A large amount of investment in the area has provided the Dead Sea with new roads making the new and luxurious 5 Star Movenpick Hotel and Resort, 5 Star Jordan Valley Marriott, 5 Star Kempenski Ishtar Hotel, and 4 Star Dead Sea Spa Hotel easily accessible.

The main attraction of the Dead Sea is of course the soothing, abnormally salty water itself. The salt content of the water is 31.5% making the water so buoyant that it is impossible for the visitor to sink. The water also contains 21 minerals including high levels of magnesium, sodium, potassium, and bromine and 12 of these minerals are found in no other body of water in the world.

A trip to the Dead Sea would not be complete without a visit to one of the first class health spa facilities of the luxury hotels. Here the visitor can enjoy year-round a massage, Dead Sea mud bath, use the excellent fitness facilities, or just spend the day relaxing on their beautiful private beaches.
Visitors to the Dead Sea should also take advantage of another nearby wonder:

Hammamat Ma'in (Ma'in Hot Springs). Popular with both locals and tourists alike, the springs are located 264 meters below sea level in one of the most breath-taking desert oases in the world. Thousands of visiting bathers come each year to enjoy the mineral rich waters of these hyper-thermal waterfalls. These falls originate from winter rainfalls in the highland plains of Jordan and eventually feed the 109 hot and cold springs in the valley. This water is heated to temperatures up to 63 degrees Celsius by underground lava fissures as it makes its way through the valley before emptying into the Zarqa River.

Jordan's modern hotels and resorts are all equipped with spas, fitness centers, swimming pools, and tennis courts. In and around Amman it is easy to find facilities for track and field sports, horseback riding, cycling, hiking, and gliding, golf and it is possible to go to the impressive Sports City to watch professional football, basketball, handball, and other sports.

The city is an interesting, lively base for exploring northern and central Jordan. Independent travelers will, of necessity, spend time here making touring arrangements. Amman has fabulous (and very affordable) Middle Eastern restaurants as well as interesting local craft cooperatives and shops to visit.

A walk or drive through the residential areas of Abdoun, not far from the American Embassy, reveals street after street of new and under construction stone mansions and villas; some are garish and flashy, but you'll also see many examples of interesting, exciting modern design.

Aqaba is a port city at the southern most tip of Jordan, and the country's only point of access to the Red Sea. Aqaba is a clean and uncluttered city. Though there are many modern hotels and buildings, the city is still soaked in thick Middle Eastern charm. Friendly locals dressed in the common gaberdine still look over their shoulders and smile at tourists; numerous shee-sha water pipe cafes line the streets and come evening they fill up with countless bearded men relaxing, smoking, pitting their mental skills over a game of backgammon; open air night markets appear at every corner, filled with window shoppers and eager sellers shouting their wares.

Aqaba offers first-class scuba diving and snorkeling with some of the most beautiful and best preserved coral reef in the world. The visitor can also participate in swimming, sailing, windsurfing, waterskiing, or enjoy views of the active marine life on a ride in a glass-bottomed boat. Aqaba is renowned for its warm water and sunny weather and is a delightful destination that can be enjoyed all year round. The five and four star hotels in Aqaba offer world class spa facilities.

get to know a country as half as old as time.....

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