InterContinental Hotel

Top choice in Aqaba

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An imposing full stop at the end of the bay, the InterCon boasts less of an infinity pool than an infinity sea: on a calm day, the Gulf of Aqaba stretches in one seamless ripple all the way to Egypt. With exceptional landscape gardening, pools and a lazy river, the InterCon has stolen the top spot in Aqaba’s luxury accommodation.

Providing the kind of practical service that has made this chain a favourite throughout the Middle East, and with six restaurants and a shopping arcade among its many amenities, you won’t want to move on in a hurry.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Antelope under a tree in Yotvata Hai-Bar. 736624195 animal, antelope, arabian, asian, background, bar, biology, blue, coat, conservation, curved, desert, domestic, eilat, endangered, environment, extinction, food, grey, hai-bar, haibar, horn, israel, landscape, mountain, nature, oryx, reserve, safari, sky, species, tourism, travel, tree, white, wild, wildlife, yellow, yotvat, yotvata, yotvata hai-bar nature reserve

    Hai-Bar Yotvata Nature Reserve

    21.61 MILES

    Established in 1968 to reintroduce animals that had died out in Israel, this 32-sq-km reserve on the Yotvata salt flats is home to a wide variety of…

  • View from Underwater Observatory Park to Eilat Coral Beach Nature Reserve in Israel.; Shutterstock ID 1296502384; purchase_order: 65050; job: ; client: ; other: 1296502384

    Coral Beach Nature Reserve

    4.69 MILES

    The crystal-clear waters of this 1km-long reserve are the best place on the Israeli Red Sea coast for snorkelling. Access to the reef wall is by two…

  • Khazali siq at Wadi Rum desert in Jordan.

    Khazali Siq

    25.78 MILES

    An easy siq to explore is the narrow fissure that cuts into Jebel Khazali. You can explore on foot for about 150m, far enough to appreciate the cool shade…

  • Al Hasany Dunes

    Al Hasany Dunes

    26.84 MILES

    While there are dunes in several places around Wadi Rum, the most striking are the red sands that bank up against Jebel Umm Ulaydiyya. If you are on a 4WD…

  • Landscape with an old acacia tree in Timna Park.

    Timna Park

    17.58 MILES

    The site of some of the world's earliest copper mines (c 5000 BCE), the Timna Valley offers an awe-inspiring desert landscape of cliffs and rock…

  • The Underwater Observatory Aquarium in Eilat, Israel.

    Underwater Observatory Marine Park

    5.14 MILES

    The stand-out feature of this aquarium complex, hugely popular with families, is the observatory, which takes you 12m below the surface of the Red Sea…

  • Main entrance gate of Aqaba Fortress.

    Aqaba Fort

    0.9 MILES

    The fort (currently closed for renovation with no set reopening date) was built between 1510 and 1517, as attested by the Arabic inscriptions inside the…

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Nearby Aqaba attractions

1. Ancient Church at Ayla

0.24 MILES

To the untrained eye, these ruins look unprepossessing to say the least, but archaeologists maintain that the remains of this ancient mud-brick complex…

2. Ayla

0.31 MILES

Located along the Corniche and incongruously squeezed between the marina and the Mövenpick Resort Hotel, Ayla is the site of the ancient port of Aqaba…

3. Sharif Al Hussein Bin Ali Mosque

0.57 MILES

This grand and beautiful gleaming white mosque – an icon of Aqaba – is named for the great-great-grandfather of the current king, the emir of Mecca who…

4. Public Beach

0.67 MILES

Packed at the weekend and on public holidays, this stretch of rather minimal sand beneath the palm trees offers a fun and sociable way to engage with…

5. Aqaba Museum

0.88 MILES

The museum, closed in 2017 for renovation of the Aqaba Fort complex, was previously the home of the great-great-grandfather of the present king, Abdullah…

6. Aqaba Fort

0.9 MILES

The fort (currently closed for renovation with no set reopening date) was built between 1510 and 1517, as attested by the Arabic inscriptions inside the…

7. Arab Revolt Flagpole

0.91 MILES

Standing a massive 137m high and with a flag measuring 20m by 40m, this is Aqaba's most easily spotted landmark by some degree. Look closer, however, and…

8. Aqaba Heritage Museum

1.06 MILES

This free museum, in the shadow of the giant flagpole, is moderately diverting. There are some fascinating period photos of Aqaba, including at the time…