Hot List Hotels 2010
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Ma'In Hot Springs (near Madaba)
Jordan
Tel: 962 5 324 5500
This 97-room resort, completely transformed from its 300-room predecessor, has one of the most dramatic settings in Jordan: deep in Wadi Zerqa, a gorge filled with palm trees and warm waterfalls originating in hot springs whose therapeutic benefits were famous in the time of Herod. The resort's exterior now references the sandstone of traditional Jordanian village houses as well as the pyramidal step design of Nabatean tombs, while dark African woods, coconut fiber rugs, sliding shutters, and pastel-colored bedouin rugs in the rooms and public spaces fuse contemporary Arabian and Asian eco-minimalism. The most compelling reasons to stay here are the sublime Six Senses Spa, which has its own natural cave sauna and waterfall, and the hotel's energetic Life experiences staff, including a resident geologist who leads hiking or mountain biking expeditions down canyons that descend from 650 feet above to 1,300 feet below sea level and whose mineral-rich rapids feed the Dead Sea. The seemingly isolated location is actually just 20 scenic minutes by car from Jordan's cluster of Dead Sea resorts. The atmosphere changes on the Islamic weekend (Thursday and Friday), when smart young things from Amman come to socialize in the White Bar, an outdoor lounge with a DJ.
Which room to book: Most offer spectacular views of the surrounding waterfalls and mountains and, on a clear day, the Dead Sea; ask for a west-facing room on an upper floor.
Information may have changed since date of publication. Please confirm details with individual establishments before planning your trip.
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