Aqaba Hotels

Aqaba is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan's only port city, located on the Gulf of Aqaba at the southernmost extremity of the kingdom.Understand: Aqaba is Jordan's window on the Red Sea. Historically the same city as Eilat on the Israeli side of the border, plans for a shared international airport and other forms of cooperation have cooled down in the past few years during a period of political tension. The balmy winter climate and idyllic setting on the Gulf of Aqaba, ringed by high desert mountains, make this Jordan's aquatic playground. While Amman shivers in winter with temperatures around 5°C and the occasional snowfall, the daytime mercury in Aqaba rarely goes below 20°C and is often quite a few degrees warmer. In summer, however, the weather is uncomfortably hot, with daytime temperatures over 35°C, but it's often made bearable by the sea breezes. For this reason Aqaba works on siesta time; everything shuts down around 3pm (or earlier) and reopens later in the evening, from around 6pm.Aqaba is popular with Jordanians from the north (forget trying to get a room during holidays such as Eid al-Adha., with Saudis from across the border and, somewhat bizarrely, with Hungarian tour groups. It's also an obvious place to break a journey to/from Israel & the Palestinian Territories or Egypt. Diving and snorkelling are Aqaba's main attractions and, while not as extensive as Egypt, it's still a great place to spend a couple of days exploring the underwater brilliance of the coral-rich gulf. The port does mar the view a little and the beaches close to town are fairly unappealing, but there's a laid-back vibe and it's still a good place to kick back and relax from the rigours of life on the road.