The city of Aqaba is the point where Jordan opens to the Red Sea, a spectacular
setting to enjoy the beach and, above all, diving. It is a small coastal strip from which
you can see Israel and Egypt on the right, and Saudi Arabia on the left; territories
that seem almost accessible by swimming.
The landscape is very special, the bare rock mountains of the Sinai Peninsula and
the Arabian Peninsula meet the turquoise water of the sea; Africa and Asia meet in
the Gulf of Aqaba.
As we had a limited number of days to travel through Jordan and Israel, we were
only able to spend 1 day in Aqaba, which is enough to taste everything the area has
to offer. But if we had had enough time, we would have stayed a couple of days
more quietly; snorkelling, enjoying the gastronomy (fresh fish and Arab food) and
admiring the sunsets over the Sinai mountains.
The city is not chaotic at all and has a very relaxed atmosphere. During the day life is
concentrated in its streets; in the market, in shops, on restaurant terraces, etc. For
this reason, it is interesting to see the White Mosque, stroll and shop in the shops,
stroll through the market or sit down to eat on a terrace. You are not going to find
anything out of this world, the truth, Aqaba is a beach vacation destination for
Jordanians, but tourism does not overshadow local life.
At night, although the shops are still open, the bulk of the activity moves to the
seaside, where families and friends gather as a group and have dinner and/or smoke
shisha while socializing.
Diving is the main activity. The beaches are not spectacular at all, the sand is
coarse, and of a colour between yellow and brown that is quite unattractive, in
addition, Jordanians go to them with family or friends, and you can see how the
women remain dressed and taking care of the children while the men admire the
tourists sunbathing in a bikini. Anyway, when you get into the water and put on your
diving goggles, everything changes, and the sea hides an endless number of
colourful wonders: corals, fish, urchins and other marine fauna of all kinds. Even the
colour of the water itself, sometimes translucent and sometimes deep blue, falls in
love.
We did not dive because we did not have much time and we were tired from the trip,
we only did snorkelling (without a wetsuit, the water was at a good temperature even
though it was December) and with that alone, the Red Sea seemed amazing. In
almost all the beaches or bathing areas there are lodges or shops where you can
rent diving and snorkelling equipment, you can do dives for 25 bucks and diving
courses at a good price.
The restaurant has a spacious dining room and terrace. In addition, it is very well
located; near the Sharif Hussein Bin Ali mosque, which is usually illuminated at night

and invites you to take a walk around it, and also near the seafront, where local
people congregate at dusk. It is easy to park your car on the same street as the
restaurant.