Samir Bishara

Our trip was amazing. Thanks to Samir for coordinating it.

My wife already wrote a comprehensive review, including the hotels.
Several weeks before our trip, we reached out to Samir and asked what if there is an escalation to conflict. Samir assured us that Jordan, historically, was not affected.

Unfortunately, my worst fear regarding the trip came to pass. We were asleep when Iran bombed the zionist entity. I do not recall Samir reaching out to us to see if we were OK, how we were feeling/doing. That is a big disappointment.

Even while doing the survey, the first hotel was not updated in the survey to the one we actually stayed at. I have no idea why the change was made and wonder if the Strand would have been better than the Sulaf Luxury hotel.

I loved the overall atmosphere of being in Jordan. As Kathy said, we bear some burden of blame because we did not check the hotels thoroughly enough, however the accommodations overall were a big disappointment. To the point where I question whether or not I would book with Kimkim again.

Overall we had a delightful time in Jordan. We saw all the sights we wanted to given the time we had. It was a busy 5 days. Majed, our driver, was fantastic. He gave us good advice, helped us with some of the locals who did not have good english. He got us guides at a few of the stops we made and was also a resource for our questions. We had decision making power to an extent and made some choices in the moment to make sure we got to see everything we wanted to. He was personable and a safe driver. (The Turkish coffee was a bonus!)
Somehow, through some of our fault and a miscommunication through our initial phone call with the representative I think in the US, we did not have the accommodations at the caliber we are used to. The hotel in Amman was ok, our room was clean but the hallway had room service dishes in it for over 24 hours. Breakfast was ok but the coffee was terrible and we were charged for the cappucinos we ordered instead.
The hotel in Petra was barely a 3 star, and old and dated. We were on a non smoking floor but the room had been smoked in and the air conditioning was barely adequate.
The Wadi Rum accommodations were not good at all. We stayed in the Captain's camp which looks really good on the website. The first bubble tent we were given had a dirty bathroom, it had not been cleaned since the last guest. The front desk man barely spoke english so Majed explained for us. We were moved to another tent, and it was slightly better, but the tea cups in the room had been used and had not been replaced. We were the only non Arabic guests in the camp.
After dinner which was really good, we went back to our tent and the music was quite loud from the main area. The next morning, there was no hot water. I understand if the water is heated throughout the day but no one told us. We would have showered in the evening when the water was hot if we had known.
Our final accommodation at the dead sea, the Holiday Inn Resort was lovely. We had excellent service everywhere in the hotel. The dinner and breakfast buffets were fantastic and all dishes had an ingredient list which was great! They even had gluten free bread in the morning for me as I am intolerant.
We have used Kim Kim in the past and even the 3.5 star accommodations on that trip were excellent. I think in future we would consider using them again however, be much more discerning with the hotels and ensure 4 star at minimum.

Hotel Reviews

Strand Hotel

Amman

This hotel was not part of our program. We cannot comment on it.

Petra Palace

Wadi Musa, Petra

The sign outside the hotel says 3 stars from Jordan. Our room was clean, which is the most important part. But the hotel smelled like cigarette smoke almost everywhere. It is very dated and could use renovations.

Authenticity & Character

Renovate the hotel.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was clean, but everything from the lobby onward smelled too much of smoke.

Captain Camp - Rum Valley

Disi

Room was not clean - the bathroom even still had shaving whiskers on the sink. We were moved to another room, but in this one the coffee/tea cups were dirty. There was no cold water in the evening and no hot water in the morning for showering. This was a camp where we were the only non-Arabic people. Supper was great, but knowing that culturally many many people smoke is important to know because we had people all around us smoking. Supper was BBQ done underground and we saw the meat and rice being taken out. That was amazing! The camp lights prevented us from seeing many stars.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean the bathrooms and do not leave dirty cups in guest rooms.

Holiday Inn Dead Sea Resort

Sweimah

Clean. Amazing staff. Buffet restaurant had a huge selection, including gluten free.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Meet & Assist - Queen Alia Airport

Jordan

Our greeter was efficient but did not explain much or engage in conversation. D

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amman-Jarash-Ajloun-Amman city tour

Jordan

Jarash was our favourite! The Roman Ruins are so well preserved (keeping in mind they are 2000 years old) and even have the largest fountain besides the Trevi fountain!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Petra (With Site local Guide or private guide)

Petra

Our guide Mohammed was super helpful and took lots of pictures for/of us. His English was excellent and he had lots of knowledge to share. And he bought us coffee. And made very good suggestions for gifts to buy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wadi Rum (2-3 Hrs Jeep ride)

Jordan

Be prepared to get sand between your toes!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

You are on a bench in the back of a truck, it is windy and sandy. But the things we saw and the sunset made the ride worth it.

Bethany ( Baptism site)

Jordan

This was something we wanted to do and added it to the trip. You have to go in a group and ride a bus into the site and then there is about an hour (broken up) of walking. It was 30 degrees and sunny so make sure to have plenty of water and sunscreen.

Quality of Experience

Seeing the site where John did his baptisms and where Jesus was baptized was a moving experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was very accommodating for us.

Transport

Amman-Madaba-Mount Nebo-Karak-Petra

Jordan

Unfortunately the church in Madaba is undergoing repairs. But the mosaic was really cool!

Quality of Experience

Food

There was no food provided

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Petra By Candle Light

Jordan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We opted for a custom tour with KimKim. Samir was our online contact; Mohammed was our driver for the week. Both made our trip to Jordan one of the books. Highly recommend them.

Samir was responsive (got back to us within a few hours) and patient with our various requests and preferences (it took us about two months on and off to finalize our trip). Mohammed was engaging, informative, and just as patient with us on the road; we never felt rushed with him.

Our week-long itinerary involved time in Amman, Petra, Wadi Rum, and the Dead Sea. Samir finetuned our itinerary to our preferences, always answering our questions and making changes for our review without hesitation. We rarely travel the “meet us with a sign and take us around” style, but we did for this trip and all details were handled for us: hotel check-ins, guide intros, and excursion tickets. We didn’t have a single hiccup in 6 days and 650 miles of driving (even when we were late by an hour one morning).

We didn’t need the fanciest hotels as we planned to be out and about during our short week in Jordan. We wanted close proximity to attractions and Samir honored our wishes even if he thought other hotels would have been more comfortable, which we appreciated. In Amman, the Art Hotel is 3-star, so manage your expectations. It’s in the heart of King Faisal Square and close to the downtown attractions. Staff was always pleasant. For Petra, we stayed at the Petra Palace Hotel in Wadi Musa, which was a bit dated but offered amenities such as two pools, spa with massage, full-service bar, and breakfast. It was within walking distance to Petra and we would stay there again even if it isn’t the shiniest hotel (we woke up late another morning and got to breakfast at closing, but they still set us up with a table by one of the pools). Our splurge was a Martian tent in Wadi Rum at Mayazen Rum Camp. We had all the modern amenities: AC, nonstop running hot water, and even an outdoor hot tub. We even got to see sunrise from our bed through the panoramic window. The staff was also pleasant and attentive. The restaurant served good traditional and foreign food; we always had more than we could eat.

Amman is a lively city with a lot to see and do from tourist sites to restaurants, cafes, and shops. We love a good shisha when in the Middle East and Amman had two great options at Faisal Cafe and Nara Cafe. We wish we had more time there. Petra is a bit touristy and the local vendors can take away from the experience, but it is hard to deny its allure. We went to Petra at Night and despite mixed reviews, we recommend going. How often can you walk The Siq at night underneath the moon and stars? Check out Old Street Cafe on a side street off Tourism St, excellent food and service. The Dead Sea is a must do, but we went in early September and it was hot (100 degrees - the air temperature, not the water). Hope you’re lucky and a tour bus (or several) don’t arrive at the same time you are there. The surge of people all trying to get their floating pictures can get annoying, but fortunately for us, it was too hot out for most people. Still, where else can you float without even trying? Wadi Rum was our favorite stop. We stayed two nights and did a sunset 4x4 tour and a 1/2-day 4x4 tour… two different experiences you should have. We also opted for a sunset camel ride for our last night and it was surreal to cross the red sands of the Wadi Rum with the landscape on the horizon. We appreciated how beautiful, and peaceful, our planet can be. All of this arranged through KimKim.

Thank you, KimKim, Samir, and Mohammed!

Our vacation in Jordan was simply perfect. Magical in a way. Every place we visited was interesting, intriguing and beautiful. Jordan is a wonderful country. All our hotels were perfect.
A special thanks goes to Nader (or Nick for us!) our driver. He was very generous, kind, full of knowledge and he made our journey even more interesting. Thank you Samir for organising a great trip. We will come back. Enrica & family