Memories Aicha Luxury Camp — Hotel in Aqaba

Memories camp is nice but not perfect.

We enjoyed our brief time here but were confused by some of the operations and also found that the main “draws” (the luxury experience and dining) to be quite bland.

The “tents” are great and have fully functioning bathrooms, comfortable beds, AC, etc, which is great after a long day, but that’s where the “luxury” stops.

There is not any sort of service provided to the rooms.

The diner and breakfast buffets are served in a giant, white dome-tent with a concrete floor that is devoid of any adornment or character. It feels like a UN disaster-relief pop-up tent.. it’s very hot, and frankly quite unattractive inside and out, standing out as a large a scar on an otherwise beautiful propery. Perhaps if they added some more traditional decor to the inside it would at least feel less sterile and half-done. To that point, the food is acceptable, but does not justify the price point.

The camp-fire area is just lawn chairs pushed around a rock-ring on a dirt patch behind the dinner tent. When i booked my stay paid, I envisioned laying out near a fire after dinner, chatting with other travelers, and enjoying fresh bedouin tea while under the stars at this expensive luxury camp.. Well that’s not possible here even though the pictures make it seem so. They didn’t actually build or develop an outdoor space that is inviting, comfortable, cool, or that even has a view, it’s just thrown together behind the dome. With this large camp nestled into the corner of massive rising canyon walls, there is ample opportunity to build a raised fire area with a gorgeous, sprawling view of the desert and sky.. why they are not utilizing this tremendous outdoor space in an aesthetic way that guests can enjoy is a complete mystery to me. Wadi Rum is beautiful and spending some time under the stars is a magical part of any overnight excursion, unless you stay at Memories I suppose.

There is a nighttime entertainment space, which is basically a huge hookah lounge for guests. It seems interesting from a distance but was ultimately disappointing as well. The service was painfully slow, prices were high, and the food was not good. They blast Arabic EDM very loudly over a huge PA, and it’s so intense that it’s not really possible to even have a conversation inside.. frankly truly bizarre to walk into if you are expecting any sort of zen, overnight desert trip vibes. We also noticed people with alcohol at tables around us, but after inquiring we were told it’s for private parties and premium guests - didn’t we pay for this luxury camp to be treated as premium guests?

The bedouin people partnered with Memories are kind, but their services feel a bit like a racket in my opinion. They charged us 60JD for a 1.5 hour ride into the desert at sunset when we arrived, but the catch was that the drive was just along the road that the hotel staff use to get from the village of Wadi Rum to the camp (plus a couple 15 min stops on the route,) so I’m fairly certain we got up-sold into essentially paying twice for the same transportation service that’s included in the booking. The next morning, we requested a trip into the desert to see the other sites and were quoted 100JD for 2 hours driving to the other locations. When we tried bartering, we were told to take it or leave it, which is unfortunately the only option since you are ferried in and out of the camp by the same people, and there is no cell reception/wifi so not possible to make other arrangements, besides that it’s not allowed to be picked up at the camp by non-employees or to drive to it with your own car.. Furthemore, the vehicles they use are destroyed to the point of being covered in sharp, broken metal, holes in the floors, etc. It felt hazardous to climb in and out.. Regardless, $200+ for 4 hrs on the ground in Wadi Rum is outrageous.

It feels less like an accommodating luxury experience here and more like a scam to get you out to their part of the desert and then wring you of every dinar possible while skimping on the...

Wadi Rum is probably like a place no other, at least on Earth - with it’s red sands and giant rock formations, the closest equivalent of this landscape would be a few million miles away on Mars. Memories Aicha, we were told by our guide and driver, is one of the newest, most luxurious and increasingly one of the most popular of the multitude of camps in Wadi Rum. After being there for a night - we were able to resonate with this phenomenon.

Property & Rooms: nestled in between 2 giant rock formations, one of which almost extends like a wall/boundary makes it a very idyllic location. The camp by itself is very spread out - with the restaurant & hookah-café at one end, the reception & shop at the other and with the tents spread all across.

Their tents, specifically the bubble tents are their USP (we stayed in one for the sheer novelty and experience). These tents are well appointed with heating, comfy beds, and the works. Our tent was a little cold (despite the heating), considering it was almost 3-4c below zero; in their defence they did caveat us before the booking. Also, the transparent section of the tent, which provided the view to the mountain was a little hazy. But believe they are sourcing new tents which should address both these minor niggles. The bathroom was functional - clean and with much needed running hot water.

The restaurant too is housed in a behemoth igloo/bubble tent and is adorned with the local furniture and handicrafts.

Food & Beverages: We had dinner and breakfast at the camp. The vegetarian hot-dish options for dinner were a tad limited (soup, steamed rice, and baked potatoes), but there was a very wide selection of salads, breads & local mezze - which ensured we don’t go hungry. And there were many local desserts, so all things considered food was not a concern. Would like to give specific mention to some of the staff there (from Punjab in India) and the restaurant manager who were exceptionally warm and hospitable.

There was also a very nice hookah/sheesha bar which opens later in the evening where they serve hookahs (obviously) and tea (the latter is complimentary). There were many fire-places where the guests can sit around and enjoy the live/recorded Arabic music and may even participate in their native ‘dabke’ dance. And yes, this does go on till late into the night.

The breakfast was comprehensive & wholesome. You’d have the regular variety of cereals, breads, condiments such as jams & preserves, juices, yogurts, veggies, and the works and more mezze :)

Service & Amenities: Service standards across all our stays in Jordan were very high - people were warm, pleasant and very eager to help. Memories Aicha too was right up there - their entire staff (housekeeping, restaurant & support team) were very warm & hospitable. Fayaz, who is the manager was very cordial; he also helped us in modifying our camera settings to capture photographs of the star-filled night sky of Wadi Rum. The staff was multinational with locals and a sizeable number of them (7) from India. To sum it up - it was top-notch.

Amenities are naturally a tad limited but are unique. The sheesha café was fun, however, we sorely missed going for star-gazing as the person-in-charge was in Amman to repair the telescope. It would have been an experience of sorts, being the open under the stars - hopefully, next time!

Overall: All-in-all, a very good experience, a tad pricey, but the accommodation, food, service and the experience is well worth it! Would love to be there again and more...

Do Not Book the Miserably Hot "Panorama" Rooms

While the name of the camp has “luxury” in its title, don’t expect deluxe accommodations, cuisine, or amazing experiences. If you go into the experience recognizing that you will be staying in reasonably comfortable permanent tents in the middle of a very hot desert and are there to view the rugged surrounding, then you’ll have a decent time overnight in Wadi Rum Village.

Do NOT reserve on of the “panorama” rooms, which are extremely hot and weathered to the point that the clear plastic panels are barely translucent, much less clear enough for you to view the stars at night.

Location There are a few camps within the Wadi Rum Village, and the Memoriet Aicha is centrally located (although all the camps are relatively close to each other).

Check-In The check-in process itself is reasonably efficient, and at least one staff member speaks reasonable English.

Rooms

The panorama rooms are plastic geodesic domes, so they absorb the heat of the desert. The clear plastic windows are covered to lessen the heat, to no avail. The room was so hot that one of us almost passed out. The plastic windows had been clear at one point, I suppose, but wear-and-tear from use and/or sandstorms meant that they were cloudy, barely translucent panels. While the domes were decorated and equipped nicely (sink, shower, toilet, bed), the heat was intolerable.

We moved out bags back to the lobby tent and were assigned an upgraded regular tent which was warm, but not scorching.

The upgraded tent was reasonably sized, with a small, but serviceable bathroom.

While a small bottle of water is provided for each guest, I would suggest that you buy several 1.5-liter bottles at the Wadi Rum Visitor Center before getting to the actual camp.

Dining/Bar Option There is a buffet-style restaurant in a large geodesic dome that is located near one of the rugged rocks. Recognizing that you’re in the middle of a desert and that the kitchen team has to prepare for varying numbers of guests (depending upon how many tents are occupied each night), just know that the dinner and breakfast will not be gourmet, but will be filling a reasonably flavorful.

Activities We took a one-hour sunset camel ride out into the desert. A young, Bedouin boy (who appeared to be 12-14 years old) had two camels ready for us at the entrance to our camp. He spoke almost no English, but was able to show us how to mount and dismount the camels by hanging on to both front and back saddle horns. He led us out into the desert, where we dismounted the camels until the sun began to set. After a 15-20-minute rest to look at the camels and take photos, we returned to the camp before dusk. It was worth the time and was a fun experience.

The next morning, we checked out of the camp, and were met by two Bedouin men to take us on a 4-wheel truck drive of the various rock formations and sand dunes of the Wadi Rum Village. Our driver got an early start, which was fortunate, since all of the visitors to the Wadi Rum area are going to be descending on the same sites over the course of the morning.

Overall While not the highlight of our time in Jordan, I’m glad we spent one night in the desert. Just be sure to book one of the tents, rather than the panoramic...