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zenbabytravel · 5 years ago

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For many of us, exploring Petra is a lifetime wish. And Petra with kids for us was a dream coming true. So vast and so popular, this UNESCO World Heritage gem sits on magic lands where timing and treks choices are crucial with little feet susceptible of little patience and physical resilience. The Treasury in Petra is the most accessible and iconic, but as soon as we looked at the maps we all knew we wanted to see The Monastery in Petra as well even if that meant an adventurous long Petra Monastery Hike.

Petra Treasury at sunset

We picked the backdoor to Monastery on our second day and this hike ended up as our best part of these 2 days on the magic lands. Spectacular and less travelled, the backdoor is little marked but left us to enjoy the peace and grandeur of the canyons and mountains away from the hordes of tourists, mules, camels, Johny Depp wannabes and souvenir stall sellers.

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Petra at sunset

We arrived in Petra from Hyatt Aqaba the day before. My high level plan was to get the 2 days tickets, trek to the Treasury via the main trail starting early afternoon, wrap up by sunset and hopefully face less crowds. As soon as we got in, we have faced the first hasslers of the day.

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Horse ride apparently included in the tickets price easily convinced our kids. It proved to be about 5min ride and the perfect occasion for the guys to ask for tips on the back of the 5 minutes presentation. Easily predictable and no offence taken, as after all these guys rely on tourists like us to put a bread on the table.

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We continued by foot to Treasury, mouth opened wide at the beauty around us, the narrow tall gorges and rocks colours in the afternoon sun.

Petra canyons at sunset

Finding the Treasury after 45 minutes felt like an adventure fairytale; and we continued to the Royal tombs and the Sikh with most of the crowds gone and the moon coming out.

Jordan adventure holidays – Petra

7pm we made our way back, admired Petra museum about to be open the very next day and headed to Little Petra to our luxury glamping base.

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The place to stay in Petra: the magic bubbles @petrabubbleluxotel perfectly integrated in the magic setting just above #LittlePetra #bubbleluxotel #littlepetra #littleexplorers #littleluxuries #kidsandbubbles #kidswelltravelled #uniquestays #uniquehotelsintheworld #thefunwaytotravel #countrykidsfun #CulturedKids #lpkids #bbctravels

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We knew we needed a different strategy than the the main trail to the Monastery given the crowds and lenghty 3 hours each way. So after some deliberation, online searches and conversations, we opted for paying a car to drive us to the ultimate off road point after Little Petra and opted for Petra monastery hike via the backdoor.

Petra backdoor to Al Deir

The tickets are checked but can’t be bought from Little Petra, so come prepared! If you are attempting the backdoor, you may decide to drive yourself – 4×4 definitely needed! Come also prepared with water and snacks as this is definitely the road less travelled.

We’ve just uploaded on Youtube the backdoor to Petra, the link in here, the hike and the adrenalin from few hazardous bits all worth it! Ad Deir (The Monastery in Petra) also known as El Deir, is monumental and iconic, the second most commonly visited monument in Petra after the Treasury. The rock-cut facade is 45 meters high and 50 meters, believed to be first constructed in 3 BCE as a monumental Nabataean tomb. The tomb has several incised crosses carved into the wall, which may indicate that the structure was reused as a church during the Byzantine period.

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Reaching the Monastery felt just glorious ! We indulged into icrecreams, snacks, celebratory drinks and more pictures. Thereafter we got back to our car mostly on the main trail – more tombs, temples, an impressive amphitheatre and a Roman colonnaded street. It’s a long way for little darling feet but they’ve done unbelievably well, the 5 years old walking by himself over 10km and the 3 years old managing say a third by himself . The rest, many thanks to our resilient shoulders ! We wrapped up at 5pm, by our car in the main parking by Petra museum.

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Interestingly enough we have not been the only family that day who attempted the Monastery with little feet. We met one other family who was going back through the backdoor and a couple of others the main trek. The kiddies loved exploring, jumping around, collecting stones and sticks. One lifetime experience for sure!

The Rose City of Petra is believed to be first settled around the 6th century BC by the Nabataeans and has been rediscovered in 1812. And the back door to the Monastery leaves one to discover this place closer to what must have been 200 years ago, in its stark natural beauty and peacefulness.

Petra with kids and the back door to Monastery For many of us, exploring Petra is a lifetime wish. And Petra with kids for us was a dream coming true.

#jordan with kids #petra the monastery #petra with kids #the treasury petra

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zenbabytravel · 6 years ago

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The usual draw for holidays to Israel and Jordan is the plethora of famous landmarks and holy places, but these lands are also fantastic for adventures and as a hedonistic destination. In our 10 days Israel and Jordan we combined the hip beach bars and Bauhaus architecture of Tel Aviv; stopped to take in the tranquility of the largest natural crater of Mitzpe Ramon; and wrapped up Israeli adventures with the gorgeous dolphins of the Reef in Eilat. Israel Jordan border crossing was easy in Eilat – Aqaba; thereafter we spent 3 other days by the Red Sea Jordanian side sailing, snorkelling and chilling; 2 fantastic days in Petra trekking and hiking and then 3 more days indulging into Dead Seas’s salt rich waters.

Red Sea sailing and snorkelling

Petra Monastery backdoor hike

We flew London to Tel Aviv and back from Amman and rented cars both sides-to properly enjoy the roadtrip at our own pace and leisure.

Aperol spritz Dead Sea Marriott

Sunset Mediterranean – Alexander hotel Tel Aviv

Sunset Dead Sea Marriott

Founded in 1909, Tel Aviv is all the things Jerusalem is not. It feels secular and tolerant, is packed with modern architecture – including the highest concentration of Bauhaus-style buildings in the world, is hip and party-loving town. A stroll down Sderot Rothschild is a quick, easy introduction to the city’s café culture, diverse population and eclectic architecture. We’ve been first time 12 years ago with friends; we found it on this occasion even more vibrant, boho and filled with fine dining, playgrounds by the beach and cool terraces.

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Tel Aviv teaser ❤️ #alexanderhoteltelaviv Sunset in the gorgeous city of contrasts 💙 Greek myths, Judaism, first Christian church, mosques, Turkish palaces, Napoleon, the crusaders, Pharaoh and Ramesses, Peter the Great, one of the most famous flea markets #telaviv ❤️ ********************************************* #telavivsunset #telavivwithkids #boutiquehotel #greathospitality #mediterraneanlifestyle #wanderlustkids #parentswhotravel #telavivboutiquehotel #alexanderhotel #Londonkids love #EasterHolidays

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We stayed with Alexander hotel – one of Tel Aviv’s coolest and boutique hotel with a gorgeous roof terrace for breakfasts and sunset drinks. They utterly spoilt us in their 2 beds suite – very chic and functional. There’s also a very cool bar downstairs, a spa and a great location – by the beach, a 2 minute walk to Old Tel Aviv port and 10 minutes walk to the Marina. A dedicated article on Tel Aviv and Alexander hotel will be coming shortly.

Tel Aviv Hilton beach bar

Tel Aviv Alexander hotel roofterrace

Tel Aviv seaside

On these holidays to Israel and Jordan we opted for 2 days and nights in Tel Aviv and thereafter rented a car Israeli side for 2 days. Mitzpe Ramon proved a very exciting stopover for our boys and we took our time for them to play with the stones, soak in the dramatic rugged landscapes, indulge into a casual lunch and icecreams.

Mitzpe Ramon Israel – perfect stopover Israel road trip

Israel is a gem great to drive in, cross the country in few hours and so diverse – on our way we encountered the greens of Tel Aviv hoods, surreal rugged mountains and craters and ended up in Eilat for the night.

Eilat dolphin reef – welcome

Eilat dolphin reef – back after 12 years

A quick dip in the pools for the kids and we headed to Dolphin Reef – the super playful dolphins of Eilat greeted us a soon as we entered. 12 years ago we dove with them, on this occasion our boys were too young to snorkel or dive with. The excitement of the month were the purple jellyfish – huge, harmless and fun to play with. And yes, we also witnessed again a couple of dolphins jumping outside the reef but we know they will be back shortly!

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The super playful gorgeous dolphins of Eilat greeted us as soon as we entered 🐬💙🐬12 years ago we dove with them, our boys are too young on this occasion to snorkel, dive or swim with, so will have to come back! #eilatdolphinreef is one of those magical places that stayed in our hearts over the years and glad to see it's as gorgeous as we remembered. On this occasion the excitement of the day are the purple and pink jellyfish – huge, harmless and great to play with 😂 and yes a couple of dolphins jumped outside the reef, but we know they will be back shortly 😉 Link in the bio, no #3 🐬💙🐬 ***************************************** #dolphinreefeilat #magicIsrael #snorkelwithdolphins #kidslovedolphins #divewithdolphins #kidslovetoswim #swimwithdolphins🐬 #eilatwithkids #israelwithkids #magicdolphins #happychildhood #snappyhappybritmums #culturedkids #MondayEscapes #farawayfiles #countrykidsfun Thank you so much for the #invite 🐬💙🐬

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We continued our Red Sea adventures on the Jordanian side – the brand new Hyatt Regency Ayla is a great base for pampering and chilling. We sailed, we snorkelled, we jet skied, we sunbathed, relaxed and treated ourselves with some yum breakfasts and fine dining. The Executive Club is a fabulous option and we found ourselves most evenings sipping bubbles and local wines, snacking, reading their book collection and enjoying the sunsets. The Cascade is another fine option and their live jazz and happy hours made the perfect wrap up of the days and seeing the sun going down.

Read Sea Jordan sailing

Read Sea Jordan sailing Ayla marina

The kids loved Hyatt Regency’s kidsclub and graceful personal and were difficult to be extracted even to enjoy the fun designery pools. Which left the parents to relax and enjoy themselves – this is the perfect base for Red Sea diving or parasailing.

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Ode to the blue 💙 where state of art meets amazing hospitality, practicality, fantastic design and family friendly: Hyatt Regency Aqaba in Ayla marina. #designhotels #culturedkids #aqabajordan #farawayfiles #boutiquehotel #aqabahotel #hyattregencyaqaba #aylaaqaba #jordanwithkids #playandstay #wanderlustkids #kensingtonmums #countrykidsfun #Londonkids

A post shared by Zenbabytravel (@zenbabytravel) on Apr 16, 2019 at 10:39pm PDT

Recharged and rested, we left ready for some serious trekking and hiking at Petra. We started in the afternoon on the first day – took our 2 days Petra passes, admired Petra museum about to be open and opted for the main trail – enjoying the reddish tall and narrow canyons and the Treasury by sunset; the Royal tombs and the Sikh – with most of the crowds gone whilst the moon came out.

Petra canyons at sunset

We spent the night at a peaceful retreat away from the crowd at the remote Little Petra – Bubble Luxury Hotel – the ultimate glamping where the sunsets are magical and one can watch the stars at night from the comfort of their own bed.

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The next day we took the road less travelled to the Monastery – not for the faint hearted as the last part is unmarked and quite steep. It proved stunning and exhausting for the little feet but all worth it in the end, away from the all the tourists, mule handlers and souvenir stall sellers. We started from little Petra, drive off-road with one of the locals, ascent of a couple of mountains and some steep descents, breathtaking landscapes enjoyed in peace. And just as we doubted our choice, we spotted the majestic Al Deir – the Monastery. The backdoor to Petra is to be uploaded soon on Youtube. UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Rose City of Petra was first settled around the 6th century BC by the Nabataeans and was rediscovered in 1812 – truly a lifetime experience. We got back to our car mostly on the main trail – more tombs, temples, an impressive amphitheatre and a Roman colonnaded street.

Petra backdoor to Al Deir

Petra at sunset

Dead legs and full of dust and broken back from carrying the toddler, we wrapped up our itinerary of 10 days Israel and Jordan with Dead Sea Marriott – the rejuvenating properties of the Dead Sea’s salt-rich waters are well known and the Marriott caters gracefully for families with their 6 pools, array of restaurants, spa and kidsclub.

Dead Sea Marriott view from the executive floor

Dead Sea Marriott sunset

My kids proved mostly too posh for the therapeutical mud but the adults embraced the wraps fully, including the glorious spa. Floating in the Dead Sea proved challenging for little scars or mosquito bites but once we were in, great fun.

Lowest point on Earth – Dead Sea Jordan

Dead Sea Marriott spa

We kept our rental car from Aqaba back to Amman airport and initially planned to see the Holy site of baptism or the natural reserve nearby. However the great hospitality, wines, massages and wraps proved too much of a deterrent to further Jordan adventure holidays – so we just soaked in the gorgeous shades of blue, chilled and spent some more quality time with the cheeky monkeys.

Floating in the Dead Sea

Jordanian Chardonnay

12 years ago we embarked on a 10 days Israel road trip for Easter and loved it; similarly now, we found Easter UK school holidays very busy but great for the weather. On our 10 days Israel and Jordan we encountered 24 degrees in Tel Aviv, up to 30 degrees in Eilat and Aqaba, a breezy pleasant hike temperature of 18 degrees in Petra and 25 degrees by the Dead Sea.

Red Sea sailing

Mitzpe Ramon crater & stones

More dedicated articles on our holidays to Israel and Jordan coming shortly. For further Middle East road trips inspiration, check our stunning Oman itinerary: Arabian Sea, Wahiba sands and gorgeous wadis, Al Hajar mountains, Ras Al Jinz turtles retreat.

Disclosure: Many thanks to Alexander hotel Tel Aviv and Marriott Dead Sea Jordan for the warm hospitality and media discounts. As usual, impressions and overexcited kids entirely ours.

10 days Israel and Jordan adventure holidays The usual draw for holidays to Israel and Jordan is the plethora of famous landmarks and holy places, but these lands are also fantastic for adventures and as a hedonistic destination.

#israel road trip #Jordan road trip #road trip with kids

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