Dead Sea

[GibbZZ]

Has anyone been in the Dead Sea? I was looking forward to floating in the sea (can't swim) on an upcoming holiday but I've heard that the Dead Sea is very polluted so not sure it's a good idea.

We went with the kids a couple of years ago whilst travelling around Jordan. It was a bit of a disaster with children as the water stings to high hell if it gets in your eyes! We stayed overnight at the Dead Sea Movenpick hotel which has direct access to the sea and I would thought if you like the whole spa thing, mud, sunbathing thing, you would love it.

Went about 5 years ago and it was absolutely fine but as Lord says if you get any in your eyes or it finds any nick on your skin it hurts like hell because of the high salt density - which was a bit unfortunate as DS had barked his shin a couple of days before in Petra so we ended up going in and out fairly quickly, covering ourselves in the mud, washing it off and then spending the rest of the time in the hotel pool.

It's not going to be there for much longer if there isn't an agreement to stop taking water from the Jordan so I'd go while you can. When we were there you could see the many hotels that had been built right by the Sea which were now a long way away and it's shrinking at a terrifying rate.

Thank you very much for the replies.

I. Looked at that hotel before but read food and drink was expensive. Couldn't find details anywhere to back that up so could anyone who stayed there back that up?

Also how did you get there from Amman or petra?

I cannot for the life of me remember which hotel we stayed in. Was lovely - with a terrific aqua park that DS spent as much time as he could in post the salt in the wound the Dead Sea is out to get me trauma! We did a week's explore of Jordan - flew in to Amman, there for two nights, then drove to Wadi Rum and camped out in the desert for a night and did an amazing jeep safari, then on to Petra for two nights and then to the Dead Sea for two nights then straight from the Dead Sea back to Amman for a late morning flight home. It's a very small country so you get to see a lot driving round for a few days. If you can combine the Dead Sea with Petra do. Petra is beautiful - and if you are then when they open it at night go, even if the last thing you think you want to do is walk all the way back down the defile and back up it again if you spent the day there. It is magical at night.