Syd for Aqaba

Aqaba is just 18 km from the Saudi Arabian border. Between the border and the city is a stretch of beaches and snorkeling spots. The beach inside Aqaba is nothing special - head south of the city if you want to swim in the sea. Our little rental car headed south and didn't stop until it reached the Saudi Arabian border :o) There are some deserted roads to drive on. On one side you can see one barren mountain after another. On the other side you can see the sea, Israel and Egypt. Keep a close eye on the road because suddenly a car is parked in the middle of the road. The locals tend to park wherever they want. The border crossing is nothing special - not even heavily guarded. Muslims can easily cross, it's only the rest of us who have difficulty entering the country. We turned the car around and headed for one of the many hotels along the beach. You can enjoy the sea from a public beach with the locals, where the women are often completely covered. There are special Muslim bathing suits that are more like wetsuits, covering the body from the top of the hair all the way down. The public beach is easy to spot from the road. It's full of cars and tents, so it almost looks like a refugee camp. We chose to enjoy the beach from one of the nice resort areas. Mövenpick allowed us to use their facilities for free. Often it costs if guests from outside want to stay at a resort during the day. We only had to pay 5 dinars per person to rent snorkeling equipment. Unfortunately, the beach was not impressive. The sand was more like gravel, but the view of the mountains was amazing. It was possible to snorkel directly from the beach. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to find areas with beautiful corals. We saw some, but it wasn't very impressive. On the other hand, Mövenpick's pools were super nice. Especially their infinity pool was fabulous. It is built so that it looks as if the pool extends directly into the sea. Royal Diving Club is recommended in Lonely Planet, but they are very expensive. It costs 23 dinars per person just to use their facilities including snorkeling. Mövenpick offers a much nicer resort, so it is highly recommended.