InterContinental Aqaba by IHG

A large resort on the Gulf of Aqaba, with the sort of facilities that make sense when your main ambition is to eat properly, cool down and do very little for a while. InterContinental Resort Aqaba combines a private beach, a lagoon-style pool and a substantial spa, so you can keep the day by the water without turning every non-diving hour into an excursion.

The resort suits couples particularly well, but families are welcome too. There is a heated children's pool, a kids' club and indoor and outdoor play areas, while the wider setting gives adults somewhere to sit down with a drink once the day has stopped demanding anything from them. The atmosphere is polished rather than rustic: floor-to-ceiling windows, palm-lined outdoor areas, fountains and a choice of places to eat.

You are in Aqaba, Jordan, directly beside the Gulf of Aqaba with a private beach area on site. Al-Ghandour Beach is about half a mile away, while Aqaba city centre is roughly a ten-minute walk from the resort. That gives you a useful choice: stay within the hotel grounds when the sea, pool and restaurants are enough, or walk into town when you want to change the view.

Aqaba Fort is about 1 mile away, and Al Manara Entertainment Center is around 1.5 miles from the hotel. Aqaba Marine Park lies about 8 miles away. For a coffee outside the resort, Panoramic Cafe is around 50 yards away; other nearby options include The Black Pearl and Nasma Pool Bar, both about 300 yards away.

King Hussein International Airport is about 6 miles away. Eilat-Ramon Airport and Taba International Airport are each around 12 miles away, although the border crossings make those journeys rather less straightforward than the map suggests.

The rooms are built around space and light rather than clever gimmicks. Floor-to-ceiling windows bring in plenty of daylight, and balconies are available in several categories. If waking up to the Red Sea matters more than stepping straight into the pool, the Premium King or Premium Twin rooms with sea views are the obvious direction; the private-balcony king room gives you outdoor space without making the view the whole point.

For a couple, the choice is mainly between a large bed and twin beds, with pool access available in both king and twin formats. A family category with a city view gives you more flexibility for a small group, while the Presidential Suite is the one to consider when separate living space matters more than keeping things simple. The room range is broad, but the practical split is clear: balcony for sitting out, sea view for the outlook, pool access for immediate cooling down.

Air conditioning is welcome after warm salt water and a day in the sun. Rooms also have a minibar, tea and coffee-making facilities, a television with satellite channels, free Wi-Fi, a wardrobe and a private bathroom with a bath or shower, bathrobes, slippers, toiletries and a hairdryer. Daily housekeeping and room service keep the return from the beach or pool pleasantly uneventful.

Four restaurants give you room to vary the evening without leaving the resort. The named choices include a Lebanese restaurant, Deli Café, Martinis Bar & Lounge and a beachfront venue, with the last of those doing exactly what its name promises: keeping dinner close to the sea rather than sending you back inland after sunset.

Breakfast is served as a buffet and covers Continental, Italian, Full English and Irish, American, vegetarian, vegan and halal choices. Breakfast to go is also available, which is the useful version of hotel flexibility when a morning does not fit neatly around a dining room.

There is a bar, a snack bar and a coffee house on site, plus minibars in the rooms. Room service and breakfast in the room are available when the sensible plan is to stay horizontal. Special-diet menus can be requested, and the hotel also offers themed dinner nights, live music, evening entertainment and a happy hour. Outside food and drink, including alcohol, cannot be brought into the hotel, so plan your supplies accordingly.

The 200-square-metre lagoon-style pool is the centrepiece for a slow afternoon, with a heated outdoor pool, a heated children's pool, sun umbrellas and palm-lined fountains around the water. A private beach and sun terrace give you an alternative when sitting beside a pool feels too much like a decision. Outdoor furniture and garden areas make it easy to find a chair and let the day flatten out.

For more active options, the resort has a fitness centre, table tennis and billiards. Golf is available within 3 kilometres, while walking tours, fishing and local-culture tours offer ways to see something of Aqaba without committing to a full expedition. Water sports, snorkelling, windsurfing and diving are available on site as paid activities, but the hotel also works perfectly well if your post-dive plan is simply a swim followed by a towel and a book.

The spa is more than a token treatment room. You have access to a steam room, sauna, hot tub, spa facilities, a relaxation lounge and wellness packages, with massages available as well. It is the place to head when your shoulders have had enough of carrying tanks, bags or holiday enthusiasm.

Check-in starts at 3 pm and check-out runs until noon. You need photo identification and a credit card at check-in, and the minimum age for checking in is 18; guests under 18 can check in with a parent or official guardian. A 24-hour reception, concierge, tour desk, currency exchange, luggage storage and private or express check-in and check-out cover the practical edges of the stay.

A free private car park is available on site, with valet parking, and car hire can be arranged. A complimentary shuttle bus is available for Royal Jordanian flights when requested. The airport is close enough for a straightforward road transfer, and the hotel can also help with local arrangements through its concierge and tour desk.

The hotel is non-smoking throughout, and pets are not allowed. Cots and extra beds for younger guests can be requested, subject to availability; the accommodation policy also states that no extra beds are available at the property, so families should check the exact room arrangement before booking. Renovation work affecting part of the rooms and the main dining restaurant runs daily except Friday from 7 am to 6 pm. The main dining restaurant is scheduled to close from 16 June to 15 October 2025.

No environmental certification or specific sustainability programme is available to describe here.