Hotel: Bubble Luxotel Wadi Rum / Location: Wadi Rum, Jordan / Date: December 2023
Suddenly it seems that Wadi Rum is THE place to go for your next adventure. My Insta feed is blowing up lately with people having recently been to Wadi Rum or planning to go there. Of course, Visit Jordan tourism is doing a great job of promoting their country, as evidenced during our visit to the World Travel Market (WTM) in London last year. It’s not just that though, Wadi Rum is indeed magical or I daresay Martian…
Wadi Rum is renowned for not only its Martian-like landscape but also for its exceptional bubble tent hotels. Pitched in the heart of the desert, it offers unbeatable views of the striking red sand. So much so that the usual online travel agencies are full of so-called bubble tents from as low as $10 per night. Don’t ask me what facilities you’ll get for a tenner a night …
Disclaimer though, you won’t find a Four Seasons or Belmond property here. So let’s just set the expectations straight.
After our extensive research, we narrowed down on two properties that looked decent. In the end, we chose Bubble Luxotel simply because it was an all-suite hotel with an outdoor jacuzzi and had an actual bubble as opposed to a ‘fake bubble’. But more on this in a bit…
How to Get to Bubble Luxotel?
Now we generally don’t focus in our blog on how to get to a hotel, because it’s usually pretty obvious. You have the options of taking the metro/underground, a cab or a private helicopter (hello Cannes!). Not in Wadi Rum though.
We chose to drive to Wadi Rum from Petra where we spent the previous two nights. You can read our blog about planning a seven day itinerary to Jordan and planning a trip to Petra. You cannot drive all the way to the hotel entrance as you can’t navigate through the desert dunes. Instead, the hotel has a designated parking spot next to a petrol station just off the main highway. The specific location is geotagged on Google maps and we have linked it here.
We parked our car here for the duration of your stay and it is really safe as there are quite a few people around. Upon arrival at the car park, Luxotel staff promptly took our luggage while we awaited transport to the hotel in a jeep. It is not that frequent so you will have to wait for a bit, but less than an hour for sure.
The ‘lounge’ or waiting area has washrooms and some restaurants, although the latter was closed whilst we were there. The petrol station next door is also quite handy as we fuelled up upon departure on our way to the Dead Sea.
We made our way to the hotel and also had our first sand dunes experience in Jordan. The drive was about 20 mins or so. It can be pretty chilly and windy so dress appropriately.
Check-in: Bubble Luxotel Wadi Rum
The main ‘lobby’ of the hotel, if I can call it that, is a giant bubble which houses the reception area, the restaurant and a bar. At the reception, we made the payment and the staff explained to us the facilities of the hotel including the tours available. Most importantly, the staff informed us that we were staying in an actual bubble with air pumping into the room 24/7 as opposed to a fake bubble tent which is a permanent structure made to look like a bubble. This meant that we had to be very careful about opening and closing our room door in order not to deflate our bubble room.
We were served a refreshing drink while waiting for our golf cart to take us to our room. Couldn’t complain about the wait as the view across the Wadi Rum dessert was just fantastic.
Bubble Suite King: Bubble Luxotel
The hotel has only two types of rooms – a Bubble Suite King and a Bubble Suite Twin. The rooms run in two parralel lines overlooking the desert. We were in Row 2 i.e. the second row.
The room or the ‘bubble’ is essentially a collection of three bubbles joined together, perched on a wooden deck. The main deck, also the largest deck, is the living room. The smaller bubble is the bedroom and the smallest bubble towards the back contains the washroom and wardrobe.
The deck contains a hammock and an outdoor jacuzzi.
The main living room contained a large L-shaped sofa and a desk which included a mini fridge (with some soft drinks replenished daily). There also was a heater/air-con which was quite useful as it was freezing most of the time in the bubble. The views were superb and the sofa is a fantastic place to just drink your coffee and gaze across the dessert.
More about the room…
Next to the living room, in the smallest bubble, was the utility area with an open wardrobe and a vanity right next to it. It was small but appropriate given that you’re staying in a bubble. Right at the back was a toilet and washroom. There wasn’t much to document or photograph besides fulfilling its intended purpose. Slightly worn out and could do with a bit of sprucing up.
Bedroom
The bedroom was in a separate bubble and included a comfortable king bed. There was a heater/air-con combo again which was much needed. The bubble is covered all around except for the top, which was transparent, allowing you to gaze the sky.
One of the cool features of this hotel, and probably its USP was the outdoor Jacuzzi. We relaxed in the hot tub at dusk and had fantastic views of the desert. Of course, it would be a bit odd to be in a jacuzzi as people pass by, but the hotel was relatively quiet and we hardly saw other guests.
Breakfast
Our room rate included breakfast. As the hotel is half-board, it includes dinner in the package as well. The main tent, which was also the reception area, served breakfast.
It was decent considering the location and contained the usual continental items including local hot food items. Plenty of options to choose from, including vegetarian options.
Dinner
The restaurant served dinner at the same place where they served breakfast. The buffet spread included soup options, a variety of salads, and several hot dishes. There was also a live counter for pizza with a choice of sauces. Surprisingly, the dessert options were extensive and hence I was a happy man. The quality was probably questionable but we sampled a few options nevertheless.
Amenities
You do not come to this hotel for the amenities. It’s more of a pit stop during your Wadi Rum tour with good views thrown in. The hotel had a bar area that was buzzing during the evenings and a separate cabana which was unused due to the cold weather.
They did organise star gazing activity with professional telescopes. However, due to cloudy skies, they canceled the event on both nights we were there.
The hotel also organised a full day-tour for us including vegetarian food at a reasonable price. The guide was knowledgeable and we were quite happy with the overall experience.
Conclusion
We would recommend Bubble Luxotel if you are considering a trip to Wadi Rum. There was nothing to complain about and the rooms were spacious, the views were great and the jacuzzi was fun (especially in the cold desert evenings)!
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