Stay & Play
Jordan’s Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea
by Randy Mink
Basking in luxury at the lowest spot on earth certainly was a high point of my trip to Jordan with Goway Travel.
Modeled after a traditional desert village, the five-star Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea sprawls across acres of gardens on the eastern shore of the briny lake that separates Jordan and Israel. At this oasis of tranquility, guests enjoy floating effortlessly on the super-salty Dead Sea, lounging around poolside, indulging in spa treatments and dining at fine restaurants.
In the two-story village complex behind the main building, my ground-level room overlooked a courtyard with a lagoon-like swimming pool; the patio had cushioned seating in a cave-like nook perfect for relaxing over a good book. Second-floor rooms have a balcony.
Exploring the Resort Village
Poking around the courtyards and winding pathways, I spent time admiring the rustic architecture, lush vegetation and expert landscaping—and occasionally getting lost. Stucco walls in shades of pink and tan, graced with stone-trimmed archways and windows, are accented by flaming bougainvillea, oleander, majestic palms, and olive and citrus trees. Amidst fountains and waterfalls, chirping birds and prowling cats add to the enchantment. At one point I stumbled upon a garden that grows vegetables and herbs used by resort chefs.
Dining Choices Abound
One night our Goway group dined under the stars at The Grill, a Lebanese-inspired restaurant offering grilled meats, chicken and seafood. Seated at candle-lit tables facing the Village Square, we shared hot and cold mezzes (small plates) to start. I savored minced lamb pastry pockets as a main course. Also on the square are Chopsticks, a pan-Asian restaurant, and Luigi’s, which serves Italian specialties.
Mövenpick guests need to save room for the bountiful breakfast buffet in the main building’s Al Saraya restaurant, billed as a “Mediterranean country kitchen.” For tastes of the Middle East, help yourself to manakish, a disc of soft dough topped with shredded cheese or a spice mixture called zaatar. Or try labneh (a thick, creamy yogurt cheese) with walnuts.
Decor Evokes the Middle East
Artwork in the restaurant includes a camel caravan and other scenes from antiquity, a theme carried out in the resort’s palatial lobby, whose multiple areas are adorned with mosaics, antiques, filigree lanterns and chandeliers, screens in intricate arabesque patterns, and richly carved furniture inlaid with marble and mother-of-pearl. A fez-topped man, dressed as a traditional water carrier complete with an elaborate brass jug slung over his shoulder, circulates in the lobby, pouring lemonade and patiently posing for guests.
Beach and Spa Time
The Dead Sea shore, accessible from the lobby via golf cart service or a long walk, is lined with chunks of sparkling white salts and minerals whose therapeutic properties are said to be beneficial for the skin. It’s virtually impossible to sink in the Dead Sea, so you can pose in the buoyant water floating on your back. Products derived from the sea are used in treatments at the Zara Spa.
Switzerland-based Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has more than 120 properties in 35 countries. In the Red Sea port of Aqaba, our Goway gang stayed at Mövenpick Resort & Spa Tala Bay Aqaba, one of two Mövenpicks in Jordan’s southernmost city.
