Kempinski Hotel Ishtar- Dead Sea
By Andrew Satkowiak - www.bombasticlife.com
Kempinski
Hotel Ishtar- Dead Sea, Jordan - Beautiful,
gorgeous, bombastic! Located on The Dead Sea
next to The Movenpick and Marriot Hotels,
The Kempinski Hotel - Ishtar offers you the
luxury and style that has been missing in
the area. From the moment we walked into the
temporary lobby of the Kempinski, I knew we
were in for a treat.
Warmly greeted by the staff and whisked to
reception was the start of a beautiful
visit.
The lobby (temporary as they
are still in the building process) was huge;
decorated in neutral browns, tans and golds,
giving it a warmth matched by the warm
Jordanian sun and beautiful Jordanian
people.
We arrived early and our room was not yet
available so we took advantage of the time
and enjoyed the large terrace - the views of
the Dead Sea and the surrounding Kempinski
Hotel property was spectacular. From my
vantage point, I think I was able to find
all eight of their swimming pools. Yes,
eight pools!
Once our room was ready, we were escorted to
our Jr. Suite. We were impressed with the
size and decor, large and spacious, with a
nice size patio and a very simple beauty.
The room also came with free
wired or wire-less internet service and a
complimentary mini bar. The view of the Dead
Sea - Bombastic!
As I had mentioned above, they are still in
the process of building the rest of the
hotel so they are currently in a "soft
opening" mode. I think it's because of this
their room service is not up to the level it
should be. Ordering dinner or drinks in the
room was always a chore and waiting for it
to arrive was like waiting for that first
day of spring, you keep hoping it happens
soon.
The quality of the room service was way
below what we experienced in the
restaurants.
Hopefully by the time of their grand opening (May 2007) they will have these things worked out. However, after ten months of "soft opening" it should be better than it was.
They are in the process of
finishing their spa, which once it's
complete it will be the largest spa in the
Middle East. (That is, until Dubai gets wind
of it and builds a larger one.) Because they
were not fully staffed, getting an
appointment was difficult. Actually, I was
unable to book an appointment (if you are
going, book ahead).
I tried two of their restaurants. I once
said that plastic chairs could not be chick
and trendy, but I was proven wrong.
Kempinski - Ishtar's main dining room, where
the breakfast buffet is served, is one of
the neatest restaurants I've ever seen, even
with the plastic chairs! And the buffet
breakfast is one of the most extensive and
varied that I have ever seen. Fantastic
Bombastic!
Over all, Kempinski - Ishtar, Dead Sea,
Jordan is Bombastic. If you have the chance
to visit the Dead Sea, be sure to book a few
nights at Kempinski - Ishtar, in my opinion,
its the best hotel in Jordan.
Andrew Satkowiak is a free lance writer who
writes about 5 Star and luxury hotels,
resorts, restaurants, airlines and travel
for his travel and information website
www.bombasticlife.com