did not work, which didn't help the poorly lit room. We really can't complain much about the room as it exceeded our expectations for the price we paid. It was really spacious, modern and comfortable.

Cleanliness:

The rooms, hotel and restaurant were clean. The small pool on the roof was a little run-down.

Service:

The biggest problem we had was that there was no information on the hotel's services and amenities, so we had to keep asking the staff at the front desk for information. Although they were always helpful, they were also busy so we didn't always have access to them. On another occasion, we called housekeeping to bring us toilet paper and a fresh bath towel to the room but when they came about 5 minutes later, they asked if we called to have laundry picked-up. When we explained what we wanted, they told us to call reception instead of house keeping, so we did. The first time we called them, they forgot to ask for the room number and since we assumed that their phone system automatically lets them know what room is calling, we assumed everything was fine and just waited for them to bring us the stuff we asked for. After about 15 minutes we called them again and the person who answered the phone told us they needed the room number, which we gave them this time. Finally, after another 15 minutes of waiting, an individual brought us a fresh hand towel and toilet paper. Since we asked for a bath towel and were given a face cloth, we had to wait a few more minutes for them to bring the bath towel. Having said all of this, you can be the judge if the service is good or not. We tend to think that for a four-star hotel, it should be better.

Food:

We ate breakfast at the hotel since it was included with the room booking. The food at breakfast was fresh and good. It was served buffet style and had enough variety of food to chose from to please most people. 

Overall Value:

Although we weren't pleased with the service at the hotel, we think this hotel is still a decent option in Aqaba. The rooms were clean, big, modern and inexpensive. The location was good for exploring Aqaba and the surrounding area. With a car, you can access the southern beaches along the Red Sea with relative ease. If you are interested in a beach destination and don't have your own transportation, choose a hotel that's more appropriate for that type of holiday as this one is not. The pool on the roof is small and aging, so don't rely on it for a poolside retreat.

Other Notes:

• The tourist beach, south of Aqaba, along the Dead Sea is a paid beach, but offers free lounge chairs and pool access. The towels are for rent. The snorkeling in the Dead Sea is excellent and should not be missed. It felt like swimming in an aquarium.
• Be careful while driving in Jordan as there are a lot of radar traps on all the roads. We kept to the speed limits and didn't have any problems driving around. When we were stopped at the police checks (before entering the Dead Sea and Aqaba areas), the police officers were nice and friendly.

Photos:

Inquiries:

You can visit the hotel's website at: amrapalace.com or check out Hotels.com for the best deals on other accommodations in the Wadi Muosa, Jordan area.

Location:

We liked where the hotel was located in Wadi Muosa. It was on a quiet street, within walking distance to local shops and eateries in the center of Wadi Muosa. We had a rental car through Europcar.com and it was needed to get to the Petra Archaeological Park. The drive from the hotel to the park was only about 5 minutes, but the last thing we wanted to do it walk back from the park to the hotel after spending the entire day walking in the park. We arrived at the hotel from Amman by taking the coastal highway (and stopping at the Dead Sea for a few hours) and it was relatively easy to find by following the signs to Wadi Muosa. The beach at Dead Sea was about 200 kilometers away and it took us about 2.5 hours to get to the hotel from the Dead Sea beach. The city of Aqaba is about 120 kilometers from the hotel and it took us about 1.5 hours to get there at a leisurely pace.

Room Comfort:

Walking down the carpeted and somewhat rundown hallways of the hotel, we were a bit skeptical on what to expect from the rooms, but we were pleasantly surprised to see that the room was quite nice. We had a corner room on the third floor which had large windows on two sides of the room. We were able to open the windows and take some nice photos of the surrounding hills and houses. The room was very spacious and contained a self-controlled heater, A/C, satellite TV, and wireless internet for a fee. The carpeted room had a large king-sized bed, a small table, desk and some comfortable chairs to go with them. The contemporary decor wasn't new, but was well maintained. The bathroom was also spacious but the floors in the bathroom were always cold, so heated floors would be a welcome addition to the rooms.

The locks on the doors were flimsy, but security or safety didn't seem to be an issue at the hotel or in Jordan during our stay.

Cleanliness:

The rooms and restaurant were clean and well maintained. The carpeted hallways looked a bit tired and could use some renovations. There was some mould in the bathroom but was very limited and could easily be eliminated with one good cleaning.

Service:

The service at the hotel was welcoming, friendly and good. The staff seemed genuinely happy and always had a smile on their faces, even when they were busy dealing with large number of people at the same time during peak periods when tour groups were checking in or out. We reserved the room through email about 3 months in advance of our stay, and even though we didn't pre-pay, our reservation was still there. The hotel was helpful in giving directions to Petra Archeological Park and answered all of our questions during our stay

During breakfast, the staff replenished items that ran out as soon as they ran out. They were always available and helpful when someone needed something. We were quite pleased with the service at this hotel as it exceed our expectations at this price range.

Food:

The buffet breakfast was quite satisfying as it contained well made, quality food items, including yogurts, eggs, breads, pastries, fruits and so on. We had no trouble finding food items at their buffet that we really enjoyed. The good variety of foods would certainly satisfy even the pickiest eaters such as ourselves.

Overall Value:

Needless to say, we quite enjoyed our stay at this hotel. Other than the cold bathroom floors and the additional cost of internet, Turkish bath, use of swimming pool and so on, we really have nothing to complain about. The hotel is a good value for the area. 

Other Notes:

• This hotel is frequently used by tour group operators. We usually stay away from these types of hotels, but this one is quite good even for independent travelers.
• Be careful while driving in Jordan as there are a lot of radar traps on all the roads. We kept to the speed limits and didn't have any problems driving around. When we were stopped at the police checks (before entering the Dead Sea and Aqaba areas), the police officers were nice and friendly.

Photos: