Amman

Travel time
3 hours

How to get there
Etihad Airways flies to Amman daily. Fares currently start at Dhs1,375 (Jul); Dhs1,445 (Aug); Dhs1,535 (Sep)

Sleep

Budget
Ibis Amman Hotel: Pay less for modern facilities at the first internationally branded economy hotel in the Kingdom. You can enjoy free wireless internet and comfortable bedrooms in the heart of the business and leisure district.
www.ibishotel.com. Jul-Sep rates start from JD52 (approx Dhs268)

Blow it
Evason Ma’In Hot Springs and Six Senses Spa: It’s a 45-minute drive from Amman, but this luxurious, eco-sensitive resort, sitting 264m below sea level and housing its own hot spring waterfalls, is undoubtedly worth it for the breathtaking scenery.
www.sixsenses.com/Evason-Ma-In. Jul-Aug rates start from JD107 (approx Dhs550); Sep rates from JD214 (approx Dhs1,100)

Eat

Budget
Hashem Restaurant: Allegedly the oldest restaurant in Amman, this local eatery positively bubbles over with people enjoying its simple and cheap but delicious food. No menus or utensils, just the best falafel and houmous you’ve ever tasted.
Al Amir Mohammed Street, opposite Cliff Hotel, Downtown Amman. Meal for two JD2 (approx Dhs10)

Blow it
Fakhr El Din Restaurant: A 1950s villa, an open-air garden and a choice of various Oriental and Lebanese meals and desserts, this charming restaurant is one of the most prestigious and renowned in the city.
www.fakhreldin.com. Meal for two JD40 (approx Dhs207)

Do

Budget
The Temple of Hercules: Your knowledge of Hercules will no longer be limited to the Disney movie. Visit the largest Roman temple that ever existed and learn more with Dead Sea scrolls and old artefacts at the on-site museum.
Amman Citadel. Entrance fee JD2 (approx Dhs10)

Blow it
The Dead Sea: Travel the 30-minute drive from Amman and stop by one of the dead sea resorts to use its beach. There is a public one, but you risk scraping along dangerous rocks, plus if you go for a resort, you can enjoy a spa treatment with the world’s most therapeutic salts.
Try the Movenpick Dead Sea Resort and Spa, JD40 (approx Dhs207) for a day pass, including use of hotel facilities.