Review: Memories Aicha Luxury Camp, Wadi Rum
I’m super excited to write this review because I had such a great time and experience in Jordan. I fell quickly in love with the landscape, the history, the people and this hotel. Although Memories Aicha Luxury Camp is a relatively new hotel to the Wadi Rum scene, they are doing everything they can to become the best hotel in the Wadi Rum desert and to make your stay one of your most memorable experiences. The staff are brilliant, the food is something we’re still dreaming about, the hotel is beautiful in design and detail and the location is literally out of this world.
We originally had two camps booked through booking.com to see which one we could afford by the time our trip came around (free cancellations are just one of the reasons why I love booking.com) both of our options were complete opposites from one another. One camp was going to cost only $30USD for 4 of us! Aicha luxury was obviously much more…but after evaluating the pros, cons and potential regrets we decided to go with Aicha and make this one extremely special adventure. I am so glad we did. I have no regrets. Staying in this hotel was more than just a place to sleep, it was an experience. One we’ll never forget which makes it all worth it.
Let’s review.
THE HOTEL
We arrived at Aicha just before sunset after a 2hr drive through Wadi Rum on the back of a 4x4. Situated not too far from the entrance to Wadi Rum, Aicha is hidden and built between two huge rock faces. The hotel is designed in a way where each room feels private even though they are all quite close together.
Somehow, I don’t think it’s going to matter which room you end up choosing because they’re all beautiful but of course, if you can, stay in one of the glass domes. I would recommend requesting rooms near the bottom of the camp where you enter as I think this is the better place to stay for better views.
The martian dome is a ‘thing’ in Wadi Rum. After a lot of research and reading many reviews from each camp on their domes, what I realised about Aicha Luxury that separates their domes (and ultimately their hotel) from the others is that Memories Aicha domes are made from glass – not just covered in plastic. This means the glass is easily cleaned and it’s perfect to see the stars through at night. Unlike the other camps who use plastic which gets incredibly dirty and kind of impossible to see through fully. Something that I noticed to be a big problem in other camps judging by all the reviews I was reading on their sites.
Memories Aicha doesn’t have wifi which is only a problem if you need to contact your mum to tell her you’re still alive (me)
THE ROOMS
We had two rooms booked at Aicha as there were four of us traveling, which is perfect for this review because we have a good idea of the quality of the hotel based upon experiencing more than one room. We had booked one panoramic luxury tent, and then one junior luxury tent.
The décor of all the rooms online looked kind of odd and eclectic but in person, it made sense completely.
Panoramic Luxury Tent
Just wow. The panoramic luxury tent is the most incredible room. This room is a glass dome situated right on the edge of the camp with nothing to look at besides the desert view right in front of you. Completely private each dome comes with a small balcony and chairs, but the best part is opening those curtains, lying on the bed and looking at the sky, stars, and sunrise. This room is a must if you can splurge on it. You won’t regret it.
Junior Luxury Tent
Although the room isn’t made out of glass, it’s equally as stylish inside as the domes. The attention to detail is just as luxurious as the panoramic luxury tent and the bed was so comfortable! One of the best nights sleeps on our whole trip.
All rooms come with Bedouin Coats. These are amazing dressing gowns. They are like a big, heavy, furry coat designed to keep you warm outside during winter in the desert. The staff encourages all the guests to wear them wherever they want – even to dinner! It didn’t take us long to jump on board.
THE FOOD
Our reservation included free dinner and free breakfast, which is a buffet style with a drink of your choice. At dinner, there are endless salads, meats, starters, vegetables and desserts to choose from. It was just so exciting to see so much delicious food! Remember no alcohol is served here. That’s ok, you don’t need it!
Breakfast was equally as brilliant. Special shout out to the Chef Zahar who helped serve my breakfast because I couldn’t decide. He prepared yoghurt, honey, rosewater and even ran out into the kitchen to hand crush the pistachios for me. He also made me fresh corn with chilli and told me I wasn’t allowed to leave any of it. We all loved him – thank you, Zahar!
THE STARGAZING
Stargazing was such an incredible addition to staying at Aicha. It’s free firstly, which is just a nice thing to do in a world where you get charged for literally anything and everything extra.
Patrick, who is the ‘star genius’ takes all the guests out on a 15-20 minute walk into the pitch-black darkness of the Wadi Rum desert to see the stars as clear as possible without any light disrupting the view. I have never seen stars like this. It’s so rare to be away from light pollution in life, especially when you live in London. Patrick gave a 20-minute talk on the stars pointing out each constellation using a laser – even some shooting stars. After you’ve enjoyed Patrick's talk you are then able to have professional photos taken under the stars! The photographer was amazing, we loved watching him working taking photos of everyone. The result is unreal and looks like you’ve been photoshopped onto the sand underneath the Milky Way. As long as the night is clear the stargazing tour runs every single night.
Yes, that’s us. Trying to keep our eyes focused on the camera in the dark!
THE PEOPLE
The manager Fadoul and all the staff were just wonderful. They went above and beyond for everyone our whole stay. My mum even emailed them to check I was still alive (no wifi remember) and they responded letting her know that I had arrived and was of course, safe/having the time of my life! Very kind of them.
The hotel will also organise a transfer back to the entrance of Wadi Rum in a 4x4 at two different times in the morning. Make sure you confirm and ask them when you arrive.
Enjoy! x
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