Visiting Amman, Jordan: Street Markets, Luxury Stays, and Local Flavours

It's a city I visited three times and in my experience, it's a bit like an onion.

The more you peel, the more you find and the more you explore and dive in the cooler it gets.

David, today we're talking about Amman.

This is a city that in Jordan that you have been to very recently, right?

I am literally just back from Amman.

I got to take the inaugural first flight, actually direct flight going from Washington directly into Amman, Jordan with Royal Journey, which was an awesome experience.

They were kind enough to invite me over to experience that first flight and try out their business class product there on Royaltree, which was pretty incredible.

And a city that, you know, a really interesting part of the world.

The first time I really started traveling in the Middle east was really just over the last two years or so.

And I have found it as part of the world that in terms of the gap between perception, reality, after actually traveling there, the biggest gap I have ever experienced, I mean, there is just so much going on.

It is such a rich culture, incredibly friendly people, but it's also an area where there is a lot going on.

I mean, I think our tour guide best described it as we first touchdown as a, as a quiet house in a very loud neighborhood.

And we got, we got to experience a bit of that during the trip as well.

I love, I love that depiction and I mean that squares with my experience as well.

I know we have a lot to talk about, but just a quick story before we dive in on my very first trip to Amman.

So this is several years ago.

I don't know why, but for some reason I needed to go to the mall and get something, one of the malls in Amman.

And I went down to try to get a taxi at rush hour and it was very, very difficult to get a taxi.

And a random silver Mercedes Benz pulled over on the side of the road with two distinguished looking gentlemen in the front seat and they said, would you like a ride somewhere?

And I said, well, I'm going to the mall.

They said, no problem, we'll give you a ride.

And I wouldn't necessarily recommend this for all of our readers to get into.

Random silver Mercedes Benz in the, you know, Benz is in the Middle east.

But I think I learned more in that they had a couple stops to do along the way and they gave me the whole history and an overview of the culture of Jordan on my very first day in the country.

And I think I learned more in that maybe half hour ride than I did in the following, you know, seven days in the country and safe Friendly, warm.

It is an amazing place.

Yeah.

What do you want to talk about first?

You know, Jordan is a place that you've got a ton of outdoor adventure, a lot of culture, a lot, A lot, really, to see and do.

And it tends to be a place, you know, one of the things I discovered when I was there, that a lot of the visitors are, you know, people coming from.

From Europe or North America who are, you know, coming often to the Middle east for the first time and hitting two or three countries, maybe they're doing Egypt and Amman and Israel, some combination of those.

And given what's happening in Israel right now, that's.

That certainly had a huge impact on tourism in, in the region and something we really saw a bit of the impacts of when we were there.

I mean, tourism at some of the places, you know, the resort that we were staying at, they were saying is down 80, 90% right now because of what's happening next door.

But it really is in pretty stark contrast to what conditions are like in Amman, where it was, you know, a very calm and safe visit during the.

Time we were there.

And I can definitely second that.

I believe my first visit there, and it's not my most recent visit, but my first visit was during the Arab Spring, so another event that.

That definitely had an impact on tourism in Jordan.

And I think the idea was to bring people over and show them that things were still safe and calm in Jordan, even though the region more generally was an upheaval.

And again, I found the same thing where it was calm and safe in Jordan, even though.

Yeah, maybe not the case in some of the other countries in the Middle.

East and just super welcoming and friendly people.

I found too, like, they, they are just so willing to go out of their way to make your experience there exceptional.

Right.

And I found, I found everywhere that I've traveled so far in the Middle east, you know, particularly when you get that kind of.

They do that luxury end of the spectrum very well.

A lot of really, really nice hotels.

I know we're going to talk a little bit about that as we, as we get into the where to stay, but I think few parts of the world do that sort of luxury end of the spectrum better than it's done in this part of the world.

Definitely couldn't agree more.

Yeah.

And you really do.

I think that is something, having been to well over a hundred countries, I think it is something that really sets destinations apart.

When you feel welcome, when you feel like it's not just about separating you from your money, it's about making sure that you feel like you're at home abroad.

And that is definitely the case in Jordan.

And speaking of a home abroad, let's, let's talk about where you like to lay your head.

Maybe we'll start off at a place that I know both of us have had a chance to spend some time at, which is the St. Regis there, which definitely, you know, as we're talking about that luxury end of the spectrum.

This is like a classic, you know, luxury hotel.

It has from.

In terms of facilities at the hotel, I think probably one of the best rooftop bars in the city.

An amazing view of the city up there.

So that, that's definitely one thing to very much recommend it.

And one of the really unique things there was around their spa.

I always love going to a hotel where if you're staying at the hotel, you can access the spa facilities and pools and things like that.

And they had kind of an unusual take on that at St. Regis, where you could book out these private spa rooms if you're a hotel guest for no additional cost that included your own private steam room, private sauna, pools, all in this quite large, you know, kind of basically private spa for you and your party up to, I think four to six people or something that could, that you could all be together and enjoy.

And, and it was just included as part of your stay at the hotel.

They had a great, really nice outdoor cabana, pool area as well.

Although we were, we were a little earlier for that.

It's, it's only open sort of as you get later and go later in April.

But I know you had a chance to stay there as well.

I did, yeah.

And it's really a great hotel.

I mean, I love the views.

You know, it's got those sweeping views out over the minarets, over the sweep of the city.

I think Amman is one of the more impressive cities to see from above all those white buildings and it just stretches as far as the eye can see, see.

And we, I, we did spend a little bit of time, I was with a group, I believe it's called Zenith.

It's the, the rooftop restaurant.

And I wanted to ask you if you tried.

We did try the hookah, you know, which is this sort of like cigarette machine that they have in the Middle East.

You know, this with the hoses.

Did you, we tried it.

I will say, not my very favorite thing, but I don't know.

Did you try it and did you enjoy it?

Yeah, I did try.

No, I didn't try it in rain in Amon I tried it a few days earlier.

We were out in the middle of the desert at a desert camp in Wadi Rum where I gave it a try for the first time.

And I'm probably with you.

It's not my fear.

It was interesting.

It's a good cultural experience.

It was worth trying.

I thought it was definitely worth trying.

It's not like I'm going to buy one for home use or anything like that, but it was definitely something that, that was a cultural experience.

Do you want to talk about other places to stay in Amman?

Well, maybe just a couple more that I'll call out.

I had a spare day in Amman and because I'm weird I went and looked at hotels.

I guess I love seeing great hotels and there were a few that I went and checked out that I thought were really interesting properties.

One was the W Amon, which I think, you know, if I was coming back, this is probably one that I would gravitate towards because just its location, it was right in kind of an area of the city where you'll find some of the best shopping and restaurants and right, right within immediate walking distance.

So I think for a first trip to Amman this would be an ideal location.

And the W Hotel is always kind of cool, modern, modern design and something quite unique that they had there was this, they called it the Canyon, which was this art installation as you walk in that's made to look very much like, reminiscent of the entrance to Petra as you're walking in there.

And it's really, really quite stunning this art installation that you walk in as you enter the hotel.

And it's known for having kind of one of the best pool bars in the city as well.

A bit of a scene there for sure during the summertime.

So that was one more I would recommend.

And then two more that jumped out that I thought were quite cool was the Fairmont Amman.

Again, very well done, very kind of standout luxury hotel in the city with again exceptional spa experience there and a huge spa complex.

The one downside I discovered with their spa is it's not included for guests.

So if you want to swim in the spa pools, you have to have booked in for a treatment there.

I never liked that.

I always like the hotels that let you experience the spa when you're staying.

But it was a pretty stunning spa so I can see why they're maybe limiting access to it a little bit.

And then one other that we just on our last night through was a place called Soho Midtown, which again, I mean I didn't get A chance to look through this one as much as the other, other properties.

But what, what would recommend it is again, location like this was in kind of the very much the, you know, the, the part of the city where you're going to find all the cool kind of art galleries and coffee shops.

And so if you gravitate towards more of that on your trip, this would definitely be more of a stylish boutique option, brand new hotel and in that part of the city as well.

And I think a little bit, a little bit lower from a price perspective than some of the others as well.

We're, we're moving into the what to do category now and let's talk about some of the things to do in the Jordanian capital for sure.

And I think one of the things that really jumped out to me in Amad is just the number of really sort of bustling packed souks.

These, these markets that they have throughout the city.

Particularly, you know, there's one right around the iconic sort of amphitheater, this Roman amphitheater that's in kind of the center of the city and market area all around that where you can really find anything you could want, right from street snacks to cool souvenirs and clothes and just a massive, massive market that was open quite late into the evening as well.

And I don't know if that's, I don't know if you had a chance to go check out some of those.

I don't know if it was because I was there during Ramadan, which is a huge celebration in the city.

But like all the markets were open till at least midnight, if not later sub nights.

So you know, the really kind of vibrant atmosphere and I really enjoyed that part of the city.

I also found Amman is a city that's got a lot happening culturally.

You know, there were a couple of different really cool neighborhoods.

One called Rainbow street, which was is known for kind of indie theater and live music and comedy nights, stuff like that.

So a lot going on from that perspective.

You've got Jabal Aman, that's another area what's got a lot of street art.

It's got a really cool shop that we went to called the Jo Shop that folks does just on kind of artisan things, all made in Jordan.

And we did a really, really good tour that I would highly recommend called Underground Amon, who is a local sort of beatboxer street artist who takes you out and shows you kind of a deep dive into the street art scene in the city.

And maybe we'll just play a Little bit of a clip from a conversation I had with him talking a little bit about the street art scene in Amman.

When did the street art movement really.

Start here in Amman?

And this is because there is a street art festival established at that time and became more popular all around the city.

And for people who are visiting here for the first time.

Yeah, if they really want to get a bit of a taste for culture.

First of all, your tour is probably one of the best things they can do.

Where can they find you?

They can find us in social media.

It's called Underground Amman and we have a website which is underground amman.com.

Okay.

And beyond your tour, couple questions, two or three of your favorite places to eat in the city.

Places that you would recommend.

Friends come into town.

Maybe not so many tourists going.

So what are some of the best ones?

So I think the three for falafel and hummus you go to Hashim in downtown.

Okay.

And also for like meal I will go to Shahrazad, also in downtown.

Okay.

And my third one is called Chapters.

It's in Jebel Webde area.

Highly recommend to come to Jebel Webdeh which is very, very nice and chill neighborhood and there's many nice hotels here and very good price also.

So Jabal Webde is the way to.

Go time of year.

Is there any like big festivals events you talked about?

The street art festival is one good time.

Any other summer?

Summer.

Summertime is the best time in Jordan.

And when is summer here?

That runs when?

Yes, that's like end of April.

Okay.

Till October.

Till October is kind of the best time to come visit.

Yeah.

Okay.

Any other final insider tips?

What do people don't know about Jordan that they should?

Jordan is very beautiful country.

It has so much diversity and people here are very generous, very, very welcoming.

So wherever you are from, you're welcome in Jordan.

Awesome.

Love that.

I love, I love getting voices, you know, local voices in.

That's, that's fantastic.

Yeah, I was, I was going to say, you know, the Citadel, that hilltop.

Citadel is really definitely a place where you can.

It dates back to the Bronze Age.

You've got those layers of history.

I love places where, you know, you can see Rome and Byzantine, you can see, you know, just layer upon layer upon layer.

Things that don't belong, things that are together, things that are hundreds of years apart in terms of history.

Any just as we wrap up any can't miss.

Well, what I would throw out is a place that I actually stumbled across my last night in Jordan, an area called Suifei Village.

This was like a brand new, really trendy kind of marketplace with a lot of really cool restaurants.

They had a great ice cream place, Gerard Ice Cream.

They had this really cool kind of speakeasy bowling lame place called the Bowl Room.

But it was just like if you're looking for more of, like the trendy cultural aspects of Jordan, it was a lot different than what I saw anywhere else in the city.

And quite a cool spot.

So definitely a campus I would recommend to go seek out.

Sounds good.

Sounds good.

All of this makes me want to go back to Jordan, you know, I mean, definitely, that's a place I'd love to visit.

Again, thanks so much, David.

And I guess we want to direct listeners to the show notes and to subscribe.

Yeah, absolutely.

So, yeah, if you're interested in digging into more of any of the places that we've talked about, for sure we'll put links in the show notes for today's show.

And as always, if you want to check out all of our travel podcasts from around the world, we've had a few great new shows to the Boyscape Podcast Network in the last little bit.

The Fromers Travel show is one of our newest ones, hosted by Pauline Frommer, probably one of the most trusted names in travel, who we've now got hosting a weekly show on Boy Escape.

We got some great content on Points and travel with Frequent Miler, another new podcast that we've added on.

So.

And just continuing to build up a bank of great content of from cities and destinations all around the world@voyagecape.com that people can come check out.

Absolutely.

Very excited about the network and all the exciting new podcasts that we're adding and very excited to talk about our next destination, which we'll do next week.

Always a pleasure, David.

Thank you so much.