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Intercontinental Aqaba
After an absolutely wonderful time in Cairo checking off a bucket list wonders of the world, The Pyramids and Sphinx, then barely making our night flight to Aqaba via Amman, we arrived and headed to the Intercontinental Aqaba. If you’re unfamiliar with Aqaba, Jordan it’s a beach resort destination overlooking the Gulf of Aqaba which juts off of the Red Sea. Many tourists not only visit Aqaba for the beaches and weather, but also a means to access Wadi Rum in combination with a Petra tour. This is exactly what we did. There are several beautiful hotels including the Al Manara ( Marriott’s Luxury Collection ), Kempinski, and Movenpick all on the same street as the Intercontinental. Ultimately we chose the Intercontinental because rates were sub $120 for the night and we not only carry IHG Platinum status via our IHG credit cards, but also Intercontinental’s own elite status, Ambassador which anyone can purchase.
Stay Details:
- When: May 2019
- Where: Aqaba, Jordan
- Elite Status: IHG Platinum + Intercontinental Ambassador
- Benefits: Room upgrade and breakfast coupons
Check-in
We arrived quite late after a long day of traveling, greeted by porters, and directed to check-in. We were in two separate rooms, one for my buddy and I, the other for my parents. Both rooms had Ambassador status, and sometimes having status can actually prolong your check-in experience. Why? Instead of must being greeted by a front desk clerk, you’ll often meet a manager on site. While this is surely a nice touch of customer service, we were arriving after 9pm and departing the next day around noon. Not a complaint, but meant a quick check-in without a wait ended up turning into a longer 10-15 minute process while the manager returned to the lobby. Other than that….it was quite seamless and both rooms got upgraded to sea view rooms. We were also given the option of bonus points or breakfast coupons for buffet the next day.
The Room:
The rooms feel dated, but given the price of them, who can really complain about the age. If you’re looking for a step up, the Al Manara next door is newly renovated and looks drop dead gorgeous. But you will pay over double the price and points are pricey too. One thing that wouldn’t be a huge cost, and this world traveller would have greatly appreciated… at least one plug that is international and close to the bed. Our rooms did come with a nice little welcome platter of fruit and Arabic sweets.
The room had a small balcony with a stellar view over the pool and water.
The bathroom
Clean and simple featuring Agrari products as found in most Intercontinentals around the world.
Spa and fitness center
The hotel is absolutely massive and features quite an impressive spa. It was empty, as was the fitness center, but had I been staying on site for a longer period of time, I’d have most certainly made use of the facilities
Breakfast and dining
Since we opted for breakfast coupons we all met downstairs for the buffet. It was quite crowded, but had a wide array of food ranging from Middle Eastern specialities to omelettes and traditional western fare.
Shopping Arcade and other dining
There is a small shopping arcade for clothing, souvenirs, salon, and an outfit that you can hire to take day trips or even a multi day trip should you desire.
Pool + Beach:
The pool is massive, and you’ll need your room key to get a towel, but what I would have spent most of my time enjoying is the beach. The mountains in the background and easy sea air was hard to leave. My whole family dipped their toes in the water before breakfast and could have enjoyed an afternoon down there had we had the time. The resort, as you can see, was very low occupancy, and this was mid morning
Overall:
I was very pleased with our stay at the Intercontinental Aqaba. If you’re coming from the Israeli side you can also cross the border via Eilat and make use of the hotel before embarking on a Jordanian adventure. The staff was courteous, we were treated well, and how can you beat the rate? You’ll often see prices dip under $100 and if you’re like us with elite status and opt for the breakfast…what a deal. The views are incredible. If you’re looking for a smaller, and more authenic in design, hotel I would encourage you to investigate the Al Manara next door. It truly looks phenomenal, and if it fits your budget, and you’re staying for a few nights, it could be worth the extra cash.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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