Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea

salty paradise

by gruffo about Kempinski Hotel Ishtar - Dead Sea, Jordan

I stayed at the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar on the Dead Sea Coast in Jordan for four nights and I must say, this is perhaps the finest hotel I have set foot in. The brand new villas and rooms are with large, stylishly designed interiors, impressive bathrooms and comfortable balconies. The 10 pools, numerous restaurants and private beach ensure that you need not venture out of this gorgeous fort with strignant security at the gates. The architecture of the complex is impressive in its own right. The gardened pathways make for great walks, but the private beach is the place to be - floating on top of the Dead Sea - it is the closest experience to weightlessness here on Earth. Nothing is more relaxing than laying in the water and watching the sun set over Mt Hebron and the West Bank, as the lights of Jerusalem rise over the hill to the right...
All that, naturally at a fat price tag - 200 euro per room if you are lucky. 10 pools, including the Infinity pool, which, when swimming in it, appears to merge with the sea.

private beach with a sandy stretch on the Dead Sea coast

great views over the Dead Sea towards the West Bank

Stolen items by staff

by TripAdvisor Member Ry4

I have stayed at the kempinski dead sea several times before...at best the service is basic & although it is Ramadan service was even more slow & difficult than normal.

The new reception is miles from where we were staying by the pools & the only way to get back from our room was to walk...15 mins & very hot...we walked past many staff who had no idea what to do.

The flies inside the resturants numbered in there thousands & this made eating or even sitting at the pool impossible...everyone was swatting the masses just to have 20 more take their place.

Finally I made the mistake of leaving my dress jacket & shirt in my room upon checkout...both have gone missing & I can only suggest have been STOLEN by the house keeping...after many calls there is still no sign of the jacket...maybe it will turn up at a staff function.

Overall the kempinski is basic at the least..the resturants are slow & service is bad....the view & infinity pool can only ease so much of the pain.

I will be going back to the Marriot or Moven Pic from now on.

excellent

by TripAdvisor Member excellent_7

We have been at the kempinski Ishtar for a weekend and it was great, starting from the great food in breakfast till dinner especially at the pool restaurant by the beach, the rooms are spaciuos and clean and the little ammenities served by the pools are also a nice surprise

relaxing

by TripAdvisor Member excellentUk

Lovely experience,

We have been around the Middle East and one of the stops was Jordan where we have stayed at the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar which is a true wonder of a property, in all means and scences
We stayed for 2 nights in one of their Villas.

the rooms are of good and top class design, perhaps some extra light is needed especially for us women, and may be a little bit extra care on the cleaning part, but on the whole good.

The Gardens are really well kept and in the mornings it is really nice to have a stroll around, where as well you would have a chance of getting lost, as signage is a bit poor...well i did.

The restaurants, their should be more choices for such a big property, but we tried them all from both the pool side restaurants, where the food is extremly tasty and really nice presented. to the Thai restaurant and it's reall nice tasty spicy food,

Well one should pay a visit to experience what we did and got

Musak, musak, everywhere

by TripAdvisor Member LargoLondon

We have recently returned from a 10 day holiday in Jordan during which we spent 3 days at the Kempinski by the Dead Sea. The architecture and gardens of this fairly new hotel are great and the many pools, especially the infinity pools, are wonderful. The service is pleasant but slow. The main annoyance with this hotel is the constant "musak" which is broadcast night and day through speakers situated in and around all the public areas - both inside and outside! They are even hidden in the flowebeds! We counted at least 80 (yes 80!) speakers along the garden walkways and terraces and around two of the pools. They have even put speakers between the sun loungers along one section of the beach! Don't even think about this place if you want peace and quiet.
The Obelisk restaurant does good buffet breakfasts but we found the service fairly inefficient at other times and the place looks like something between a student canteen and an Odeon cinema refreshment area - all formica tables and neon strip lights.
Our best experience of this hotel was at the Thai spa which is beautiful ( and doesn't have musak). We had marvellous massages and treatments from very efficient Thai staff.
The rooms at this hotel are nice but overall the Intercontinental hotel at Aqaba is far superior in terms of efficiency, good taste, restaurant capability and rooms with quality fittings.

Fantastic hotel

by TripAdvisor Member agarussia

I have also just returend from a five day stay and cant belive i was in the same hotel as the guest comments below.
The hotel is fantastic, the staff are very friendly and helpful.\
The whole place is very clean and the views from the pools are just great. My wife felt ill and the quick time they called a doctor is very good. I have been comming to Jordan for 4 years at the dead sea. and have stayed in all the hotels here. The kempinski is by far the best hotel in Jordan, they do have flies but they were also at all the other hotels. It must be over the area. I will definately be back.

Quiet and serene but slow

by TripAdvisor Member Saidid

well i was just down in Dead Sea last fri as I live in Jordan and been to the Marriot and Movenpick so i wanted to try Kempinski. i was expecting more than what I got. For one the food isn't all that good and the rooms are located quite far form the pools.. I believe they lack employees as it took us a while to check in and out as well as longer than usual to get our food.. What I enjoyed was the serenity and the quite down there as they have many pools and you never feel over crowded..
but I do advise that one visits as they view is nice and they put an effort in the greenery

Diana

Great hotel but some flaws for price

by TripAdvisor Member gbk

Amazing hotel. Dead Sea is beautiful and stunning as is the hotel. Pools are all picture perfect and great spot to relax.

Stayed in Junior Suite. The new hotel section opened this year. Would have preferred to stay in villas - they are closer to the beach and pools and more open and light. The hotel rooms curiously are quite dark as the balcony is enclosed with only a small 'window'. Also despite having a junior suite we dint have a view of the sea - was a tree view not a sea view. The design is very clean and modern which some may find a bit clinical but personally i prefer.

The hotel is not cheap and nor are the restaurants, but its very popular with many locals heading for the friday/saturday weekend. In fact the hotel was full on one night we were there but its so large that it wasnt crowded and a quite spot at one of the many pools was no problem.

Hotel for the price should have better service. We asked for a DVD player on two days but day 1 there were none available and on Day 2 they simply didnt get back to us. Also had to ask twice for an adapter to be bought to room.

If you've got the cash, its a great hotel to stay at...but its right next door to the other hotels - for some reason there is a giant dead sea, but there are 4 hotels right next door to each other.

Jordan During Ramadan - September 2008

by kucha

"From the Dead Sea"

We began this trip at the Kempinski Ishtar Dead Sea Resort. The hotel is brand new, with many areas not even finished. Still, it was an amazing property with terrific access to the Dead Sea and beautiful vistas from all around.

"To the Red Sea"

We moved from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea, staying at the Movenpick Red Sea Resort. In my opinion, this is not the best place to see the Red Sea, but serves as a great place for exploring the incredible Wadi Rum desert (think: Lawrence of Arabia), which is only 45 minutes from the hotel.

"And a Few Places in Between"

Petra, Wadi Rum, Mt. Nebo, King Herod's Castle, Bethany Beyond the Jordan, Amman, Jerash ... we had a week and managed to see almost everything on our list!