Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea — Hotel in Balqa

Our stay at the Kempinski Ishtar Dead Sea Resort was unforgettable. From the moment we arrived, the staff greeted us with genuine warmth and professionalism, making us feel at home right away. The property itself is breathtaking, with beautifully designed pools, direct access to the Dead Sea, and immaculate grounds that truly live up to the “resort” experience.

But what truly set our stay apart was the team’s exceptional hospitality. We want to give a special recognition to

Samer at the front desk, who impressed us with his poise, professionalism, and attentiveness. His ability to communicate fluently in both French and English made us feel especially welcomed, and his warmth turned a luxury stay into a truly personal experience.

Ivan, “the Man in Red,” at the reception. Words can’t express our gratitude to this man. His energy, optimism, and people skills are unmatched. He’s warm, fun, and a true go-getter, always going above and beyond to meet the needs of every guest. Whether in the lobby or even over breakfast, his presence was uplifting. He personally helped us gather tools we needed for our work and did so with such intelligence and care. We also witnessed how he interacted with other guests. His ability to connect, make people feel seen, and valued is rare. His personality shines, and his contagious positivity makes a real impact on everyone around him.

Mohamed Aref from housekeeping, whose humility and attention to detail are truly unprecedented. His radiant smile instantly put us at ease. From the very first time he entered our room, he understood our needs and quietly took care of them, whether it was helping us keep our clothes organized and fresh, or even finding comfortable prayer mats so we could practice our religion with ease. That is the next level of thoughtful, luxury treatment, and it spoke volumes about his genuine care.

Tarawneh, Spa Wellness Manager, whose kindness and compassion made our entire trip even more special. He surprised us with a birthday cake delivered to our room and communicated with the staff multiple times a day to ensure we were always treated with the utmost care. From arranging restaurant reservations to making sure we had everything we needed for our personal work, he consistently went above and beyond. His thoughtfulness made us feel truly valued, and it’s clear he is remarkable at what he does.

Ala’a, the spa attendant, always walking around with a smile on his face and greeting everyone warmly. He’s such a caring man. As someone very short, we struggled to keep our heads above water to enjoy the massage jets. Noticing this, Ala’a went out of his way to find a net and help support us so we could relax and fully enjoy the experience. That level of attentiveness and genuine kindness transformed a small struggle into a highlight of our stay.

An’am, Lead Spa Attendant, gentle, loving, professional, and sophisticated. She walks with her head held high yet remains humble in her dedication to guests. She ensured every beverage we were offered was to our taste, regularly checked on us to guarantee our comfort, and provided everything needed to experience the highest level of self-care. Extremely knowledgeable and clearly passionate about her work, An’am is polite, graceful, and makes us feel at home. She was the cherry on top of the cake.

It’s rare to encounter this level of hospitality, where professionalism and heartfelt care go hand in hand. Each person we interacted with went above and beyond to make sure every detail was perfect.

Thank you for those incredible memories created in your company. Our new mission is to share with all of our friends, family, and acquaintances what a true gem this place is, because a treasure this remarkable should never be kept to ourselves. We are very grateful.

With the utmost gratitude, The 2 sisters,...

It genuinely saddens me to write this review, as my experience at the Kempinski Dead Sea was far from what I had anticipated and certainly not reflective of a luxury hotel charging £400 a night. Upon check-in, we were left waiting for nearly half an hour before our luggage was brought to the room. When we finally reached our room, the first thing we were greeted by was a tray of someone else’s dirty breakfast left outside our door. Not exactly the welcome one expects from a supposed five-star resort. Entering the room was even more shocking. It felt like stepping into a prison cell small, outdated, and utterly soulless. There was no view, and no warmth. I immediately returned to reception and told them this was not what I had seen on Booking.com and not what I paid for. I was met with excuses: the hotel was “fully booked” and there were “no alternatives.” After a long back-and-forth, they reluctantly offered a family duplex still without a balcony and still incredibly bleak, resembling something closer to a psychiatric ward than a holiday suite. I asked for a refund and was told we could leave and it would be arranged. But being in the middle of nowhere, with no taxis around and our driver already gone, we had no option but to stay. Thankfully, two staff members the only saving grace of this entire experience stepped in to help. The gentlemen operating the golf carts were incredibly kind and managed to speak with reception on our behalf. After hours of stress and repeated claims that the hotel was at capacity, we were finally given a decent room proving that it wasn’t, in fact, fully booked. The resort itself felt empty and lifeless, like a ghost town. The atmosphere was cold and soulless. Still, we tried to see it as just a rough start. We had specifically booked our stay for a Thursday, as we were told there would be entertainment and activities. Unfortunately, this turned out to be another false promise. There were no “vibes,” no energy, and certainly no entertainment. I tried to book the tennis court through guest relations. She simply sent us over in a golf cart without any explanation or assistance. Once we arrived, the court was completely deserted no rackets, no balls, no staff. When I asked what we were supposed to do, I was told it would take an hour to get equipment ready. What’s the point of guest relations if they can’t arrange something as simple as tennis equipment in advance? To make matters worse, the resort is extremely confusing to navigate. Everything is spread out and poorly signposted, so you end up wasting a lot of time just trying to find your way around. That evening, we were told there would be a belly dancer performing. What we witnessed was… not that. I don’t mean to sound unkind, but it was awkward and uncomfortable not a performance by any stretch of the imagination. A staff member even mentioned that she wasn’t paid a salary, just given meals, and they didn’t really care whether she could dance or not. The “show” consisted of a playlist from a laptop with outdated music, no DJ, and zero atmosphere. After an hour was shut down. No music, no energy, nothing to do. I’m honestly heartbroken that a trip I had been so excited about turned into such a dismal experience. What was meant to be a relaxing escape became incredibly stressful and upsetting. That said, I want to give special thanks to Ammar and Qusai. Despite everything, they truly went above and beyond to make me feel cared for. Ammar tried his hardest to lift my spirits when I was on the verge of tears. And on my birthday, after I told Qusai how disappointed I was, he made sure the team decorated my room and did something special for me. I will never forget their kindness they were the only highlight of the...

Stayed 6/24-6/25/2025 this is my (somewhat long) review:

The hotel is stunning , in terms of architecture, grounds and cleanliness.

Yes it is a huge hotel, but that makes for a more enjoyable experience where you can walk around and explore.

My experience went like this: Check-in was easy and fast , Hamza checked us in, he was very friendly and professional.

We were given our rooms immediately since they were ready (early check-in)

⭐️ thank you Hamza⭐️ -----------‐----- Room was spacious and clean (more details below) ⭐️Thank you Mohammed Al-Nmoor, and Bilal⭐️ Amenities: There are four main pools that I know of; all of them have life-guards Sunken Pool by the main building - usually not crowded since guests prefer the lower levels pools.

Infinity pool by Ishtar suites (must be 14+) there was a dj playing music, and it's right next to Akkad restaurant (pool bites and drinks)

Lazy River Pool (Family friendly) also close to Infinity and Ishtar suites

Ashur pool, lowest level (take the stairs down from Infinity pool) - my favorite during our stay

On Day 1 we spent the day at the Lazy river since we have younger kids. We were told the pool was under maintenance and we were not allowed to swim beyond the bridge. Maintenance also caused the filtration system to fail, and the pool was not clean.👎🏻

During the 4.5 hours we were there not one pool attendant checked if we need anything. Anytime we needed to order something we had to get up and walk to the bar to order. Lunch plates were not cleaned up for two hours. The birds ate all the left-overs. Now , I'm only pointing this out, because I have stayed at other hotels in the same area where the pool attendants are ALWAYS around.

Pool attendants, service, music and everything you'd expect was at the Infinity Pool; which our kids cant get into.

Towards the end of the day, one nice recreation staff member named Mohammed Ajouri helped us out and was very friendly .

⭐️Thank you Mohammed Ajouri⭐️

Day 2 we spent it at the Ashur Pool , by Blu restaurant Much more pleasant experience , you wanna get there earlier because there's not a lot of loungers ⭐️Thank you Saleh, and Thank you Suleiman⭐️

We went down to the beach to float in the salty water, they have crocs of different sizes which you can borrow to go in the water. You must try at least once in your life to dip yourself in the Dead Sea. Do it.

⭐️Thank you Mohammed Jumaa and Mohammed Ayyad⭐️ Our first night , the hotel decided not to do a dinner buffet due to low occupancy, which is a bit inconvenient since you're very limited with options, the only two restaurants open were Blu or Rehan Lebanese restaurant . We tried the latter The food was okay. We had kibbeh labannieh, fatet jaj, hummus and chicken noodle soup. We were told portions were big and generous so we wouldn't over-order. Wrong. Portions are normal sized. FYI: no kids menu.

After dinner we headed over to Sumerian Lounge were there was a belly dancer (always ask the front desk if there are any events, because it gets a bit boring) The Show was nice , we had a good time . I had spoken to RAED at the front desk to prepare a surprise cake for my daughter's birthday so he and Gyldelle arranged all that and they sang to her at the lounge. ⭐️Thank you Raed and Glydelle ⭐️

Breakfast buffet had everything you can think of, from traditional breakfast to American, pastries, pancakes , waffles, baked goods, fruit station, cheese station, veggies, Omelet chef, sausages, manaqeesh, sweets, fresh...