Weekend escape to Jordan

Jordan’s Ma’in hot springs run through a canyon gorge 264 meters below sea level, and feeds the Dead Sea. The canyon’s red rock boulders are reminiscent of Arizona’s Grand Canyon, one of the seven wonders of the world. The hydrogen sulfide-fueled mineral water soothes and heals, drawing visitors from around the world.

In the tranquility of Ma’in, where deep silence is punctuated only by the sound of water cascading into thermal pools and the cries of the Dead Sea sparrows, one could be thousands miles from the chaos and congestion of Cairo. But the hot springs, which sit on the edge of the Wadi Mujib nature reserve, are only a one hour flight from Egypt, and a 60-minute drive from Amman’s Queen Alia Airport. The only property based in the heart of the gorge, Evason Hot Springs resort provided the base for a weekend getaway.

We found the hot springs by accident. We planned to visit Petra, the Dead Sea, and hike in the Wadi Mujib, all in one long weekend. Petra, that rose-colored city built by Nabateans over 2,000 years ago, with its 80-meter high cliffs, was impressive. After the grueling 10 miles there, we wanted to see the Dead Sea. We wanted to relax. But after climbing to the High Place of Sacrifice, the Monastery, and the flat-topped mountain known as Mother of Cisterns — which offers a stunning view if you can make it up a precarious staircase — we were exhausted.

Chain hotels line the seafront, but held little appeal. Evason, 264 meters below sea level, promised a more diverse and alternative experience. We could take a free hotel shuttle to the Dead Sea, and hire a taxi for an outing — to the mosaic city of Madaba, only 30 km away, for instance. The hot springs are open to the public bringing a stream of drivers, which is how we found our reliable driver, Omran.

Evason’s own drivers takes guests to and from Petra. We were delivered by a cream-colored Cadillac Esplanade with bucket seats and water bottles in canvas safari bags, and our scenic route wound through green hills where goats and camels grazed. Abruptly, the land dropped steeply to the water, an unmoving mass that looked like a zinc slate. The driver pointed across the Dead Sea. “Palestine,” he said. “You can see the lights at night.”

The road down the mountain to the hot springs zig-zags past dry, stone-filled riverbeds, while the colors of the rock formation graduate from pale pink to salmon-red. Wildflowers — rockrose, hyacinth and crocuses — are everywhere. The hotel, yellow-brown like the rocky mountainside, appears to be part of the landscape. Behind the grove of eucalyptus, olive and Aleppo pines — three waterfalls pour down worn cliffs into pools. King Herod, we are told, bathed in the largest pool. Our hotel offers bicycles to make the quarter mile trip to this bath.

In the lobby, a mix of Far and Middle Eastern, tangerine sofas with bright red pillows are made, we are told, with dyes from local flowers. A library offers books in five languages, canisters of home-made Turkish delight, and local mineral water, still and sparkling. Our room offers flatscreen TVs that we never turn on, organic cotton bathrobes that are so soft we want to buy them, and a balcony with a view of the falls. We opt for dinner that night at The Panorama, a hotel-owned cliff-side venue accessible by shuttle. Over barbecued lamb, we watch the lights come on in Bethlehem, across the water.

Early morning is the best time to soak in the public hot springs, which are crowded as early as 8 am. But it’s already packed when we arrive at 7:30, so we hike up the steep waterfall trail, looking for a hilltop pool. At the top, after filling our pockets with blue rocks, the water is hot enough to boil an egg, which we discover when we burn our toes.

By 9:30 am, we’re on the shuttle to the Dead Sea. The hotel takes you to any of the chain hotels, which offer day rates of much more than LE120, and that is what we pay to access a public beach. Seaside lounging is available on small, hard chairs that appear to have been detached from school desks. They are positioned, as if abandoned, at the water’s edge. This is our first time at the Dead Sea and we get salt water in our eyes, having neglected to read the warning signs outside: “Do not open your eyes underwater.” But floating in the Dead Sea gives the sensation of being suspended in space, an experience as close to flying as we may ever achieve. The pain of the salt water is worth it.
The hotel shuttle returns us to Evason at 1:00, in time for lunch by the pool, with a full-on waterfall views. The falls add a tropical dimension to this red-rock desert canyon ambience. The menu is traditional —mezza and grilled haloumi cheese — and cosmopolitan—sourdough bruschetta, linguini with smoked salmon, and risotto with pine nuts and goat cheese. We choose grilled fish salads; large bowls of rich, green lettuce and tender, fresh sea bass. Homemade ice creams (prune and armagnac, pistachio, date and lemoncello) and sherbets (green apple, lemon, arak) are made with locally grown ingredients. We watch a waiter handpick mint leaves that grow in decorative planters; the mint is crushed for our tea.

Hikers have the option of lunching across the wash, at the top of the waterfall. A cliff-side picnic table overlooks the extent of the gorge and on a clear day offers a glimpse of the Dead Sea, the color and texture of a zinc slate. On the day before, on our hike, we noticed a rope pulley that spans the canyon, from the hotel kitchen to the picnic grounds. Had we chosen to lunch at the top of the waterfall, the pulley would’ve carried our sea bass up the cliff.

The history and beauty of the area invite a number of recreational options; a guided hike through the Wadi Mujib gorge, which enters the Dead Sea at 410 meters below sea level, and advanced hikers can
rappel down a waterfall. We could explore the ruins of Herodus’ hilltop palace where John the Baptist was beheaded at Macherus, or look for local birds; the Sinai Rosefinch or the Palestinian Sunbird. We succumb to the temptation of the spa.

We first saw the spa, a small stone castle down the road from the hotel, while hiking to the top of the waterfall. One of the waterfalls fed two thermal pools in a walled courtyard. The list of options was long: we could have a jasmine facial with goat’s milk, cream, honey, ground olives, and jasmine flowers; a Dead Sea salt body polish; or a Bukhoor holistic massage, to renew balance to body and soul. We chose Swedish massages, to pound out the knots from ten miles of hiking in Petra. The balcony doors of massage rooms open onto the stillness of the gorge and suggest that you are the only person in the canyon.

Despite the silence, there were enough people in the spa to fill all the chairs around the coed thermal pool. A smaller pool is reserved for women. After a treatment, spa guests are invited to lounge by the healing waters, and waiters serve Ginger tea with a plate of figs, dates and raisins. Any tension that remained after our strenuous few days dissipated in the sulphur-fueled water. We did what we hadn’t done in along time, what was impossible in the bustle of Cairo and along the steep trails of Petra. We completely relaxed.

Royal Jordanian and EgyptAir fly nonstop from Cairo to Amman. According to Laila Nabhan of Zamalek’s Five Continent’s Travel, where we bought our tickets, roundtrip tickets on EgyptAir start at LE 2,140. Transport from the airport to Evason can be negotiated with a private taxi driver; prices vary but start at LE 300. The hotel’s cream colored Cadillac SUV run about LE 500. Families with two or more children may get an additional room at a 50 percent discount. Room rates, including breakfast, in the low season start at LE 1,650 for a double. Look for special packages themed around spa treatments, hikes, or historic tours by visiting the website, www.sixsenses.com/evason-ma-in/

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